Boost for rhinos in South Africa

Geographical location:

Africa/Madagascar > Southern Africa > Republic of South Africa

Summary

Rhinos were once found in abundance throughout sub-Saharan Africa, but decades of poaching and trade drastically reduced their numbers. Today, very few rhinos survive outside national parks and reserves. Thanks to conservation efforts, rhino populations in these protected areas have finally started to grow.

To reduce pressure on existing reserves and provide new areas for rhinos to thrive, WWF is encouraging private landowners to take down their fences and switch from cattle farming to rhino conservation. The WWF-supported project helps neighbouring landowners to create larger tracts of suitable land required for healthy rhino populations.

Background

With WWF support, 2 successive surveys were carried out in South Africa to determine the status of white rhinos on private land. These surveys not only showed that private owners were holding a significant proportion of Southern white rhinos but increasingly black rhinos were also moving into private hands.

There is clearly scope here to further improve rhino conservation through more significant engagement with private landholders. This calls for the provision of expertise and funding to hold a stakeholder workshop and develop a more strategic approach to the conservation of the rhinos using meta-population management methods.

South Africa has gained international acclaim for its effort to conserve both black and white rhinoceroses which were brought back from the brink of extinction. The conservation successes have enabled the official nature conservation agencies, especially the Natal Parks Board, to offer surplus white rhinos for sale to private land owners since the 1970s, and black rhinos since 1990.

The rhino population on private land can make a considerable contribution to the overall conservation of rhinos in Africa.

In 1987 the Rhino and Elephant Foundation conducted the first survey of white rhinos outside government conservation areas. During the survey all translocations and private sales were traced and their histories recorded. Contrary to popular (and often official) belief, a substantial number of the translocations were not as successful as expected. The sale of animals at low fixed prices encouraged some land owners to make a quick profit by hunting the animals. For short-term gains some owners were overhunting their breeding males and in some cases even breeding cows. This observation led the Natal Parks Board to revise its allocation and pricing policies.

A second survey was conducted in 1994 as part of the WWF/WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) international cost-benefit study of different approaches to rhino conservation in Africa and Asia. This survey revealed a substantial increase in rhino numbers on private land in South Africa since 1987.

The change by the Natal Parks Board to allow rhinos to fetch their true value through auctions had a number of positive effects on rhino conservation on private land. The higher price for live animals was an incentive to increasing breeding stock. Consequently, hunting of rhinos on private land dropped significantly.

Successive surveys in 1996 and 1997 have shown that over 20% of the Southern white rhinos are on private land. Many white rhinos continue to change hands through auctions as well as private sales and trophy hunting has continued.

Before the 1987 survey no black rhino was present on private land but since 1990 small groups of black rhinos have been auctioned annually by the Natal Parks Board to selected bidders. These populations have been increasing and there is need to have an informed meta-population management strategy in place to ensure maximum population growth rates and minimise possible inbreeding difficulties among small founder populations.

Objectives

1) Involve private land owners in the development and implementation of a meta-population management plan for rhinos through a stakeholder workshop.

2) Help produce a rhino management plan that maximises population growth of rhinos.