Poaching pressure on African rhinos is still at an all-time high

Abstract

The decrease in African rhino poaching incidents since 2015 has prompted many to praise the effectiveness of anti-poaching efforts. To test the validity of this statement, we calculated how far poachers moved on average from 2007 to 2022 to find a rhino in the context of the dwindling rhino densities. These calculations demonstrate that the total poaching pressure has remained persistently high since 2013. Given the concurrently declining arrest rates, our results show that the rhino protection practices of the past decade have been insufficient. Instead, we propose that rhinos can best be protected in small and well-monitored “safe havens” while focusing on long-term rhino horn demand reduction.