NELSPRUIT – A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between South Africa and Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) will hopefully assist in the fight against rhino poaching. This was revealed by the department of environmental affairs' spokesman, Mr Albi Modise.
According to Modise, the two countries are scheduled to sign the agreement in the field of biodiversity conservation and management, soon.
He said the signing of the MoU will be accompanied by the endorsement of an implementation plan, putting into immediate action concrete steps to, among others, eradicate wildlife crimes through government-to-government and security initiatives, educating the public and raising awareness.
Commenting on the rationale of these MoUs, minister of water and environmental affairs, Ms Edna Molewa said, “South Africa regards rhino poaching and illicit trafficking in wildlife and endangered species as part of the new and emerging forms of crime, such as illicit mining and trafficking in precious metals, which also require global attention if we are to effectively deal with these crimes.''
The MoU with Mozambique is on track and scheduled to be signed by early next year.
This is a deadline set by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) for Mozambique and Vietnam to report on concrete legislative and other security measures taken to curb poaching.
In June, South Africa met with Mozambique to deliberate on action to be taken by both countries to combat this scourge. They have been engaging consistently overtime to find concrete measures to stamp out this threat.
Rhino poaching has become a huge global concern, particularly in the conservation fraternity. The South African Government has established collaborations with privately owned nature conservation estates to address this curse and put specific measures in place to combat illegal hunting within borders and abroad. An implementation plan, putting into action the terms of the MoU with China in the field of wetland and desert ecosystems and wildlife conservation is also expected to be signed soon.
The conclusion of the MoUs with the Lao PDR and Mozambique, and the implementation plan with China, is indicative of the government's commitment to step up international and regional efforts to eradicate poaching and wildlife crime in general.
The number of rhino killed for their horns in South Africa since January has increased to 790, while 31 poachers have been arrested in the past two weeks. The total number of people facing poaching-related charges has increased to 259.
The Kruger National Park has lost a total of
476 animals so far this year. Of the total number poached, 87 have been killed in Limpopo, 65 in North West, 73 in KwaZulu-Natal and 68 in Mpumalanga.
Rhino poaching was declared a national security risk and a national priority in 2011 and is being dealt with through a plethora of interventions at the highest levels of government.
These interventions not only include international and regional cooperation and negotiations to ensure the cross-border nature of the threat is addressed, but also national interventions such as legislative amendments, the creation of a National Rhino Fund and greater cooperation with stakeholders, locally and internationally.
The public is encouraged to report incidents of poaching and tip-offs to the anonymous tip-off lines on 0800-205-005 or 0860-010-111 or Crime Line on 32211.
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