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WCC 2016 Rec 100 - Activity Report

Submitted by Ian.RUSHWORTH on Thu, 01/24/2019 - 11:18
General Information
Management and regulation of selective intensive breeding of large wild mammals for commercial purposes
IUCN Constituent: 
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife
IUCN Constituent type: 
IUCN Member
Period covered: 
2018
Geographic scope: 
Africa
Country/Territory: 
Namibia
South Africa
In implementing this Resolution your organization has worked/consulted with...
IUCN Members: 
No other Members are/have been involved
IUCN Commissions: 
No Commissions are/have been involved
IUCN Secretariat: 
No
Other non-IUCN related organisations: 
Scientific Authority, South Africa
Implementation
Indicate and briefly describe any actions that have been carried out to implement this Resolution: 
ActionDescriptionStatus
Policy influencing/advocacyA scientific symposium on selective breeding of wild animals for commercial purposes was conducted in Namibia in 2016 to help the Ministry with obtaining professional and objective advice to deal with the increasing practice of selective breeding. The symposium was attended by local and international wildlife conservation and population genetics experts including the co-chairpersons of the antelope specialist group of IUCN. The key finding of the symposium was that intensive and selective breeding has negative impact on the wild populations although impact of genetic manipulation manifest itself over time. The key threat also identified is the impact the practice has on habitat fragmentation, and persecution of predators, mainly leopard and cheetah that prey on the selectively bred animals. The professional hunters association of Namibia (NAPHA) distanced themselves from the practice of selective breeding and openly condemn it as an unethical practice. They specifically distanced themselves from the practice because of the claims made by the breeders that they are breeding animals for the hunting market. Current conservation legislation in Namibia does not make provision for regulating or controlling the practice of selective breeding as it dates back to 1970s. In the absence of the legal provisions, the selective breeders have been organising themselves as an important part of the game ranching industry. To counter the unintended conservation implications of the practice, the Ministry is in the process of developing a modern conservation law that will strictly regulate the practice of selective breeding. As part of that process of creating a legal framework to address the issue, a policy on selective breeding of wildlife for commercial purposes will be developed in the 2018/2019 financial year. (Note: Provided by Kenneth Uiseb, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Namibia, in Feb 2018 but too late for the 2017 report)On-going
Scientific/technical activitiesA panel of scientists appointed by the Scientific Authority completed an assessment of the risks of intensive and selective breeding of wildlife to biodiversity and the biodiversity economy; this report was subject to peer review by independent scientists, amendments were made and the final report was presented to the Scientific Authority in late 2018. The Scientific Authority accepted the report and have forwarded to the Department of Environmental Affairs who will through the Wildlife Forum and Gazette notice invite comment from the wildlife industry and public. Based on the outcomes of the public participation process the final report may be amended.Completed
Please report on the result /achievement of the actions taken: 
The scientific assessment and workshoping processes concluded that intensive management and selective breeding of game poses a number of significant risks to biodiversity at landscape, ecosystem and species levels, as well as to other sectors of the biodiversity economy of South Africa and Namibia, and may compromise the current and future contribution of the wildlife industry to biodiversity conservation. These assessments have identified several important direct risks and impacts on biodiversity at different scales, as well as indirect collateral negative impacts on conservation and the broader wildlife economy. Please refer to the Executive Summary of the scientific assessment for more detail.
What challenges have you encountered in implementing this Resolution and what measures have you taken to overcome them?: 
Lack of data on impacts of this relatively new activity on both biodiversity and the biodiversity economy make it difficult to convince government about firm policy decisions; legislative review processes have not moved rapidly enough to accommodate/manage new threatening processes - it is essential that legislation is more responsive to new threats.
Identify and briefly describe what future actions are planned for the implementation of this Resolution: 
Future ActionDescription
Policy influencing/advocacyThe Department of Environmental Affairs in South Africa will assess whether any regulatory changes are required based on the report findings; the Namibian government are still in the process of reviewing legislation.
Additional Information
Upload document: 
PDF icon Sci Auth Selective Intensive breeding report _ Final Jul2018.pdf