Dehorning Rhinos Tips balance against overfishing – a new study

The inhabitants of the black and white in black in Greater Krogger (Kruger National Park and the surrounding reserves) in South Africa Decline From more than 10,000 unicorn in 2010 to about 2,600 in 2023. Hundreds of Warning Killed every year By hunters for their centuries. These are sold in the illegal global market.

Natural archives, Rangers, international financiers, and their non -profit local organizations Invest millions of dollars In anti -drafting interventions. This includes tracking dogs to track fishermen, artificial intelligence detection cameras, helicopters to monitor reserves, and recently, Dehorning (Removal of the rhinoceros reduces incentives for fishermen).

To find out if this is working, Great Environmental Protection Corporation Kruger Prepare a research project that includes many reserve managers, Rangers, and scientists from Cape Town Universityand Nelson Mandela Universityand Stellinbush Universityand Oxford University.

the South Africa National Gardensand World Wildlife Fund South Africaand Renault Recovery Fund They also participated.

The managers and scientists together collected seven years of overfishing data over 2.4 million hectares in the northeastern region of South Africa and West Mozambique. During this time, we have documented over the 1985 rhinoceros via 11 reserves in the Great Kruger region. This number is about 6.5 % of the population of the unicorn in these reserves annually.

This scene is a decisive global stronghold that saves about 25 % of the unicorn in Africa.

The result of our study address This was that the rhinoceros to reduce incentives for fishermen achieved a decrease of 78 % in overfishing (average limit via executive reserves). This was based on the comparison between sites with and without removing the change as well as changes in overhorning. Exactly 2,284 unicorn was ignored through eight reserves over the seven years of our research – this was most of the rhinoceros in the region.

The results we have reached This great progress can be made against overfishing from the unicorn by reducing the bonus associated with fishermen (removal of the century). This is a strategic transformation in focusing away from the pure focus on increasing risks on fishermen.

But we are keen to point out that hiking is not a complete solution. I found our research The 111 -century was listed although it had been ignored. This is because it leaves up to 15 cm of the century on the unicorn when it is equipped by veterinarians. This is the protection of the growth plate at the base of the century.

One -century centuries grows over time. During our field work, we also noticed that criminal unions are still ready to kill a unicorn for their trunks, even if they did it at lower rates by transportation.

It may be better to think about getting rid of the solution as a very effective but short -term solution that buys time for us to address the most final motives for fishermen: demand for a century, social and economic inequality, corruption, and organized criminal networks.

A different approach to installing the problem

Part of what made our study, especially its strong focus on cooperation between managers and scientists. The project was first imagined by the reserve managers on the front lines of the preservation of the rhinoceros and leadership Sharon HosmanCEO of the Greater Crower Foundation for Environmental Protection. They realized the need to take a look at whether their investments in tracking dogs, artificial intelligence cameras and other anti -recovery interventions are fruits.

In the face of the overfishing crisis, despite millions of dollars invested in law enforcement, security and technology, Sharon and the team were bold enough to the question: “Why are we still losing a lot of unicorn? What can we do in a different way?” Then these managers began working closely with scientists to address this problem together through our research.

Trauma, Sharon He died unexpectedly on May 31Less than a week before our research was published. We want to devote this research to its legacy.

The discovery of fishermen and their arrest alone is not enough

The natural reserves we studied were I invested 74 million US dollars (One billion Rand) in anti-drafting interventions between 2017 and 2021. Most investment focused on interactive-emotional law, dogs, helicopters, arrival control tools and detection cameras. This helped to achieve more than 700 hunting arrests. However, we did not find any statistical evidence that these interventions were greatly reduced from overfishing.

Why? These interventions are an essential element in the formula for formulating tools. But they were at risk due to greater challenges. For example, stark social and economic inequality in the region creates the ideal conditions for crime to flourish, and criminal unions find that it is easy to recruit people ready at a great risk in overfishing.

Corruption Among the police and reserve staff, the criminals were allowed to access internal information about the sites of dogs, cameras and the unicorn. This means that overfishing was not deterred as much as it could have been.

Finally, ineffective criminal justice systems mean that detained criminals often flee punishment, with evidence from the Greater Krogger of fishermen who were multiple of perpetrators.

What can be done differently?

A set of interventions will be needed to supplement the forgery, especially since overfishing will most likely continue if there is no danger to fishermen. There too Some evidence The removal of the rhin in one area means that the fishermen may move to another area where the unicorn still possesses centuries and downsed there instead. (This happened in the second largest unicorn stronghold in South Africa in the Hluhluwe-amfolozi park where unicorn was not diluted.)

Our results challenge the traditional wisdom that discovers and arresting fishermen on its own. Instead, we recommend these measures:

1. Give the local population a voice and a share. Many people who are affected by the preservation of unicorn have no opinion and do not participate in the benefits of industry.
2. Criminal networks are disrupted by patriotism outside protected areas through intelligence -led investigations (follow money).
3. Continue to support Dehorning in the short term. This time will be bought to solve the largest wildlife crime drivers: inequality, demand from the century, and corruption.
4. Dehorning must be supported by other measures to protect unicorn.
5. Support people first, then interventions. Rangers is the key here – their well -being, wages, training and safety are not always given the attention or financing they deserve.
6. Continue the love of unicorn and buy your children’s pajamas with them.

This article of the conversation is republished under the Creative Community Licensing. Read the original article.