The Group Secretariat has compiled the latest continental statistics from data supplied at the meeting. These figures place the current population of the white rhino in the wild at approximately 10,400 and that of the black rhino at 2700. Therefore, African rhino numbers have exceeded 13,000 for the first time since the mid-1980s. IUCN and WWF jointly issued a press release to publicize this news.
The Cameroon authorities have agreed to hold talks with a high-level mission led by AfRSG, scheduled for November in Cameroon. The hope is that this will result in a conservation strategy being adopted and an implementation plan being developed that will list responsibilities and a timetable of events. The African Rhino Specialist Group, the French Comrriittee for IUCN-Species Survival Commission and WWF have prepared a joint background document for the mission. The document discusses possible conservation options and further exarriines the biological. security and cost implications of the four main options. For more information, see the section 'Notes from the African Rhino Specialist Group' in this issue. 1 will report in more detail on the outcome of this critically important mission in the next issue of Pachyderm.
The Group Secretariat has compiled the latest continental statistics from data supplied at the meeting. These figures place the current population of the white rhino in the wild at approximately 10,400 and that of the black rhino at 2700. Therefore, African rhino numbers have exceeded 13,000 for the first time since the mid-1980s. IUCN and WWF jointly issued a press release to publicize this news.
The Group Secretariat has compiled the latest continental statistics from data supplied at the meeting. These figures place the current population of the white rhino in the wild at approximately 10,400 and that of the black rhino at 2700. Therefore, African rhino numbers have exceeded 13,000 for the first time since the mid-1980s. IUCN and WWF jointly issued a press release to publicize this news.
Mission statement. The African Rhino Specialist Group's mission is to promote the growth of viable populations of the various subspecies of African rhinos in the wild. The body, at least every second year, seeks to compile and synthesize information on the status and conservation of Africa's rhinos across their range, provide and improve technical information and advice on the conservation of African rhinos, promote and catylise conservation activities on behalf of African rhinos, and build capacity through the exchange of ideas, information and technical expertise among its membership. One activity that contributes towards achieving all the above objectives is to hold well-planned and focused AfRSG meetings, if possible, every two years. Apart from encouraging information exchange between range states and members, and addressing a number of identified issues in working groups, AfRSG meetings help us compile updated rhino numbers.
AfSRG members participated in a WWF-funded stakeholders workshop run by the Kenya Wildlife Service. The main objective of this important workshop was to revise the outdated Kenyan National Rhino Plan. The workshop was held at the Kenya Wildlife Service training centre at Lake Naivasha from 11 to 14 September 2000. Delegates were predominantly local stakeholders. The KWS rhino reserves, Masai Mara and private sanctuaries were well represented. The scientific officer of AfSRG gave a keynote address at the beginning of the workshop. Six AFRSG members participated in the discussions and workshop sessions. Delegates worked long into the evenings, and at the end of the meeting they produced a draft revised Kenyan rhino plan. A final version will be produced before the strategy is submitted for approval and ratification. The revised plan emphasizes efforts made to improve biological management and to increase the overall national metapopulation growth rates.
Meeting in Tanzania, May 2000. I am pleased to report that the 2000 AfRSG meeting was successfully held at Lake Manyara, Tanzania, 27 May to 1 June, with 41 delegates attending or all of the sessions. As the AFRSG Chair, I introduced and welcomed the members to the year 2000 AfRSG meeting. Mr Emmanuel Severre, the director of the Tanzanian Wildlife Division, officially opened the meeting. The members spent a good portion of the first day presenting individual country reports, concluding the day with updates of the status of Asian rhinos and of African rhinos in captivity. The Group Secretariat has compiled the latest continental statistics from data supplied at the meeting. These figures place the current population of the white rhino in the wild at approximately 10,400 and that of the black rhino at 2700. Therefore, African rhino numbers have exceeded 13,000 for the first time since the mid-1980s. IUCN and WWF jointly issued a press release to publicize this news. For further details on rhino numbers and trends, see the report by the scientific officer in this issue in the section 'Notes from the African Rhino Specialist Group'. Presentations at the meeting included discussions on TRAF'FIC's rhino horn trade program, rhino horn in Yemen, the CITES indicators process, sustainable use options for surplus black rhinos, and a plenary discussion on consumptive use of rhino products. Presentations on techniques and rhino ecology included the use of ultrasonography as a tool for wild rhino management, a detailed presentation on the WWF-funded AfRSG horn fingerprinting project, an update on the determinants of black rhino carrying capacities and productivity, a population case history, and a paper on black rhino diet selection. Members were also briefed on the new SADC rhino program being funded by the Italian government and the work of WWF's Africa Rhino Program, the US Fish and Wildlife's Rhino and Tiger Conservation Fund, the International Rhino Foundation and the Frankfurt Zoological Society. The working group assigned the critical area of conserving the surviving western black rhinos (Diceros bicomis longipes) in Cameroon discussed and evaluated strategic options. The group developed proposals for a high-level technical mission to Cameroon and determined the background documentation needed for such a mission. Other working groups discussed the following: - a cooperative funding strategy for AfRSG - effects of immobilization on rhino fertility - existing knowledge and future research needs - indicators for assessing rhino population performance - the impact of community conservation initiatives, determined by examining case studies A formal closed meeting restricted to AfRSG members was also held. Delegates visited Ngorongoro Crater where a senior staff member from the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Authority showed them around. They saw eight of the black rhinos in the crater and learned of several aspects of the local rhino program, especially security and monitoring. The visit included an examination of the bomas that had been used to introduce new blood from Addo. Outside the formal sessions, delegates had a chance to network and discuss problems-which is always one of the main benefits of AFRSG meetings. One evening, delegates also watched the new video that AfRSG had produced as part of its revised rhino identification course for field rangers. An impromptu workshop was also held to discuss and modify a Kenyan project proposal that had been submitted for funding to the Rhino and Tiger Conservation Fund of the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
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