In the last decade, more than 8,000 rhinos have been lost to poaching in Africa, as the demand for their horns has increased. Each rhino horn seized by authorities or removed through dehorning efforts are stored in large national stockpiles in secure government vaults.
This year at CITES—the world’s largest wildlife trade conference—Namibia put forward a proposal to re-open the legal international sale of rhino horn from these government stockpiles. Supporters of this proposal say revenue generated would contribute conservation efforts.
But conservationists, like Taylor Tench from the Environmental Investigation Agency say this move could backfire. They fear that re-opening legal international markets could trigger more demand, more poaching, and lead to more pressure on already vulnerable rhino populations.
Credits
