The South Africa – Viet Nam Rhino Horn Trade Nexus (PDF ... - WWF

SiTuATion AT THE SouRCE: SouTH AfRiCA
THE SITUATION AT THE SOURCE:
SOUTH AFRICA
BACKGROUND
South Africa is a vast and diverse country covering more than 1.2 million km 2 and ranging from arid
desert near the Atlantic Ocean in the west to lush tropical coastline in the east along the Indian Ocean.
In the past 20 years, the country has undergone one of the most dramatic political changes of recent
times, switching from an apartheid system of racial segregation to a parliamentary system with fully
participatory democracy. At the end of apartheid in 1994, the four original provinces (Cape, Natal,
Orange Free State and Transvaal) and the “independent” and “semi-independent” Bantustans or black
African homelands (Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda, Ciskei, Gazankulu, KaNgwane, KwaNdebele,
KwaZulu, Lebowa and QwaQwa) were abolished. Nine new provinces were created; Eastern Cape, Free
State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Northern Cape and Western Cape.
Each province is now governed by unicameral legislature, which is elected every five years based on
party-list proportional representation.
South Africa is one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world, despite covering only 2% of
the global land area, it is home to nearly 10% of the world’s plants as well as 7% of the reptiles, birds
and mammals (www.sanbi.org). Specifically, South Africa continues to harbour significant populations
of African large mammals, including the famous “Big Five”: elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo and rhino,
which are integral to its appeal as a wildlife tourism destination. Overall, the country has a relatively
stable mixed economy with key economic sectors including commercial, mining, service, manufacturing
and industrial as well as tourism (Carruthers, 2008). At the same time, human development indices
are relatively low due to high levels of inequality in income distribution and unequal distribution of
resources and opportunities (Van der Berg, 2010). Crime is a prominent issue in South Africa and
research contracted by the South African government in 2007 concluded that for a range of socio-
economic and political reasons, the country is exposed to unusually high levels of violent crime (CSVR,
2010). Crime and increasing corruption are also considered a severe constraint on investment by many
enterprises in South Africa (Stone, 2006).
The vision in South Africa’s constitution is:
Cape Town
NoRThERN CAPE
WESTERN CAPE
Pretoria
Johannesburg
MPuMALANGA
NoRTh WEST GAuTENG
FREE STATE
EASTERN CAPE
LESoTho
LIMPoPo
a prosperous, environmentally conscious nation, whose people are in harmonious coexistence with the
natural environment, and which derives lasting benefits from the conservation and sustainable use of its
rich biological diversity.
Hence, policies promoting both consumptive and non-consumptive utilization of natural resources are
applied and these contribute to both the national economy and the sustainable development of the
country. South Africa’s considerable and diverse natural resources open up a wide array of investment
possibilities. However, as a signatory to various international environmental agreements, South Africa
is concerned to protect its natural resources and promote their sustainable use.
KWAZuLu-NATAL
SOUTH AFRICA’S WILDLIFE INDUSTRY
The growth of the game ranching industry in South Africa since the 1960s has been described as “a conservation
revolution” (Bothma et al., 2004). Greater numbers of wildlife occur in South Africa today than
has been the case for many decades. This is true not only in the country’s national parks and formal game
reserves, but also on private property where wildlife is often harvested as a source of meat, hunted for trophies,
traded as live animals and viewed by ecotourists (Du Toit, 2007). The business of commercial game
ranching or wildlife management on private property has contributed immeasurably to improvements in
techniques of translocation, capture and immobilization, resulted in a resilient market in the sale of live
animals, provided a source of protein for local and export markets, and encouraged the growth of a new
professional class of wildlife managers and consultants (Carruthers, 2008).
Not surprisingly, the country’s wildlife industry is one of the most developed in the world, with game
ranching commonly viewed as an important conservation tool that produces major economic benefits
(von Wietersheim, 1988, quoted in Barnett and Patterson, 2005). Indeed, most game ranches are businesses
first and foremost, competing to attract customers and maximize profits and to provide the
necessary revenue to fund conservation activities. For example, the total income generated by a game
auction on a single wildlife ranch in South Africa in September 2011 was ZAR91.3 million (nearly
USD12.2 million), including a record-breaking ZAR18.0 million (approximately USD2.4 million) for a
live, disease-free breeding bull buffalo (Brunt, 2011). Private game ranches in South Africa today cover
an area of about 20.5 million hectares (or 16.8% of the country), nearly three times the 7.5 million hectares
(6.1%) of national and provincial protected areas on State land (PHASA, 2010). For some species,
it is claimed that the number of animals on private property is almost double that of the same wildlife
species found in the country’s protected areas (PHASA, 2010). Furthermore, the ratio of game animals
to livestock is steadily increasing in the private sector. In 1964, cattle, goats and sheep numbered about
57 million, while game animals totalled some 600 000 on private land; by 2007, these numbers had
changed to 38.5 million livestock and 18.5 million game, reflecting the importance of the wildlife
industry as a viable economic enterprise in South Africa (du Toit, 2007).
Game ranching associations
Private property owners in South Africa engaged in game ranching have created Wildlife Ranching
South Africa (WRSA), a body that represents the industry and interfaces with government. Only established
in 2005, WRSA has replaced a number of provincial bodies that previously represented the interests
of the South African game rancher. Although WRSA is a relatively new organization, most of its
policies have been carried forward from the Northern Wildlife Organisation (NWO) and South African
Game Ranchers Organization (SAGRO) that had been active for almost 30 years (WRSA, 2009). WRSA
functions as a non-profit organization and currently represents some 1500 of the registered 9000 game
ranches in South Africa (WRSA, 2009). WRSA’s main function is to liaise closely with game ranchers,
NGOs and governmental authorities, providing input on policy development, regulations and norms
and standards applicable to the wildlife industry. WRSA, as the sole representative of the South African
game ranchers, represents the wildlife industry at the National Wildlife Forum, which was initiated by
the Minister of Environmental Affairs. WRSA’s aim is to ensure that both government and the game
rancher reach agreement on policies that will be supported by government and positively implemented
by the game rancher (WRSA, 2009).
The Private Rhino Owners Association
Organization of private sector rhino owners has been difficult to achieve in South Africa. In part, this may be
due to the different philosophies motivating rhino ownership. Management goals range from conservation
and ecotourism to farming with the aim of breeding rhinos for maximum profitability through live sales and
trophy hunting. Early attempts to establish an African Rhino Owners Association (AROA) ended in failure
due to a marked lack of buy-in from many private sector players and a lack of financial and administrative
support. More recently, and with the advent of stricter government regulation, attempts have been made
to resurrect a similar body, the Private Rhino Owners Association, within the context of WRSA.
Following a gap left by the disbandment of AROA, the Private Rhino Owners Association (PROA) was
established in October 2009 to try and enhance co-ordination and co-operation between private owners
of rhinos in South Africa in response to the increased rhino poaching threat. PROA is a national
body with full provincial representation and has subsequently become a branch of WRSA. The primary
intention of PROA is to help preserve and secure rhinos under private ownership within South Africa
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