SA’s rhinos are ‘more valuable alive than dead’

The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Willie Aucamp, has unveiled a new national plan to safeguard South Africa’s rhinos, positioning conservation as both an ecological and economic project and signalling a shift toward broader public and private participation in protecting the species.

Published in the Government Gazette this week, the revised Black and White Rhino Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP) consolidates more than a decade of policy into a single framework, aimed at strengthening coordination and confronting the persistent threat of poaching.

“The Black and White Rhino BMP provides a holistic strategic framework and detailed action plan to strengthen rhino conservation in South Africa,” Aucamp said, adding that it would place efforts “on a renewed and more coordinated course”.

South Africa remains central to global rhino conservation, home to most of the continent’s remaining populations. 

The country has previously brought the southern white rhino back from the brink of extinction — from fewer than 50 animals in the early 1900s to tens of thousands at its peak — and now holds a significant share of Africa’s black rhino population. 

Today, it is estimated to hold roughly two-thirds of the continent’s rhinos, making its policy choices globally consequential.

But poaching, driven by transnational criminal syndicates supplying demand in Asian markets for traditional medicine and luxury goods, continues to threaten both species. 

“Increased demand for rhino horn, which is the driver behind the increased rhino poaching, remains a concern,” the BMP said. “Illegal trade in rhino horn is understood to be driven by crime syndicates operating nationally and internationally, to supply horn for traditional medicine and craft markets in consumer countries mostly in Asia. 

“Most of the losses of rhinos to poaching have been experienced in large state-managed protected areas such as Kruger National Park and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, but all areas with rhinos have faced increased poaching pressure since the early years of the 21st century.”

Security costs have surged more than five-fold since 2008, placing strain on both public conservation budgets and private reserves, and underscoring the limits of a protection-only approach. At the same time, smaller, fragmented populations and ongoing habitat pressures are emerging as longer-term risks to the species’ survival.

“At the end of 2022, 32% of black rhino and 61% of white rhino in South Africa were privately or community owned with a trend of increasing private and community ownership over the past two decades,” it said.

Against this backdrop, the new plan marks a shift in thinking: conservation alone is no longer seen as sufficient. Instead, the BMP frames rhinos as both ecological assets and economic drivers, emphasising that their long-term survival depends on broader societal value.

“Efforts within South Africa to develop the biodiversity economy and to ensure that an increased number of South African citizens value rhino, are seen as important in combatting the pressure of poaching on rhinos,” it said. 

According to the BMP, coordinated and structured efforts by the government, the private sector and communities are urgently needed to address the rhino poaching challenge. 

“The current BMP therefore aims to introduce an approach to rhino ownership and participation in the upstream and downstream economies such that a rhino is more valuable alive than dead.” 

The strategy merges earlier plans for black and white rhinos into a single integrated framework, reflecting the overlap in threats and management needs. 

It also draws on years of policy development, including high-level government reviews and anti-trafficking strategies that now treat wildlife crime as a form of organised transnational activity rather than isolated conservation offences.

The plan adopts what is described as a “whole-of-society” approach. More than 700 stakeholders, from communities and traditional leaders to private landowners, conservation NGOs and scientists, were consulted in its development, reflecting an effort to broaden both responsibility and benefit. Rhinos are keystone species, as well as a source of national pride and can play a role in fostering social cohesion, according to the revised plan.

This shift is already visible on the ground. A growing share of the country’s rhino population is now held outside state parks, with private and community ownership expanding steadily over the past two decades. 

In some cases, these populations now make up the majority of white rhinos and a significant proportion of black rhinos, signalling a structural change in how conservation is financed and managed.

The plan seeks to formalise and scale this trend, linking conservation outcomes with economic inclusion and transformation. It places particular emphasis on ensuring that communities living alongside rhinos derive tangible benefits, a longstanding gap in conservation policy that has often fuelled conflict and undermined local support.

At its core are five priorities: improving biological management of rhino populations, strengthening security and anti-poaching efforts, expanding community empowerment, managing legal and illegal demand for rhino horn and reforming legislation. 

These are supported by enabling measures focused on sustainable financing, improved communication and the use of technology and innovation to enhance monitoring and enforcement.

Implementation will initially be led by the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment, with a new national rhino conservation coordination committee set to be established to oversee alignment across government, private sector and civil society actors. 

The body is expected to play a central role in improving coordination in a sector often criticised for fragmentation.

“This multi-stakeholder coordinating committee… will play a central role in facilitating the implementation of the BMP and strengthening collaboration across the rhino conservation sector,” Aucamp said.

The plan also incorporates species recovery into broader management strategies, including the potential rewilding of large privately held populations, such as the roughly 2 000 white rhinos recently acquired by African Parks, signalling a move toward integrating private conservation assets into national recovery efforts.