WHERE IS THE TRANSPARENCY IN SOUTH AFRICA’S 2026/2027 TROPHY HUNTING QUOTAS?

On August 31, South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) published official CITES export quotas for 2026 and 2027—authorizing the annual trophy export of 150 elephants (300 tusks), 11 black rhinos, and up to 11 leopards.

However, despite extensive public consultation in February, civil society organizations—including the EMS Foundation, Landmark Foundation, Biodiversity Law Center, and Born Free—have been met with an administrative void. The published Gazette provided numbers but virtually no scientific justification, leaving public objections unanswered and forcing conservationists to file formal Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) requests simply to see whether their scientific feedback was even read.

KEY ADMINISTRATIVE & LEGAL FAILURES UNDER SCRUTINY:

• Missing Non-Detriment Findings (NDFs): Under CITES, export quotas must legally stem from a current, defensible NDF proving trade won’t harm species survival. The government published quotas without disclosing the underlying NDFs, population models, or Scientific Authority recommendations.

• Ignoring Public Consultation: Detailed submissions raising legal, ethical, and ecological concerns were submitted in March. Yet the final quotas authorized almost everything originally proposed, without publishing a comments-and-responses report explaining why scientific objections were dismissed.

• Targeting Vulnerable Subspecies: The decision permits the annual hunting of eight south-central black rhinos, despite specific warnings regarding the demographic fragility of this subspecies.

• Disregarding Animal Wellbeing: Although South Africa’s National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act expressly incorporates animal welfare, the notice ignores the behavioral, social, and genetic impacts of removing mature, large-tusked males and apex leopards.

• Demands for Public Disclosure: Environmental groups are calling on Environment Minister David Maynier and SANBI to immediately publish the full administrative record, scientific advice, and population data used to justify the allocations.

ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE BELONGS IN THE LIGHT

Wildlife is held in the public trust. Setting hunting quotas for threatened species behind closed doors—while treating public consultation as a mere formality—undermines biodiversity management, constitutional transparency, and scientific integrity.