South Africa’s proposal to transfer the Cape Mountain Zebra (Equus zebra) from Appendix I to Appendix II has been adopted at the 17th Conference of Parties (CoP17) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) currently under way in Johannesurg.
On Wednesday, Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa delivered an intervention on the consideration of proposals for amendment of Appendices I and II, saying the Cape Mountain Zebra “subspecies is endemic to South Africa and no longer meets the biological criteria for an Appendix I listing”.
In Cites terms, Appendix I includes species that are threatened with extinction.
Trade in these species is only allowed under exceptional circumstances.
Appendix II includes species that are not necessarily threatened with extinction but trade in these species is controlled.
South Africa’s proposal was based on the remarkable recovery from just fewer than 100 animals in the 1990s to well over 5 000, signifying the country’s success in the conservation of the subspecies.
“The Cape Mountain Zebra is well protected in state-owned protected areas”.
The two original subpopulations in Mountain Zebra National Park and Karoo National Park have doubled since 2004,” said Molewa.
“The national population has increased steadily since the early 1990s, with the annual rate of increase from 2009 to 2015 measured at just over 9%.”
In August last year, the population of Cape Mountain Zebra comprised a minimum of nearly 4 800 individuals in no fewer than 75 sub-populations that are well distributed over the historical range of the subspecies.
As a result, the Cape Mountain Zebra is no longer threatened with extinction, having recently been assessed as Least Concern (low risk) in accordance with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. The transfer of Cape Mountain Zebra to Appendix II supports the management and conservation of this subspecies, as it opens up additional economic opportunities that can support the expansion of available habitat and better management of subpopulations on private land.
“Private ranchers currently play an important role in conserving almost a third of the national population and the aim is to strengthen their involvement in the meta-population management of the Cape Mountain Zebra,” said Molewa.
South Africa has undertaken some analyses and modelling to determine conditions for adaptive management of Cape Mountain Zebra and the setting of take quotas.
Molewa acknowledged and thanked the SA National Biodiversity Institute, the UCT, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, and CapeNature for their collaboration and scientific research in ensuring that a well-informed policy decision was taken relating to the appropriate Cites listing of Cape Mountain Zebra in South Africa.
African News Agency