The National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act (NEMBA) norms and standards for the marking of rhinoceros horn and the hunting of white rhinoceros for trophy hunting purposes was gazetted ( No. 32426 in vol. 529) on 20 July 2009 and comes into effect immediately.
All live rhinos sold and transported after the commencement of the norms and standards that have not been micro-chipped before, whether on private or state land must be micro-chipped in each of the horns. All individual detached rhino horns in private or state possession must be micro-chipped according to the Threatened or Protected Species regulations (TOPS).
Specific information such as the weight, length, circumference as well as photographs of the horn must accompany applications for the possession of rhino horn to the provincial conservation authority responsible for the issuance of TOPS permits. These requirements are applicable to all individual detached horns obtained after commencement of these norms and standards.
Rhino horns originating from natural mortalities or horns already in legal private possessions and which are not micro-chipped must be micro-chipped by the permit issuing authority. Mortalities must be reported to the authority as soon as possible after the death of the animal. The micro-chipping of individual detached rhino horns must be done by the relevant issuing authority. The owner of the rhino horn is responsible for the costs incurred by the authority to purchase the micro-chips.
The trade in individual rhino horns and any derivative or products of the horns are prohibited in terms of a national moratorium approved by the MINMEC and published in Government Gazette No. 21301 (Notice No. 835). Only horns that are exported as part of a hunting trophy may be exported with the necessary TOPS and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) permits.
On the management of the hunting of white rhino the norms and standards stipulate that all rhino hunts must be strictly controlled by means of an individual TOPS hunting permit issued by the issuing authority and must not be included on TOPS standing permits or game farm hunting permits. This will ensure that all rhino horns can be traced to the property where the hunt took place.
In addition all applications for the hunting of rhino received by the issuing authorities must be referred to the Department of Environmental Affairs for recommendation within the time frames stipulated in TOPS, said Albi Modise, Spokesperson of Environmental Affairs.
A person may only hunt and export one rhino for trophy purposes per year. The Environment Department will compile a database of hunters to ensure that a hunter does not hunt more than one animal in different provinces per year, indicated Modise.
Furthermore horns must be micro-chipped on the property where the hunt took place immediately after the hunt in the case where an official supervised the hunt if it is not already micro-chipped. In the case where an official did not supervise the hunt, the rhino horn must be micro-chipped before it is transported from the property where the hunt took place.
The hunting permit and a copy of the professional hunting register must accompany the rhino products (including the horns) which forms part of the hunting trophy, when being transported between destinations. The CITES export permit for the white rhino trophy must be endorsed by a conservation official at the port of exit prior to the export of the trophy.
Modise reiterated that these norms and standards as well as the moratorium are steps that intend to strengthen the current legislation and thus assist conservation authorities in their efforts to combat rhino poaching. He also appealed to anyone in possession of rhino horn who had not applied for TOPS possession permits to contact their nearest provincial conservation authority for application details.
Modise also mentioned that The Department of Environmental Affairs has established a multi-party national biodiversity investigators forum in order to create a platform for discussion and the sharing of information on biodiversity related law enforcement issues, including rhino poaching. The Department intends to strengthen national biodiversity enforcement capacity in the department and will among other things formally coordinate biodiversity enforcement issues on a national basis.
This will enhance compliance with the applicable national environmental legislation including the norms and standards, he said.
To access the norms and standards please click on the link below:
http://www.deat.gov.za/
Any queries in connection with the norms and standards can be directed to:
Mrs Sonja Meintjes
Tel: 012 310 3545
E-mail: Smeintjes@deat.gov.za
For media queries contact:
Roopa Singh
Cell: 082 225 3076 or
Albi Modise
Cell: 083 490 2871
Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
24 July 2009
