N°30 I quarterly I july 2013 Insights | 31 Ecology Africa’s rhinoceros are facing extinction. Biodiversity specialist Franck Courchamp explains how legalizing the sale of their horns could help save them. Saving Africa’s Rhinos BY Gaëlle Lahoreau The commercial exploitation of endangered species such as rhinoceros, however distasteful, could be the only way to put a stop to their massacre in Africa, Franck Courchamp believes. The opinion article he wrote with Australian and Zimbabwean researchers,1 which champions the idea of legalizing the rhino horn trade, has generated numerous reactions among scientists in various disciplines.2 Killing for Horns Since the 1970s, nearly 90% of the African rhinoceros have disappeared. With a population of 20,000—90% of which roam the grasslands of South Africa—the white rhinoceros is the species that has survived the best. But it is threatened by a brutal poaching frenzy. “The number of rhinos killed has doubled every year since 2007,” says Courchamp. In 2012, 667 rhinoceros were killed in South Africa, compared with an annual average of 15 between 2000 and 2007. The reason for this surge is quite simple: rhinoceros horn sold for $65,000 per kilo on the black market in 2012, making it more precious than gold, diamonds, or even cocaine. “There is a huge demand for these horns in Asia, especially China and Vietnam—a demand that is not addressed by any legal market,” the researcher explains. “The scarcer the resource, the higher its value; overexploitation therefore makes the product even more valuable. It’s a vicious circle.” Consumed as an infusion or with alcohol, ground rhinoceros horn is prized in those countries for its alleged medicinal and aphrodisiac properties. “It is thought to prevent everything from hangovers to cancer, but it actually has no medicinal value—it’s nothing but keratin,” Courchamp points out. “Rhino horn consumers might as well bite their fingernails.” Achi evements The international trade in rhinoceros horn was banned in 1977. The ban was was upheld in Bangkok (Thailand) last March, at the latest conference on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). “But it simply isn’t working,” the ecologist says. “Despite the deployment of rangers, and in some cases the army, South Africa has been unable to protect its rhinoceros population.” Occasional arrests and lenient sentencing make horn smuggling more profitable and less risky than dealing in illegal drugs or firearms, and consequently more attractive to organized crime. Some poachers fly into South Africa by helicopter from neighboring Mozambique. In consumer countries, public awareness campaigns have little weight against entrenched traditional beliefs and the fast-spreading rumors of the digital age. Recommendati ons According to Courchamp, “it would be possible to meet the demand by harvesting horns from the 5000 rhinos currently living in natural reserves.” Various studies have shown that shaving their horns would have little impact on their behavior or social system. Since the horns never stop growing, the market could be steadily supplied without killing a single rhinoceros, in contrast with the poachers’ methods. Courchamp hopes that this option will be discussed at the next CITES conference, scheduled to take place, perhaps tellingly, in South Africa in 2017. Legalization of the crocodile skin trade has already saved the reptiles from extinction. In the meantime, we may see new records in the number of rhinoceros killed for their horns. 01. Franck Courchamp et al., “Removing Protected Populations to Save Endangered Species,” Science, 2003.302:1532. 02. Science, June 7, 2013. q R hinoceros horns rapidly grow back. With proper oversight, their sale could be legalized. Contact in formation: ESE, Orsay. Franck Courchamp > franck.courchamp@u-psud.fr © Reuters Staff /Reuters Franck Courcha mp Based at the ESE laboratory (Ecologie, systématique et évolution), this 2011 CNRS Silver Medal laureate is a specialist in biodiversity dynamics, conducting research on biological invasions, the overexploitation of rare species, and the effects of climate change. © C. FRÉSILLON/CNRS Photothèque
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