Help save the black rhino
2009-08-20 14:30
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Durban - The Black Rhino Expansion Range Project (BREP) is inviting landowners to help them increase the number of black rhinos and expand their range in South Africa.
The World Wildlife Fund and Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife, who run the project, are looking for partners across South Africa to help preserve the rhinos.
"There are so many black rhinos in KwaZulu-Natal nature reserves they are literally bumping into each other. This is going to affect the reserves ecologically and hinder the population's growth," said BREP project leader, Dr Jacques Flammand.
He said despite the fact that there was no more space for black rhinos in nature reserves in KwaZulu-Natal, the animal was still under threat of extinction.
He said the organisation is now looking for land owners elsewhere in the country who are willing to become "custodians of the black rhinos".
"Currently we only have 1 500 black rhinos in the country and we want to increase that to 3 000," said Flammand.
He said landholders who want to participate can include game ranchers, farmers, traditional authorities, communities, foresters, commercial game reserves and mining concerns.
Selection criteria
"Through the project we also hope to make black communities real stakeholders in conservation, which is very important for the long-term security of the black rhino and other endangered species," he said.
He also said that interested parties with suitable land, or those willing to join their neighbours in creating a larger area by letting down their fences, are invited to submit expressions of interest.
"Failure to meet a number of selection criteria that have been drawn up can disqualify an area from consideration," said Flammand.
He said it is important that the land be within the historical range of the black rhino sub-species in South Africa and provide a suitable habitat with no other black rhino present on the property, that it have adequate grazing and a lack of human disturbance and that it is able to carry at least 70 black rhinos.
He said anyone interested must contact him by August 31 on 033 845 1856, by faxing him at 033 845 1699, or by email at jflammand@wwf.org.za.
The project is funded by WWF Netherlands, WWF South Africa and the Mazda Wildlife Fund.