Leopards in South Africa Protected from Hunting For Another Year
The South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) has confirmed that a zero quota for the hunting of leopard (Panthera pardus) has been extended to 2017. The department said the decision is based on the review of available scientific information on the status and recovery of leopard populations in South Africa. The Scientific Authority made the […]
The South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) has confirmed that a zero quota for the hunting of leopard (Panthera pardus) has been extended to 2017.
The department said the decision is based on the review of available scientific information on the status and recovery of leopard populations in South Africa.
The Scientific Authority made the zero quota recommendation to the Minister of Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, as well as recommending the possibility of introducing a precautionary hunting quota in 2018.
The zero quota has been in place since January 2016 following an evidence-based decision by the Scientific Authority. The Authority takes into account input from several sources ranging from Leopard Monitoring institutions to NGOs and academic institutions… as well as the results of camera trap surveys undertaken in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
Draft decisions from the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP17) require all Parties with leopard export quotas to review the leopard hunting quotas and provide the scientific basis for the quota allocated.
This CITES review process will continue in 2017 to ensure that an appropriate quota is allocated for the South African leopard population.