To improve population growth, many white rhino are concentrated in fenced sanctuaries, conservancies, rhino conservation areas, and intensive protection zones.
Effective field protection of white rhino populations is critical. Current successful protection efforts of the white rhino have depended on significant range state expenditure and effort, and if these were to decline, especially in South Africa, rampant poaching could seriously threaten numbers, well in excess of 30% over three generations.
Declining state budgets for conservation, declining capacity in some areas, and increasing involvement of Southeast Asians in African range states are all of concern.
Many remaining rhino are now concentrated in fenced sanctuaries, conservancies, rhino conservation areas, and intensive protection zones where law enforcement effort can be concentrated at effective levels. Monitoring has also provided information to guide biological management decision-making aimed at managing rhino populations for rapid population growth. This has resulted in surplus animals being translocated to set up new populations both within and outside the species’ former ranger.
Increasing efforts are also being made to integrate local communities into conservation efforts. Strategically, white rhinos are now managed by a range of different stakeholders, private sector and state, in a number of countries increasing their long-term security. In Southern Africa, live sale of white rhinos on auction and limited sport hunting of surplus males has also created incentives for private sector conservation and generated much needed funds which can help pay the high cost of successfully monitoring, protecting, and managing rhino. However, incentives are declining while protection costs and risks have increased, resulting in increased numbers of South African owners looking to get rid of their white rhino.
• Image | © Gimli, Some Rights Reserved (CC BY-NC 2.0)
• Sources | (Emslie, 2012; Koopmans, 2012)
