In a prior thought piece, I argued that the biodiversity economy within South Africa is ripe for the picking. With global travel returning to pre-2020 levels, both for business and leisure, we need to re-ignite the global appetite for the wondrous natural beauty South Africa has to offer.

An ongoing global pandemic is not the greatest threat this opportunity faces however, instead an old foe continues to threaten the very existence of the complex ecosystems that weave the tapestry of South Africa’s unique biodiversity. 

Poaching has been a serious concern since humans have assumed some custodian role over nature. Poaching was defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once – during the Middle Ages – performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the hunting privileges of nobility and territorial rulers.

Now, we globally understand that poaching is illegal hunting or fishing. According to Round Square, the illegal hunting and harvesting of animals is the second biggest direct threat to species after habitat destruction. The issue is of such global concern that Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 is about “Life on land.” This specific SDG, as part of its nine target outcomes, aims to eliminate poaching and trafficking of protected species by 2030. The SDGs were established in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly and are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all”.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (the WWF), “Wildlife crime is a big business. Run by dangerous international networks, wildlife and animal parts are trafficked much like illegal drugs and arms. By its very nature, it is almost impossible to obtain reliable figures for the value of the illegal wildlife trade. Experts at TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, estimate that it runs into billions of dollars.” Alarmingly, the WWF prominently alerts us to the fact that Rhino poaching in South Africa increased from 13 to 1,004 between 2007 and 2013, that is a 7700% increase. In an October 2019 Report by the World Bank titled, Illegal Logging, Fishing and Wildlife Trade: The Costs and How to Combat It, it is estimated that “Illegal logging, fishing and wildlife trade have an estimated value of $1 trillion¹ or more per year. Most of the economic losses (more than 90 percent) comes from estimated ecosystem services that are not currently priced by the market.”

According to Petpedia, some of the most striking statistics related to poaching are:

• Rhinos are poached at a rate of one per 12 hours.
• On average, poachers kill 96 African elephants every day.
• Only 13 countries in the world have populations of wild tigers.
• 100 million sharks are killed every year throughout the world.

The statistics on the impact of poaching in Africa paint a stark picture: “Data shows there are only 1 000 mountain gorillas and 2 800 Grévy’s/Imperial zebras left. What’s more, lion poaching facts reveal that 43% of the lion population has disappeared in the last 21 years. While a staggering 97.6% of the black rhino population has vanished since 1960.”

With this trajectory in mind, the large game South Africa showcases as part of its biodiversity economy, will soon be wiped from the face of the Earth. So, what are the solutions, how do we protect our natural beauty?

Reaching the SDG 15 target outcome of eliminating poaching and the trafficking of protected species by 2030, is a complex issue with a full suite of political, social, economic and environmental solutions required. One innovative solution in combatting poaching, is the recently launched Forensic Academy in the Western Cape, at Buffelsfontein Nature Reserve. The Wildlife Forensic Academy (WFA), a state-of-the-art forensic training institution, will make it easier to catch and prosecute poachers and other perpetrators of crimes against wildlife. 

In a piece, published via the Daily Maverick, Victoria O’Regan, presents the innovation the WFA  – launched on the 13^th May 2022 – will bring in investigating and holding to account those involved in the illegal hunting, removal and trade of protected species in wild. “The academy aims to provide forensic knowledge, awareness and training to rangers and veterinary, conservation, ecology and wildlife forensic students.”

Similar to how crimes between humans are solved with the thorough examination of forensic evidence left behind by criminals, so too the WFA will apply similar sciences and investigative techniques to bring criminal networks involved in poaching to book. Director and co-founder of the WFA, Dr Greg Simpson, summarises what the WFA hopes to achieve: “Using forensic evidence to bolster a criminal case can help combat poaching through increased prosecution levels, financial chain disruptions and thus reduce repetitive crimes.”

Poaching, as conceded earlier, is a complex, global issue which requires multitudinous interventions from the global community, individual States, business, civil society and communities. It is an issue that will most certainly be returned to as an ongoing point of discussion, however, the South African established WFA goes a long way in bringing us closer to protecting our vulnerable biodiversity locally and globally.