Namibia’s push to open up the international market for rhino horns hits a barrier
Namibia has long urged international trade bodies to ease or even lift bans on black and white rhino horns. At the 20th United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) held in Uzbekistan, these proposals were overwhelmingly rejected.
Namibia’s proposals sought changes to current rules and a relaxation of the trade ban, arguing that it would facilitate trading rhino hunting trophies and government-held stockpiles of rhino horns. However, delegates in Uzbekistan warned that lowering protections—such as downlisting black rhinos from Appendix I to Appendix II and adjusting the Appendix II listing for white rhinos—could spur renewed demand for rhino horns, attracting greater supply and potentially boosting poaching.
Both Namibia’s black rhino proposal and its white rhino proposal were defeated. Only about 30 votes supported the country, while roughly 120 opposed. For any proposal to pass, a two-thirds majority is required.
Appendix I represents the highest level of protection in international trade, effectively barring commercial international trade except in rare circumstances. Appendix II imposes strict conditions on trade, aiming to prevent a species from becoming threatened with extinction unless trade is carefully regulated. Appendix II measures include permit requirements and a science-based assessment that export would not harm a species’ long-term survival in the wild.
Namibia has become a strong rhino stronghold in Africa, boasting the continent’s second-largest rhino population, estimated at over 4,000. This includes Africa’s largest black rhino population and the second-largest white rhino population.
According to statistics from the Humane World for Animals agency, more than 10,400 African rhinos were killed by poachers between 2008 and 2020, with 382 of those deaths occurring in Namibia. Estimates for 2021–2024 suggest about 226 black rhinos and 70 white rhinos were poached in Namibia.
International market dynamics
Rhino horns command demand in traditional Asian medicine and serve as status symbols in China, Vietnam, and several Southeast Asian nations.
Black rhinos are listed as critically endangered by the IUCN. In 2023, the global black rhino population stood at about 6,421, marking a more than 90% decline since 1960.
Southern white rhinos fare somewhat better (listed as nearly threatened) with an estimated 15,752 individuals, though this figure marks an 11% drop since 2023 and reaches the lowest level since the peak of the current poaching crisis nearly two decades ago.
Trade bans on rhino horns and other rhino parts were established in 1977, but poaching persisted, resulting in more than 8,000 rhinos lost in the last decade, according to Save the Rhino International.
Namibia’s two proposals marked the first time the country advocated lifting the horn trade ban, though it has historically supported similar proposals alongside other Southern African nations such as South Africa, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe.
A key driver behind rapid horn stockpiling is believed to be dehorning programs.
“Namibia and other rhino-range states that promote trade have accumulated sizable horn stockpiles they hope to trade. Namibia is estimated to possess about 6.45 tonnes of white rhino horn and 4.6 tonnes of black rhino horn. South Africa likely holds far more—potentially four times as much,” stated Taylor Tench, a senior wildlife policy analyst with the Environmental Investigation Agency, at the meeting.
The rationale behind stockpiling is to ensure that a horn-less rhino loses any value to poachers, theoretically reducing poaching incentives. Horns are typically removed above the growth plate, a painless procedure similar to trimming nails, and rhino horns regrow, necessitating repeated dehorning.
These cycles contribute to rapidly growing horn stockpiles. Tench explained that some governments and private actors keep horns to monetize if international trade ever becomes legal again. While Kenya destroys its horn stockpiles, Namibia and South Africa reportedly retain theirs, hoping to cash in when trade restrictions are eventually lifted.
