Title: Draft Policy Position on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Elephant, Lion, Leopard and Rhinoceros: Comments invited on the Draft

Gazette reference: GN 3887 in GG 49319 on 19 September 2023

Deadline for submitting comments: 19 October 2023

On 19 September 2023, the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, published the draft Policy Position on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Elephant, Lion, Leopard and Rhinoceros (the “Draft ELLR Policy”) for public comment. Some commentators on the first draft of the ELLLR Policy pointed out that an overarching policy on all species should be adopted first. Consequently the ELLR Policy development process was suspended until that had been done.

Policy development process was suspended until that had been done.

The draft ELLR Policy is informed by:

(c) the White Paper on Conservation and Sustainable Use of South Africa’s Biodiversity which was published for implementation on 14 June 2023;

(d) the report of the High Level Panel (HLP) on Elephant, Lion, Leopard and Rhinoceros;

(e) the recommendations of the Committee of Inquiry that was appointed to advise on the possibility of proposing legal interventions on international trade in rhino horn to the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); and

(f) the Colloquium report on captive lion breeding for hunting.