The population of Africa’s critically endangered black rhinos has increased over the past six years thanks to significant efforts from conservationists.

The data, which indicated the population of black rhinos grew 2.5% per year between 2012 and 2018, comes from a new report by the International Union for Conservationn of Nature. Numbers in the wild grew from 4,845 to 5,630 animals over this period, and the IUCN says the growth can be expected to continue over the next five years.

African rhinos had become increasingly threatened over recent decades, primarily due to the impact of poaching and habitat decline. The increase in Black Rhino numbers mainly comes down to continued law enforcement measures and successful population management strategies, which include moving select animals from established populations to new locations to increase the species’ range.

“While Africa’s rhinos are by no means safe from extinction, the continued slow recovery of Black Rhino populations is a testament to the immense efforts made in the countries the species occurs in, and a powerful reminder to the global community that conservation works,” said Dr Grethel Aguilar, Acting Director General of IUCN, in a statement.

“At the same time, it is evident that there is no room for complacency as poaching and illegal trade remain acute threats.”

One subspecies of black rhino, the South-western Black Rhino, has seen sufficient population growth to be newly categorised as near threatened, while the South-eastern and Eastern subspecies remain critically endangered. All three are showing signs of recovery but remain dependent on ongoing conservation efforts.

 

Positive Action

• Find out more about the International Union for Conservation of Nature and their work towards protecting threatened species.
• To get involved in conservation efforts closer to home, check out the work being carried out by Conservation Volunteers Australia.

 

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Positive Environment News has been compiled using publicly available information. Planet Ark does not take responsibility for the accuracy of the original information and encourages readers to check the references before using this information for their own purposes.