The African rhino is under serious threat from poachers who have intensified their search of rhino for their horns since 2007, driven by growing market demands in Asia. Since 2008 Africa has lost over 3000 rhinos - a figure that, despite so much effort, increases daily. Elephants, being targeted for their tusks, as well as more other species in African savannah, are facing the same risks.
South Africa – home to more than 80% of Africa’s rhino populations – is losing hundreds of rhinos each year. In this country alone:
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Safari tourism become the greatest motivation for wildlife conservation !
Tourism plays a huge role in persuading local people that there is a future in community-led conservation. Safari tourists are paying to watch the wildlife, especially the Big 5. These communities realize that when an elephant or a rhino is killed, they are losing an asset, wildlife is worth alive more than dead!! It is becoming a neighborhood-watch scheme. The hope is that if their welfare, education and livelihoods are being jeopardized when a rhino or elephant is killed, local communities won't let it happen.
Much of the safari income is contractually bound to go directly to impoverished local communities, which use it for everything from pumping water to college scholarships, giving them a clear financial stake in preserving wildlife. The safari tourism is a pillar of the economy in some African nations, in Kenya it generates more than a billion dollars a year and nearly 500,000 jobs.
The camps employ a large number of people from communities living in and around the areas, while entrance fees provide a substantial income stream, which significantly helps improve infrastructure and education, especially where local communities own the land.
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