Private custodians protect nearly half of Africa's rhinos

Private rhino owners now conserve at least half of the continent's remaining rhinos while a growing proportion are protected on communal lands as well, a study has found.

The study, undertaken by Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, examines the contribution of private and communal land to rhino conservation as well as the financial and policy implications of these arrangements.

The study says African rhino numbers are declining at unsustainable rates in core state-run parks, which is why more than half of the continent's remaining rhinos are now on private land.

According to the study, 75% of Namibia’s white rhinos are found on private land, while 27% of its black rhinos are on private land and 7% are in communal conservancies.

New path

The study examined the implications of an emerging shift in rhino conservation from state to private and communal lands.

"Private and communal landowners in several southern and east African countries can generate revenues from wildlife tourism, trophy hunting and trade in live animals, making it financially viable to use their land to conserve wildlife rather than for farming livestock," explains author Dr Hayley Clements.

"The result has been that hundreds of landowners conserve rhinos on their properties."

But the cost-benefit ratio of conserving rhinos is changing, explains study co-author Dr Dave Balfour.

"Accelerating poaching has meant private rhino owners now spend on average US$150 000 per year on security measures. This is far more than state parks are able to spend per rhino or per unit area conserved."

The rising security costs mean many landowners are not willing or able to continue conserving rhinos, with some choosing to sell their rhinos, often at a loss.

Policy assistance

Professor Enrico Di Minin advised that it is important that future policies enable new incentives that compensate for rising security costs.

"For example, could landowners that conserve rhinos in extensive systems qualify for a more favourable tax structure? Could they be eligible for carbon or the emerging biodiversity credits, or rhino bonds, given the role of rhinos in carbon cycling? Could they receive certifications for extensive management that increase the value of their wildlife-based tourism and hunting offerings?"

Maintain resilience

Clements warned that "if additional incentives are not enabled, we risk losing private and communal rhino custodians, and with them, half of the remaining African rhinos."

According to the study, the substantial contribution of private landholders and the growing contribution of communal landholders have thus far been enabled by a supportive economic and policy environment.

"As their role becomes an increasingly important complement to conservation efforts in state parks, it is crucial that the resilience of this role be maintained or increased by adaptive policy to ensure the incentives of rhino conservation remain greater than the growing costs."

Moreover, the study stressed that increased transparency by states about rhino numbers and their management is critical for understanding where and how best to conserve them.