I check in to AR from time to time to see what discussions there are, and was a bit surprised to see that this wasn't covered yet.

Essentially, South Africa is in the process of trying to sort out its myriad (and sometimes contradictory) conservation policies. The latest one is here: https://www.sanews.gov.za/sout...-conservation-policy

I try to work my way through these documents and give comment, which can be quite difficult since they're often written in a way that makes concessions to 'all sides'... but essentially what it boils down to is that South Africa is seeking to protect itself from reputational damage by:

- To end the captive keeping of lions for commercial purposes and close captive lion facilities, put a halt to the intensive breeding of lion in controlled environments, and end the commercial exploitation of captive and captive-bred lions.
- To phase out the domestication and intensification of management of rhinoceros.
- To enhance the conservation and sustainable use of leopard.
- To promote live export of the five species only to range States or any other appropriate and acceptable destinations with suitable habitats on the African continent.
- South Africa will work with range States to support a proposal for international commercial trade in rhinoceros horn from protected wild rhinoceros, for conservation purposes, when conditions become favourable.
- Consider international commercial elephant ivory trade only when conditions become favourable

Interested in thoughts?

My views are that while 'put and take' lion hunting is certainly condemned by most ethical hunters, should we really be phasing out the lion bone trade? Could this not end up causing a spike in poaching of wild lions (and tigers?). Same goes for intensive rhino breeding... I suggested that one considers managing a wild stock using conservation principles (which includes trophy hunting of free-living wild lions and rhinos), but having a second stock that is essentially farmed... and regulated by agricultural laws so as to avoid conflation with conservation. In general, animal rightists from abroad aren't interested in African countries' farming policies...

I think the proposed move to manage leopard hunting using proper population data and sustainable offtake models, rather than the current 'problem animal control' loophole in SA, is better for leopards, and better for hunting.

Rhino and elephant ivory trade will always be a debate, and I take issue with the wording 'when conditions become favourable'. As a leading thinker on this matter put it: 'aren't they now?'. If poaching disappeared, it would mean demand has disappeared, in which case any hope to trade ivory and rhino horn would have become irrelevant and a real opportunity to raise funds for conservation and sustainable use will have been missed.

Finally, I think it's a slippery slope to start having regulations for species that are 'more iconic than others'. The principles of conservation are universal, it's far better that we approach wildlife conservation, hunting, etc. holistically and protect whole ecological processes rather than micromanage individual aspects...

Basically they bending to the pressure of the idiots.

Most animals are captive bred by humans.

Phase out management of rhinos?

How are they going to survive?

That's what I found interesting about reading the full policy drafts... the 'summary' seems to make concessions to the antis, while the details are still rock-solidly in support of sustainable use. But perhaps its a concern that even the summary is written in a way that SA feels it has to appease the antis...

From what I can see, the most immediate impact is going to be the lion bone repercussions...

Ranching of rhino has been a success story.

I suspect there are more captive bred/“domestic” (for lack of a better term) lions and tigers than there are wild.

If genetic diversity is good, shutting down captive breeding is going to reduce that (although admittedly the captive crowd makes genetic traits that are not conductive to survival persist)-

It’s all a bunny hugger response of they don’t like anything dying- especially if it is of economic or recreational use to someone else.

Face it, poaching seems to be cyclical- elephants were doing well, then we had a massive surge in it, now they are rebuilding with good protection again- but as more habitat is removed, it will never return fully.