Namibia's proposals to lift the ban on the international trade in black and white rhino horns have been rejected at a key conservation meeting. The result of the voting at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) was adopted by the conference on Thursday in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Alongside the proposal for lifting the ban on rhino horns, Namibia also sought to overturn the ban on African savanna elephant ivory, which was similarly defeated. This has raised eyebrows, especially given Namibia's history of pioneering dehorning techniques that aimed to protect rhinos from poachers since 1989. Other southern African nations, including Zimbabwe, Eswatini, and South Africa, have followed suit with dehorning efforts.
Rhino horns are highly valued in traditional Asian medicine and as status symbols in countries like China and Vietnam. During the conference, Namibia put forth two distinct proposals for the black rhino and southern white rhino, but both received resounding defeats, with around only 30 votes in favor from approximately 120 participants.
The stringent Cites regulations necessitate a two-thirds majority for the approval of proposals.
As of 2023, black rhinos are classified as critically endangered, with only about 6,421 surviving, marking a decline of over 90% since 1960. Meanwhile, southern white rhinos are listed as near threatened, having reached a population of 15,752, though this is down 11% since last year.
Cites banned the trade of rhino horns and parts in 1977, yet poaching has persisted, with over 8,000 rhinos killed in the last decade according to Save the Rhino International. In Namibia alone, the number of poached rhinos reached a record high in 2022, with 87 rhinos killed, almost double the previous year’s figures.
This was Namibia's first attempt to propose the removal of the trade ban, although they have supported similar efforts from other countries. Experts note that the push for lifting the ban is largely due to substantial stockpiles of rhino horns held by these nations. Namibia's stock is estimated at 6.45 tonnes of white rhino horn and 4.6 tonnes of black rhino horn, whereas South Africa's stockpile is believed to be even larger.
Proponents of the trade argue that legalizing the rhino horn trade could generate critical funds for conservation. In contrast, critics warn that it could drive up demand and consequently increase poaching, citing that the past legal trade was largely responsible for the rhino poaching crisis of the late 20th century.
With poaching still rampant, the dilemma of whether to legalize rhino horn trade continues to divide conservationists, amidst ongoing challenges to protect these magnificent creatures from extinction.
