Number of rhinos poached
Chapter 2: State and Trends
the use of chemicals will affect water quality and, therefore, the diversity of fish and other water-dependent organisms.
In addition to the above threats to the health of freshwater environments and ecosystems, the direct off-take of fish poses serious problems in many African lakes, rivers and swamps. Overfishing and the use of techniques that are destructive to both the environment and fish stocks have caused declines in fish stocks in Lake Victoria (Goudswaard et al. 2002; Marten 1979), the central Congo Basin (Inogwabini 2013) and Lake Chad (De Young et al. 2011). A further threat comes in the form of natural changes that could easily be linked to climate change, though this is still to be proven. For example, the Lake Chad water basin has been shrinking over recent decades (De Young et al. 2011), while a trend of dramatic decline has been documented for the waters of Lake Tumba in the central Congo Basin (Inogwabini et al. 2006).
Africa’s biodiversity is under threat from invasive alien species, with all countries affected – including South Africa, where 81 invasive alien species have been identified, Mauritius with 49, Swaziland with 44, Algeria and Madagascar with 37 each, Egypt with 28, Ghana and Zimbabwe with 26 each, and Ethiopia with 22 (UNEP 2013). The threat of extinction of two thirds of the 300 haplochromine cichlid fish species in Lake Victoria is a result of predation by Nile perch (UNEP 2013).
2.4.3 Illegal trade in wild fauna and flora
Africa’s biological resources have multiple applications that the region has not yet exploited, including the sustainable use of wild fauna and flora for the purpose of sustainable development. Illegal trade in these resources, however, causes damage to ecosystems and rural livelihoods, and threatens national and regional stability. The increasing scale of poaching and illegal trade in wild species and their products has adverse economic, social and environmental impacts. For example, illegal trade in animals (including fish) and plants (including in the form of timber and charcoal) is one of the largest sources of criminal earnings in the world, estimated to be worth USD 50–150 billion per year (UNEP
2014). As Figure 2.4.3 shows, poaching of rhinos in South Africa has been increasing since 2000 when only 13 rhinos were poached compared with 1 175 that were poached in 2015 (South Africa Department of Environmental Affairs 2016).
Cognizant of the negative impacts of poaching, the African Union developed a strategy to combat illegal exploitation of and trade in wild fauna and flora in Africa in May 2015. Such trade involves harvesting, procurement, transport and distribution, both domestically and internationally, of animals and plants as well as their parts and derivatives, in violation of the laws and treaties of the region (AU 2015). It ranges in scale from single items traded locally to commercial containers shipped worldwide to international markets.
The African Union strategy document states that the livelihoods and socio-economic development of communities in Africa depend heavily on the use of wild fauna and flora, so
Figure 2.4.3: Recorded number of rhinos poached in South Africa
1 000 1 200 1 400
200 400 600 800
0 13 668 448 333 83 122
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Years
2012 2013 2014 2015 Source: South Africa Department of Environmental Affairs 2016 1 215 1 175 1 004
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