Conservation Action

In a sweeping statement of support for legal trade, the report says: “The ongoing CITES prohibition on the trade in rhino horn has, however, been detrimental to the survival of the species in South Africa.” conservationaction.co.za/rhino-trade-se…

Just as many expected a retreat from wildlife reform, Mpumalanga has taken the opposite step, the MTPA, framed the move as a matter of principle. It’s the issue of the exploitation of the lions… this thing of exploitation of lions is a problem.” conservationaction.co.za/mpumalanga-mov…

The Statement on the phasing out of Captive Lion Breeding facilities by the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency.

Mpumalanga is leading the way for humane wildlife management! "Mpumalanga Tourism & Parks Agency is phasing out captive lion facilities." "Working with captive lion facility owners to bring the industry to an orderly, fair, and ethical conclusion." citizen.co.za/lowvelder/news…

"The planned phase-out of the captive lion industry remains on track, endorsed by provinces and advanced through committee recommendation." – Time for change? conservationaction.co.za/provincial-bac…

“I don’t see wildlife simply as a financial asset. Once that becomes the dominant logic, the regulatory system starts bending to fit it.” — Former Minister Dion George on the risks of prioritizing revenue over true conservation. conservationaction.co.za/new-wildlife-q…

" It's horrific, cruel, needless and driven purely by entertainment and profit." Cubs are separated from their mothers shortly after birth and used for petting and bottle feeding, but they end up in canned hunting, or killed for the bone trade. dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-0…

RSA’s hunting stats record the killing of elephants and rhinos, species recognised as facing severe pressure. Elephants hunts in the RSA have been marketed in the range of R600K - R1M+ each, Rhino at R1.5M - R3M each... killing as a conservation tool, erode ethical limits rapidly

Trophy hunting: a vast, industrialised system, normalised by regulation, sanitised through conservation rhetoric, and sustained by political accommodation - a market-driven economy of killing, dominated by affluent international consumers. conservationaction.co.za/conservation-b…

Botswana, home to the largest remaining population of African elephants - is losing this wildlife asset at a rate far higher than officials have acknowledged - Poachers and trophy hunters are both targeting the same elephants: older bulls with big tusks. conservationaction.co.za/unsustainable-…

They argued that these populations are stable or increasing and do not meet the criteria for trade regulation due to sustainable management and low poaching risk. The proposal was NOT adopted by a 2/3 majority.

Report back from CITES COP20 - Proposal 4 - submitted by Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe proposed excluding their populations of the southern giraffe from the Appendix II listing.

Report back from COP20 - Proposal 13 - Trade in registered ivory stocks of Namibian origin: Namibia seeks approval to trade more than 46 tonnes of registered raw ivory (whole tusks and pieces) for commercial purposes. - REJECTED

Report back from COP20 - Proposal 10 - Transfer the population of Diceros bicornis bicornis (Black Rhino) of Namibia from Appendix I to Appendix II with an annotation to allow for international commercial trade in rhino horn (Namibia) - REJECTED

Report back from COP20 - Proposal 9 on the Trade of Rhino horn: Amend the annotation of the population of Ceratotherium simum simum of Namibia listed in Appendix II to allow for international commercial trade in Rhino horn (Namibia) - REJECTED

Dion George, sacked for underperformance and “not being a team player” just as he started closing on captive lion breeding. His replacement? Someone who openly admits being a wildlife breeder. This isn’t politics. This is a coup by the hunting lobby. conservationaction.co.za/ross-harvey-ve…

A protected area alongside the Kruger National Park is experiencing high elephant densities and significant tree loss. What’s to be done? conservationaction.co.za/elephants-vs-b…

The move to oust the environment minister exposes a deeper hijacking – of the National Elephant Heritage Strategy, of policy integrity and of conservation itself. conservationaction.co.za/the-sacking-of…

Behind claims of escalating human-elephant conflict lies a tangle of weak data, mismanagement and a R460-million fund that seems to need a crisis more than it proves one. conservationaction.co.za/moral-panic-or…

A quiet but highly significant policy rift is opening among southern African states as the world turns its attention to CITES CoP20, scheduled for 24 November 2025 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. conservationaction.co.za/is-south-afric…