A new report by the EMS Foundation calls for South Africa’s 70,000kg rhino horn stockpile to be destroyed to prevent poaching and illegal trading of the endangered animals. Despite a global ban on international rhino horn trade since 1977, South Africa continues to stockpile horn, hoping the market will reopen someday in the future. While it made the act illegal, the ban has not stopped rhino horn trade from happening on the black market. The horn, often poached for status symbols and traditional medicine, are in especially high demand in China and Vietnam. The report argues that stockpiles create a demand for more horn, increasing poaching and the need for costly protection measures. It suggests destroying the stockpile to signal a commitment to no-trade and to reduce demand for rhino horn through education and behavior change campaigns.
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION
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