PRESENTATION TO THE PORTFOLIO
COMMITTEE ON WATER AND
ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS
26TH JANUARY 2012
A WWF PRESENTATION
BY
DR. JOSEPH OKORI
(African Rhino Programme Manager)
WWF congratulates the government of South
Africa on efforts in dealing with the escalating
poaching pressure and illegal trade currently facing
the country.
WWF recognizes past achievements - bringing back
white rhino from the brink of extinction.
WWF hopes that the gains and global contribution
South Africa has played over the century shall be
remembered during this time of rhino poaching
crisis and with this knowledge remain sincere and
objective in up-holding its great name as a leader in
rhino conservation.
WWF recognizes the present poaching taking place
in Africa and the escalating numbers poached in
South Africa since 2008, as alarming and an
unhealthy trend for an endangered species. More
rhinos than ever were poached in 2011.
WWF are concerned by the apparent failure to:
• curb poaching and rhino horn losses to illegal
markets
• create effective deterrents to halt the activities
of the syndicates that propagate such crimes
against nature
• address weaknesses in internal conservation
trade controls and regulatory systems in what was
once a vibrant rhino sector
THE IMPACT OF RHINO POACHING
Rhino poaching in South Africa threatens;

Rhino viability concerns in the near future with the
potential threat of a possible decline.

Livelihoods and community based economic
activities reliant on rhinos for tourism.

Decline in National income from hunting, local
trade and legal utilisation.

Habitat loss for rhinos due to private owners
selling because of heightened risks.

International reputational risk for South Africa.
1.
The strength and weaknesses of the current
initiatives to address the problem;
a. Strength of current initiatives
I. Government support and provision of an enabling
environment for:
Targeted interventions
Researched Opportunities
Public campaigns and Open discussions
II. A number of initiatives have taken-off that have
sensitized;
Local and international communities.
Various levels of Government
And raised the rhino profile globally
a. Weakness of current initiatives
I. Inadequate strategic planning between local NGO’s /
campaign groups via government driven initiatives.
II. Ineffective capitalization of community and public
awareness gains made through campaign drives.
III.No strong political drive (despite a number of
initiatives) with implicated rhino consumer countries to
address the root cause and take decisive action on
those driving the illegal rhino poaching and trade in
rhino horn.
IV. In relation to (III) above, investment has been skewed
towards security and protection of critical populations.
There is also a need to grow rhino numbers to buffer
overall losses including natural and legal off-takes.
V. Limited legal control and enforcement leading to
weak prosecution performance with resultant
insufficient deterrents to rhino crimes.
VI. Lack of an adequate integrated approach and
coordination of relevant key organs of state in closing all
avenues that may present loop holes for the operations
of the criminal syndicates propagating the rhino
poaching and illegal rhino horn trade. Information
sharing, investigations and coordinated actions are
required to strengthen the prosecution efforts and
create stronger deterrents.
VII. The South Africa NPA is vibrant but young in terms
of handling new emerging wildlife crime.
Cross Cutting Linkages: Integrated Coordination
Scene of Crime
investigations
Security and
Protection
Investigations
and
prosecutions
Customs, SARS
Securing &
Expansion of
Range
2. The efficacy of current environmental governance
structures to address the problem;
The current South African governance structure is
recognized as one of the best in Africa and provides
the appropriate enabling base for effective and
efficient functionality to stop poaching.
However, a system is only as good as the components
that actually drive it - in this case the human resource
element needs to be addressed.
3. Whether South Africa has the requisite
combination of expertise, sufficient and sustained
financial capacity, and well-performing institutional
and regulatory mechanisms to maintain an effective
and balanced intervention to rhino poaching;
South Africa stands out, even against other rhino
range states as having a wealth of experienced
conservationists, law enforcement agents and local
technical capacity;
more uniquely, South Africa is the only Africa
country with a complex multi-pronged rhino
management system (private, provincial, state and
community).
Historically, South Africa has successfully:
• brought rhinos back from the brink of extinction
• seen white rhino populations grow from approximately
20-50 to over 18,000 in 100 years.
• supported a well controlled and regulated local rhino
trade and trophy hunting
• been a big contributor to incentivizing rhino
production in South Africa.
The question is what has changed since 2008 and what is
the most appropriate response?
4. Recommendations to address specific challenges
and responses of the present regime pertinent to
the practitioner, regulator and policy-maker.
Short Term Initiatives:
A.Galvanizing International Support for Change:
Strong diplomatic political drive is required by
government of South Africa to address the illegal trade,
impact of rhino poaching and implications for the
survival of the species with implicated and transit states
directly and through international bodies supported by
appropriate conventions and agreements.
This would involve:
I. Special appeals by South Africa to have Interpol
raise rhino crimes to a higher priority level to clamp
down on the international syndicate operations
network globally.
II. Bilateral dialogue and up-scaling of current efforts
with implicated and transit states on illegal rhino
trade, trade chain disruption, respecting medicinal
bans, implementation of appropriate legislation and
strategically targeted campaigns or initiatives in
implicated and transit states.
III. There is need to address international law
enforcement initiatives to ensure compliance to
trade standard.
IV. Demand national and international legislation that
would exclude rhino horn products in any manufactured
or doctor-to-patient medicine mixes, this takes into
cognition that in some Asian countries it has been illegal
since 1993.
V. Immediate up-scaling and tightening of law
enforcement, strategic, pro-active deployments and
strengthening forensic evidence efforts.
VI. A South Africa led initiative, on behalf of all African
rhino range states, producing a joint action statement
such as joint communiqué to both implicated and transit
states on the current rhino crisis.
VII. Training and capacity building of human resource
sector; investment in South African Wildlife College.
Medium Term Initiatives
B. Private Sector re-structuring:
The sector has contributed immensely to the survival and
growth of the rhino in South Africa. However, we
recognise that :
• Significant governance issues exist within the sector
• Lack of transparency and accountability by a few misguided elements.
• Fragmentation within the sector caused a breakdown in
self-regulation and control over rhino management.
Recommendations:
•Governance, database management and regulatory
functions placed under a Board of landowners,
government and relevant conservation bodies
•Strengthened community participatory engagement
with private sector promoted as a longer term
conservation measure.
C. Centrally Regulated Rhino Management:
• A National rhino co-ordination officer, to provide
adequate compliance and functionality of rhino issues.
• A greater degree of co-operation between provincial
and national wildlife management and regulatory
authorities across South Africa.
• National electronic permitting and integrated
database for all rhino activities in South Africa
• Constitutional issues need to be addressed with
regards to provincial Nature Conservation legislature.
D. Research into legalization of rhino horn trade:
Legal rhino horn trade is seen by some as a “silver
bullet” to solve the present crisis. We need a better
understanding of unforeseen risks and worst-case
scenarios for global rhino populations.
Recommendations:
•Recapitalization, providing new or additional
incentives to the rhino sector.
•Policy adjustments made in the sector would serve a
more sustainable way forward.
•Outcomes from studies that have been proposed to
look at drivers of the rhino horn market
•Assess ways of shutting down the illegal trade,
dispelling associated myths
•Understanding the consequences, both in the short
and long term of a possible legal rhino horn trade.
E. Strengthening of the Judicial System:
South Africa has one of the most comprehensive
wildlife legislations in Africa and a judicial system
that is internationally recognized as being astute. The
National Prosecution Authority is an able but young
force that faces a new emerging wildlife crime
situation and challenges.
Recommendations:
• Greater resourcing - increased capacity, including
financial facilitation, training and international
exposure is considered to boost knowledge and
performance potential for desirable end results.
• Need for awareness and training initiatives with
judiciary in other producer and transit countries too.
• This in no way should ignore the role magistrates play
and their need for team building initiatives.
Long term Initiatives
F. International collaborative Initiatives:
That seek to:
I. Understand the global dynamics of market forces
comprehensively in relation to rhino horn specifically
and wildlife products in general
II. Sustain large-scale awareness campaigns in both
markets and source countries
III.Derive and promote the existence of direct and
indirect benefits for communities and surrounding
key populations – added value for rhino conservation
efforts.
IV.Identification and engagement of multi-national
agencies to support the global fight against illegal
wildlife trade and its drivers.
SUMMARY OF RHINO POACHING EFFORT
Strengthened
Integrative
Investigations
Strengthened &
Sensitized
Judiciary System
Support
Options
Up scaling
Rhino Scene
of Crime
Court
Evidence
Extradition
treaties
Producer
end
Consumer
end
Interpol
Blue list
TRAFFIC
CITES
Responsible
Decisions
Bi-Lateral
Agreements
Accountable for
their Actions
SA-CITES
Political Will & Drive
WWF Rhino Poaching Summary
1. We stand the chance of losing decades of successful
investments in rhino conservation and put the
survival of the Africa rhino in peril.
2. Today, the global community holds South Africa in
its trust, as the largest African rhino population now
faces direct threat.
3. There is need to understand and address the drivers
of rhino horn trade in the implicated states that are
the end-users of the horn products.
4. No “silver bullet” to this crisis, rather requires a
comprehensive approach that has both local and
international aspects over varying timeframes.
THANK YOU
WWF AFRICAN RHINO PROGRAMME ACTIVITIES
Support to:
• Veterinary Genetics Lab: RhODIS database for DNA
local and international forensic processes
 Prosecutions and investigative efforts by government.
 Provincial park authorities on anti-poaching and rhino
management
 Black Rhino Range Expansion Programme
 Bi-lateral and regional rhino conservation workshops
and forum
 Rhino strategy development
 Media and direct advocacy campaigns
 Bi-lateral Government Exchanges
 Training, Capacity building and local community
investment in rhino conservation efforts
WWF PARTNERSHIP EFFORTS
 TRAFFIC played the leading role in promoting law
enforcement collaboration between South Africa and Viet
Nam by organising and funding the trip of five South
African law enforcement officials to Viet Nam in October
2010 and five Vietnamese counterparts to South Africa in
September 2011.
 TRAFFIC developed the rhino horn stocks database
mandated in new Norms and Standards for registering all
horn stocks in South Africa.
 TRAFFIC are co-ordinating surveys assessing rhino
numbers and population performance in South Africa.
 TRAFFIC are developing studies to assess global markets
in terms of rhino horn use and demand.
Establish the potential for criminal linkages
Rhino DNA Profiling linking elements along the poaching – trade chain
Poacher
Scene of Rhino
Crime
Traffickers
King-Pins
Confiscated
rhino horn
By
association
Consumers
Confiscated
rhino horn