Will the once-off sale of South Africa’s estimated 18 tons of stockpiled rhino horn lead to a decrease in poaching? This, along with the possible consequences of a trade ban lift, were among the most pertinent questions posed at the ‘Risk Assessment of Rhino Horn Trade’ conference held in Onderstepoort in April. Organised by the local non-profit organisation, Outraged Citizens Against Poaching (OSCAP), it included several international conservation agencies as well as an impressive array of international key note speakers.
The conference followed on the announcement in 2013 by the minister of environmental affairs, Edna Molewa, that the country would back ”the establishment of a well regulated international trade” in rhino horn and seek permission from CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) in 2016 for a one-off sale of stockpiles worth around $1 billion.” International trade in rhino horn has been banned since 1976.
The debate by pro- and anti-traders will be published in Lowvelder this Friday.
