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The spokesperson of the department, Albi Modise, says the 2022 quotas for the hunting and export of trophies from these three species is a deferral of the 2021 allocation, which was determined after the end of the hunting season. The deferral grants stakeholders the opportunity to make use of the 2021 quota in 2022. The consultation for the 2023 quota will take place during the course of this year.

Speaking to OFM News, Modise says a total of 10 black rhinos may be hunted, and 150 elephants. Only adult male black rhinos will be hunted, and only on conservation management grounds, in accordance with a set of strict criteria to ensure that demographic and/or genetic conservation is enhanced (as stipulated in the black rhinoceros Biodiversity Management Plan). 

The quota for black rhinos is based on the national population estimates for black rhinos per subspecies, all three of which show an increasing trend at present. Only a very small portion of the overall elephant population is hunted in a year (less than 80 elephant bulls, which is less than 0.3% of the total population), adds Modise. The national elephant herd shows an increasing trend and the quota of 150 is well within sustainable limits.

The quotas will be published in a Notice in accordance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulations, and in terms of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEMBA), says Modise.

“South Africa is one of many countries that implement a sustainable off-take of elephants, black rhino, and leopard. This is aligned with the best available scientific information on their conservation status and ensures that the hunting of these animals does not have a negative impact on the wild populations of these species. 

"Regulated and sustainable hunting is an important conservation tool in South Africa as it incentivises the private sector and communities to conserve valuable wildlife species and to participate in wildlife-based land uses, ultimately contributing to the conservation of the country's biodiversity.

"Income generated by trophy hunting is especially critical for marginalised and impoverished rural communities,” says Modise.

In a statement by the department, Modise says through the National Biodiversity Economy Strategy, opportunities are created for direct involvement of communities in conservation and the wildlife economy in rural areas to develop the full value chain of wildlife-based activities that create economies of scale in support of accelerated rural economic development and associated employment and poverty reduction opportunities. 

“The hunting sector conservatively contributed R1.4 billion to the economy in 2019, excluding the economic contribution to tourism and all hunting and safari-related industries. The income generated by the species fees totalled approximately R1.1 billion, of which approximately R208 million were derived from the trophy hunting of threatened or endangered species. The biodiversity sector employed more than 418 000 people in 2019, which is comparable to mining. It is a sector that is expected to continue to show economic and employment growth in the foreseeable future,” says Modise.

He concludes by saying that these species are central to a vibrant international hunting industry, and hunting is a part of the South African heritage and culture. This is a sector that generates economic benefits as part of the South African rural economy.

OFM News/Lee Simmons