Namibia and Botswana Threaten to Withdraw From CITES

Both Namibia and Botswana have threatened to remove themselves from the international wildlife treat following the rejection of a proposal to allow for hunting and trade of white rhino.

Namibia made the proposal in the August Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Both countries noted that there is no value in being part of the treaty if it interferes with the region’s conservation efforts.

Namibia proposed to have its southern white rhino down listed from an Appendix I classification to Appendix II, with an annotation to allow the international trade of live rhinos and trophy hunting of the species.

Animals under Appendix I are listed as species threatened with extinction, and trade in their products is only permitted in exceptional circumstances.

Namibia’s Minister for Environment argued that unlike others, Namibia’s white rhino population is strong

"There are some views that Namibia's [white rhino] population is still small, which we contested. Namibia's [rhino] population is the second-largest in the world," he added.

Furthermore, the minister bashed some of the countries who voted against the proposal, stating that their views are not based on science.

"Instead of applying science, they are politicising the whole matter," he said.

Botswana's minister of environment, Onkokame Kitso Mokalia, also expressed disappointment at the closing of the event in what he called a "shocking outcome that has no link to the reality on the ground".

"I think people divorce from the harsh reality, [which] is very simple: we've got climate change issues, we have an increasing wildlife population, increasing human population, shrinking fertile and productive land, we have to produce food; we have a shortage of water," he added.

Sharing Shifeta's sentiments, Mokalia said SADC should not submit to countries who do not even have rhino populations in their regions.