International body backs Namibia’s rhino trophy hunting bid

THE International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) says it supports Namibia’s proposal to the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species (Cites) to transfer its population of white rhinoceros from Appendix I to Appendix II.

This would be for the exclusive purpose of allowing international trade in live animals for in-situ conservation and trophy hunting.

The spokesperson of the Budapest-based CIC, Shukho Lee, says the CIC has noted Namibia’s Strategy in Wildlife Protection and Law Enforcement of 2021 to 2025 and the 1st Operation Blue Rhino Special Report of 2021, which resulted in a shift from reactive to proactive law enforcement to combat wildlife crimes, and also the associated reduction in rhino losses reported by Namibia and Botswana.

“The CIC supports this proposal strongly as it presents a well-documented and great conservation success. Namibia now has the second-largest white rhino population in the world, one that has more than doubled in the last 10 years,” Lee says.

He says the CIC also provided its stance on this at the stakeholder consultation meeting for the European Union (EU) on the upcoming 19th Conference of the Parties to Cites on 15 July.

The CIC is an independent, international, non-governmental advisory organisation that advocated wildlife conservation through the principles of sustainable use.

In its proposal, Namibia argues that hunting for trophies is recognised as a valuable management tool which provides much-needed revenue for rhino conservation, while trade in live animals is similarly important for income generation in support of protection measures.

“Transferring the population to Appendix II would enable Namibia to export live animals and hunting trophies to more countries, and would increase revenue through sustainable use,” the CIC says.

According to the proposal, Namibia holds the second-largest white rhino population in the world after South Africa, and its population in 2021 were 1 237, based on aerial surveys of known individuals derived from dehorning operations, and annual information submitted by private owners to the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.

The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.