South Africa is one of the flagship countries of wildlife trafficking, animal species yet protected are targeted by networks of poachers, said Friday the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
According to WWF Endangered Species Conservation Specialist Carmen Warmenhove, due to this phenomenon, sustainable economic growth is threatened and huge revenues are lost by the country.
Wildlife crime, especially in relation to large animals such as rhinos, has a huge impact on ecotourism, she said, urging South African authorities to adopt a more efficient approach to wildlife conservation.
South Africa is considered a source and transit point for the illegal trade in wildlife products, including rhino horn, abalone, pangolins and ivory.
The country is home to nearly 80% of the planet’s rhinos, and is hit hard by poaching networks that continue to decimate this endangered species.
According to official figures, more than 450 rhinos were killed by poachers in 2021 and 394 rhinos in 2020.
Wildlife smuggling has become the fourth largest criminal enterprise in the world, following drugs, human trafficking and counterfeiting, said the specialist.
“There is a large and profitable illegal wildlife trade, but as it is conducted in secret, no one can give precise figures on its true value,” she continued.
South African Minister of Forests, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, recently revealed that a total of 259 rhinos were poached for their horns in the southern African country during the first half of 2022, i.e. 10 more compared to the same period last year.
For her part, Frances Craige, chief director of law enforcement at the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, stressed that wildlife play a vital role in maintaining balanced ecosystems and sustainable, as they are a major tourist attraction in the country.
“Wildlife crime destroys biodiversity by threatening critically endangered animals. It destroys biodiversity, depletes resources, disrupts tourism, diminishes livelihoods and destabilizes sustainability,” she said.
