Conservation Conundrums
Wildlife conservation is the practice of protecting wild plant and animal species and their habitat while keeping in mind local communities that rely on the same land. Conservation is a human-centric and complex subject which involves many stakeholders with different needs. It is also an essential field of work which ensures that our world stays as biodiverse as it is.
PROTECTED AREAS IN SOUTH AFRICA
There are 4 main types of protected land that can be found in South Africa:
Transfrontier: Owned by multiple governments across the country
-e.g. Greater Limpopo and Kgalagadi
National: Owned by the government, often a main source of income via international eco-tourism - e.g. Kruger
Provincial: Owned by communities and managed by local workers, -e.g. Legkalameetse
Private: Owned and managed by individual stakeholders. -e.g. Karongwe
BIOMES FOUND WITHIN PROTECTED AREAS WITHIN SA
A biome is a community of plants and animals sharing common characteristics formed in response to a shared physical climate.
South Africa has 8 main biomes, defined by a community of plants and animals that share common characteristics each being completely unique and with endemic species.
1. Savanna -Grasses, trees and shrubs e.g. Karongwe/Kruger Canyons)
2. Grasslands- -Mostly rolling hills with few trees where you mainly find wildebeest, rhino, zebra, and other grazers. -e.g. Drakensberg Mountain range (>1000km long) High altitude plateau.
3. Wetlands and Sand Dunes- High invertebrate and bird diversity. -e.g. Indian Ocean Coastal Belt.
4. Forests - Transition Biome with shrubs, succulents, cacti and Albany thicket. -e.g. Eastern/ Western Cape.
5. Nama Karoo - Dessert-like with very scarce rainfall. -e.g. Western Cape.
6. Desert - Oldest biome in the world. -e.g. the Namibian Desert.
7. Fynbos - The highest and most concentrated area of biodiversity for flowering plant species. There are 8 endemic bird species, & Southern White Rhinos, as well as many other endemic species.
8. Indian Ocean Coastal Belt - Coastal dunes and coastal grassy plains in KwaZuluNatal and the Eastern Cape, from sea level to an altitude of about 600 m.
HABITAT DEGRADATION
The single biggest threat to wildlife is habitat destruction through deforestation and climate change, as well as human-wildlife conflicts and persecution of keystone predators and megaherbivores, which help to regulate entire ecosystems. Although hunting of wild animals is a very controversial subject, there are multiple types of hunting which provide both subsistence for locals and income for conservation initiatives.
1) Hunting - There are several types of hunting, not to be confused with poaching
Game hunting: Includes subsistence hunting for game meat (aka impala & other antelope)
Trophy hunting: Legalized selling off of animals to be killed by hunters as a 'sport'. It is often a controversial subject but plays an essential role in bringing in income for conservation in South Africa. A singular trophy hunting transaction is equivalent to the contribution of at least 25 ecotourists visiting a reserve.
2) Poaching -Unregulated, illegal wildlife trade, the most pervasive in the world after the illegal drug trade. Every year around 10-15,000 elephants are killed for their ivory and on average one Rhino is killed for its horn every 12 hours. Pangolins are the single most persecuted animal in the world, making up 20% of all animals being illegally traded for medicine, fashion accessories and high-end cuisine.
3) Other types of poaching
- Illegal pet trade - the second most lucrative crime globally- $73-216 billion yearly
- Bush meat - local level, snare use
THE ISSUE WITH POACHING BANS
Banning illegal practices is often a lot more complicated than people realise. If you put a ban on something its value increases as it becomes harder to acquire that resource. It has been shown that when bans are introduced illegal practices increase. It is often argued that a better solution would be to educate people on how to remove rhino horn ethically creating a whole new industry in ivory harvesting as well as selling it legally and reducing the need for illegal activities.
