Rhino
South Africa has long been at the frontline of the battle against rhino poaching, and recent trends have pointed to a troubling rise in cases within KwaZulu-Natal. The province, once a haven for the majestic species, has now become the focal point for poachers, placing immense pressure on the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, which suffered the highest number of rhino losses in the province.
Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, expressed her concern during a media briefing on the 2023 national rhino poaching statistics in St Lucia: “The pressure again has been felt in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province with Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park facing the brunt of poaching cases losing 307 of the total national poaching loss. This is the highest poaching loss within this province,” she stated.
Despite valiant efforts by conservation teams, in 2023, the poaching crisis deepened further as South Africa recorded 499 rhino deaths, in contrast to 448 the previous year—indicating an escalation in the conflict between humans and wildlife conservation.
Nonetheless, there were some glimmers of hope, particularly within the iconic Kruger National Park (KNP) which saw a 37% reduction in poaching cases from the year before, a stark contrast to the situation in KZN. The Minister outlined several key interventions for this success, including “an extensive and ongoing dehorning programme” and “improved access control through the installation of Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and gate cameras.”
Praising the collaborative efforts leading to these positive results, Creecy added, “Responsible partnerships between the public and private sectors, and the financial and transporting sectors remain critical in combating international wildlife trafficking.”
The Minister highlighted the role of the government’s poverty relief program in providing employment opportunities for local communities while simultaneously bolstering the park’s security forces. “As part of the government’s poverty relief program there are a number of fence monitors employed from neighboring communities that patrol the western boundary fence of the KNP and report fence breakages, illegal tracks and people entering the KNP as well as animals escaping from the KNP,” she explained.
Creecy also emphasized the noticeable impact of various anti-corruption measures and improved tactical operations in reducing rhino poaching. “The continued implementation of the KNP Ranger Services Integrity Management Plan, which is a holistic approach that assesses the drivers and dynamics of corruption, and then addresses these with a comprehensive set of actions that focuses on building individual integrity and organisational resilience to corruption,” she asserted.
In tackling the judicial aspects of the poaching crisis, verdicts were reached in 36 cases, of which a notable 35 resulted in guilty sentences, showcasing the robustness of the legal approach towards wildlife offenders.
Creecy reiterated the government’s commitment to rhino conservation by revising the Black and White Rhinoceros Biodiversity Management Plans (BMP), a move set to consolidate the nation’s attempts to secure a safe future for the rhino population. “The revision of the BMP aims to address the needs of both black and white rhino, provide a strategic approach and detailed action plan to conserving rhino in South Africa and for engaging with range States to the north,” the Minister concluded, focusing on the importance of public participation in the conservation effort.
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