A meeting of the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Ms Buyelwa Sonjica, Deputy Minister Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi and MECs responsible for environment portfolios in provinces has called for integrated anti poaching efforts to halt the growing number of rhinoceros being killed by poachers.
The two day meeting held in KwaZulu-Natal gave its support to efforts by various conservation authorities to stop poachers in their tracks. The Minister and the MECs expressed their political support to provincial authorities, but also called for an integrated anti-rhino poaching strategy incorporating all rhino range provinces and the Department of Environmental Affairs.
Since January this year a total of 84 rhinos have been killed, the figures are as follows:
* Kruger National Park: 33
* Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife: 19
* Gauteng: 3
* North West: 5
* Limpopo: 7
* Eastern Cape: 1
* Mpumalanga: 16
South African National Parks (SANParks) will lead an inter-provincial agencies’ team which will be aimed at coordinating efforts by all the affected parties. The Department of Environmental Affairs has established a multi party national biodiversity investigators’ forum as a platform for discussion and the sharing of information on biodiversity related law enforcement issues, including rhino poaching.
Since the beginning of the year a total of 22 poachers, mostly foreign nationals, have so far been arrested by both the SANParks and the Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife joint operations
The department intends to strengthen its national biodiversity enforcement capacity and will among other things formally strengthen coordination on biodiversity enforcement issues on a national basis. This will include the establishment of a Special Investigations Unit to deal with high profile and organised environmental conservation crime. This will enhance compliance with the applicable national environmental legislation.
Enquiries:
Albi Modise
Tel: 012 310 3122
Cell: 083 490 2871
E-mail: amodise@deat.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs
8 September 2009
Source: Department of Environmental Affairs (http://www.deat.gov.za/)
