An Unwinnable War: Rhino Poaching in the Kruger

Abstract

The Kruger National Park is the epicentre of a complex and intensifying ‘war on poaching’. As numbers of poaching incidents and incursions have increased, the response by the South African government has become increasingly militarised. Rhetoric has become bellicose ‘battle lines have been drawn’, but the reality is more complex. Soldiers have not proven the most effective in managing the territory, the human cost has been high, and as a consequence, engagement with communities has been challenging. This chapter examines the evidence on South Africa’s anti-poaching fight, and the likelihood of it being successful in protecting what remains of the iconic rhino species.

This chapter draws on research conducted by the author for the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime and published in the report: Tipping Point—Transnational Organized Crime and the ‘War’ on Poaching and a paper, co-authored with Mark Shaw: A Flawed War: Rethinking ‘Green Militarisation’ in the Kruger National Park.