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IUCN report on rhino conservation, status and trade widely applauded by CITES secretariat and range states as a major contribution to rhinoceros conservation resolutions African and Asian rhinoceros range states are now in a position to make informed decisions on the management and conservation of their rhinoceros populations, thanks to the full and comprehensive report submitted to the CITES secretariat by the IUCN SSC African and Asian Rhinoceros Specialist Groups. The report, entitled African and Asian Rhinoceroses – Status, Conservation and Trade was produced by the two Specialist Groups with TRAFFIC (the wildlife trade monitoring network) in response to a request by the CITES secretariat at the 13 th Conference of the Parties in 2004 and includes information on the conservation status of African and Asian rhino species, the legal and illegal trade in specimens, incidents of illegal killing, and conservation and management strategies. “This document is a major contribution to rhinoceros conservation and management worldwide, and we are very pleased to have been able to support this important work” said Sally Cunningham of the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DeFRA), which provided the funding for this report. Many range states representatives, both in Africa and Asia, as well as the CITES secretariat also commended the IUCN SSC Rhino Specialist Groups for their work in producing such a comprehensive report when it was presented to the Convention. “ CITES has never had this level of information to work with before,” said Mick Reilly, Head of the Swaziland delegation, “but now range states have the information they need to take appropriate conservations decisions to implement rhinoceros resolutions” he continued, echoing the sentiments of many others, including Namibia, Nepal, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Overall, the report shows that measures agreed by the Parties have been successful and beneficial for the conservation of rhinos as, the conservation status of rhinos in both continents has generally stabilized or improved and promising conservation actions are being undertaken in a range of countries. However, rhinoceros numbers remain low and poaching remains the most important threat, with increasing numbers of poaching syndicates a particular concern. The West African black rhino subspecies is now feared extinct and the northern white rhino subspecies and Vietnamese Javan rhino are close to extinction, all because of poaching. The IUCN SSC African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups have been formally asked by the CITES secretariat to continue collecting and collating information in support of CITES rhinoceros resolutions. Recognising that the Specialist Groups work on a voluntary basis, the Parties urged CITES to budget for funds so the Groups can undertake this vital work. For more information: |
