Rhino conservation requires a multi-disciplinary and co-operative approach

Rhino conservation requires a multi-disciplinary and co-operative approach

By Fortunate M. Phaka

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Introduction

Our environment consists of complex and interconnected relationships with different systems cooperating in ways that are not as yet fully understood. Studying and conserving the environment requires a multidisciplinary and also interdisciplinary approach to ensure survival of all beings including us. Rhino conservation should not be exempt from this approach and be reduced to a case of ‘either trade’ or ‘no trade’. Such an oversimplification of nature might not end well for ecosystems occupied by rhinos and our proud record of being one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world. When our forefathers started putting fences and boundaries around everything they saw a need to manage our environment was created. Management requires money, managing the environment requires even more money but this does not make legal trade in rhino horn the best option. This is also not to say that going a purely anti-trade route will be the best option because fences have essentially taken away the inherent value of the environment and its animals. Nature’s value is judged according to its usefulness for human beings. We now call Earth’s wildlife as our wildlife, this is not a necessarily bad thing as it fosters a sense of ownership and leads us to being protective of our wildlife and in this case our rhinos. I am not yet experienced or qualified enough to make specific recommendations on how best to go about protecting our rhinos. What I can do rather is suggest an approach that can form the basis for actions or decisions taken to protect our rhinos. I will also avoid criticising either side of the trade argument because unity or at least an understanding is needed when aiming for multidisciplinary as well interdisciplinary approach to solving a problem, especially since we all have the common goal of conserving rhino.

Stakeholder involvement & committee of Inquiry

If a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach to rhino conservation is to be achieved then the committee should be more representative of the South African population and stakeholder involvement should be more meaningful. The committee should include a member of the youth since we make up a significant percentage of the South African population. Decisions concerning the future of the rhino are decisions that also concern our future. We should be included when our future is debated and decided. When it is the elders exclusively deciding what steps to take then we will continue having a situation where we as the future generations are left to deal with the sins of the father. Youth involvement brings with it the advantage of being more innovative, as the youth tend to be more open-minded in their approach and more dynamic when it comes to decisions. The committee also needs a representative of the general public or communities at large, someone who knows the community context first hand and will not simply make assumptions about how to approach rhino conservation from the angle of the community. If conservation methods are to affect and benefit communities then they should also be part of the decision-making process through representatives. This also feeds into making stakeholder involvement more meaningful. Stakeholder involvement should go beyond invitations for public participation. Most of the general public have going to sleep with a full stomach at the top of their list of priorities and conservation is seen a luxury they will never afford. It is time that public participation focused more on educating communities about how the ultimate goal of conservation is to protect human lives and this goal is achieved through protecting wildlife and preserving ecosystem functions. Public participation should not be a matter of exploiting our people’s poverty in order to achieve a desired outcome. We cannot simply say option ‘A’ has potential socio-economic benefits in order to sway public opinion. The public should know the full context of the problem and various ways of solving the problem so they can form their own opinion.

Problems with species oriented conservation approach

Conservation is evolving from a species-orientated approach to a landscape approach in recognition of the problems associated with focusing conservation efforts on only a certain species. Conservation should go beyond the protected area within which threatened species are located. No animal is an island and focusing solely on rhino and paying little attention to their interactions with other species and their ecosystems is a recipe for disaster. Success for rhino conservation could unwittingly result in the decline or extinction of other species if conservation does not include the ecosystem at large. For instance, increasing range and translocating rhinos has the potential to cause problems if not done from an ecosystem’s approach. The receiving ecosystem should also be considered in case some other organisms or the ecosystem itself is sensitive to change.

Achieving a multi-disciplinary and co-operate approach

Long-term thinking is the best way of achieving a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach. It forces us to think beyond the life spans of policies and the terms of our political leaders spend in office. Long-term thinking fosters a culture of making well informed decisions. It goes beyond securing a future for our children to a point where our great grandchildren respect the complicated relationship we share with our environment. This type of thinking advocates for youth to be included in decision-making as it is their future that is being decided. Most importantly long-term thinking forces us to take a more critical look at the word ‘sustainable’ or ‘sustainability’. Using this word means indefinitely maintaining ecological, economic and social goals. If at any point in the future these goals will be compromised then whatever decision is taken needs to be reviewed or even replaced before we claim sustainable utilisation of any natural resource.

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