A Global Effort to Secure On-going Survival. Making A difference to a species on the brink.
It is no secret that the biggest threat facing rhino populations is the ridiculously high rate of poaching, which is currently at an all-time high in Africa. We have already covered the devastating impact the increase in poaching has had on the Black Rhino population, almost driving them to extinction. South Africa in particular, as a major stronghold for rhino populations, is a poaching hotspot for rhinos with over 7,000 being poached in this country since 2008. This equates to the a rhino being killed every eight hours.
As a join initiative between &Beyond and Great Plains, Rhinos Without Borders aims to relocate rhinos from the high-risk poaching areas in South Africa to lower risk areas in Botswana. The projects aim is to relocate 100 rhinos via air, as opposed to road, in an effort to shorten the journey and in doing so minimise the stress place on the animals. The relocated animals will be fitted with specially designed tracking devices to allow for further research and monitoring. Currently the project has relocated 77 animals safely from South Africa to new undisclosed areas in Botswana, currently the aim is for the project to reach its target of 100 rhinos by the end of 2018. You can keep up to date with the project here.
Government attitudes to tackling poaching in both countries creates the reasoning behind a project such as this. South Africa relies heavily on the private sector to fend off poaching with lower direct government intervention outside of creating legislation. Botswana however has a government that is both forward thinking and passionate about conservation and is quickly becoming the model for conservation in Africa.
While there is still some rhino poaching in Botswana the rate is much lower than for the rest of the continent thanks to the efforts of their Department of Wildlife and National Parks, as well as the government backed anti-poaching unit's "no tolerance policy". This wasn't always the case as before 2001 the country didn't have a single rhino left in the wild, all were either poached or moved somewhere else for their safety. With government intervention they have since managed to re-build their rhino population mainly thanks to the partnership between the government and its tourism industry. By encouraging high-end but low impact tourism Botswana has been able to maintain its natural wildlife whilst generating the sufficient funds needed to finance its anti-poaching and wildlife initiatives. In doing so Botswana has simultaneously set the standard for tourism experiences and conservation in Africa. Despite countless anti-poaching projects across the continent no other country, not South Africa or even Kenya, has managed to shake poaching to the same extent that Botswana has. This is living proof that in order to create long term solutions to poaching in Africa there has to be state run conservation initiatives, with governments displaying a substantial commitment to conservation.
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