Summary:

Cabinet has approved the revised policy position on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Elephant, Lion, Leopard and Rhinoceros for implementation. The policy position focuses primarily on correcting unsustainable practices, promoting conservation, sustainable use, and the well-being of the five species, and providing policy direction for international commercial trade in the five species. The policy proposes three conservation and sustainable use policy objectives to enhance species management:

• to end the captive keeping of lions for commercial purposes and close captive lion facilities, put a halt to the intensive breeding of lions in controlled environments, and end the commercial exploitation of captive and captive-bred lions;
• to phase out intensive management and captive breeding of rhinoceros for commercial purposes, and enhance wild populations; and
• to ensure that the use of leopards is sustainable and incentivises and enhances their conservation in the wild.

The policy position also proposes three international commercial trade-related policy objectives:

• to promote live export of the five species only to range states or any other appropriate and acceptable destinations with suitable habitats on the African continent;
• South Africa will work with range states and potential destination countries to support a proposal for international commercial trade in rhinoceros horn from protected wild rhinoceros, for conservation purposes, when conditions become favourable; and
• consider international commercial elephant ivory trade only when conditions become favourable.