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) earlier this week was adopted by the conference on Thursday in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Namibia had also proposed overturning the ban on African savanna elephant ivory - this too was defeated. Eyebrows were raised about the rhino horn trade proposals mainly because Namibia pioneered the practice of cutting the horns off rhinos in 1989 so they no longer have value for poachers. Dehorning was followed by other southern African countries, such as Zimbabwe, Eswatini and South Africa. Rhino horns are prized in traditional Asian medicine and are also status symbols in China, Vietnam, and some other south-east Asian countries. Namibia tabled two separate proposals - one for black rhinos and the other for southern white rhino. Both were resoundingly defeated, with only around 30 votes out of about 120 in favour. Cites regulations require a two-thirds majority for a proposal to be adopted. Black rhinos are listed as critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In 2023, there were only 6,421 alive - a decline of more than 90% since 1960, according to an IUCN report. The southern white rhinos are not in quite such danger - they are listed as near threatened, with a population of 15,752. But this is down 11% since 2023 and at its lowest point since the current rhino poaching crisis began nearly two decades ago. Cites banned the trade in the horns and other rhino parts in 1977 but their poaching continued with more than 8,000 lost in the last decade, according to Save the Rhino International. In Namibia, the number of rhinos poached was the highest on record in 2022, with 87 killed - almost twice as many as the year before, government data shows. Although this was the first time that Namibia tabled the two proposals seeking the lifting of the ban on the rhino horn trade, the country has backed similar proposals by other southern African countries including South Africa, Eswatini and Zimbabwe in the past. Experts say the main reason these countries want the ban to be lifted is because of the huge stockpiles of rhino horns they have amassed over the years. According to Taylor Tench, senior wildlife policy analyst with the Environmental Investigation Agency, Namibia's stockpiles are an estimated 6.45 tonnes of white rhino horn and an estimated 4.6 tonnes of black rhino horn. The main reason for these rapidly growing stockpiles of horns is believed to be the dehorning programme. The idea is that if a rhino does not have a horn, it is of no value to poachers and so won't be killed. Supporters of the rhino horn trade argue that it would generate revenues that could be used to support conservation efforts, while opponents warn that it could further stimulate demand and increase poaching. The legal trade in rhino horn was a major factor in the poaching crisis of the 1970s and 1980s. Rhino populations worldwide continue to be at risk from poaching, with significant seizures occurring in countries like South Africa, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
Namibia's Rhino Horn Trade Proposal Fails at CITES Meeting
Namibia's Rhino Horn Trade Proposal Fails at CITES Meeting
Namibia's attempt to lift the ban on rhino horn trade was decisively voted down at the CITES conference, highlighting ongoing conservation challenges.
Namibia has lost its bid to lift the ban on the trade of rhino horns at an international convention aimed at preserving endangered species. The proposal, presented at the CITES meeting in Uzbekistan, was overwhelmingly rejected, with only about 30 votes in favor out of approximately 120. Namibia had sought to overturn a ban on both black and white rhino horns, alongside ivory from African elephants. While pro-trade countries argue for legalizing the trade to generate revenue for conservation, critics warn it could escalate poaching, a concern emphasized by rising rhino deaths in Namibia and global conservation efforts.
