Johannesburg, 21 May 2018: Held annually in South Africa, the Rhino Conservation Awards recognize the unsung heroes and significant role players involved in rhino conservation. Founded by Dr Larry Hansen, and Miss Xiaoyang Yu, with the support of ZEISS and China New Enterprises Inc, and in collaboration with the South African Department of Environmental Affairs and the Game Rangers Association of Africa, these awards acknowledge the work being done in the fight against rhino poaching.

The African ethos of Ubuntu promotes the power of a village, supporting one another to achieve common goals. For conservation efforts to be successful, many areas of vulnerability must be addressed. To be successful, this requires a collaborative approach with efforts being made by a variety of passionate contributors.

The CITES Parties, through Resolution Conf 9.14 (Rev. CoP15), have mandated IUCN SSC’s African Rhino Specialist Group (AfRSG), Asian Rhino Specialist Group (AsRSG) and TRAFFIC to prepare a comprehensive report for the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP17) on the conservation status of African and Asian rhinoceros species, trade in specimens, stocks and stock management, illegal killing, enforcement issues, conservation actions and management strategies and measures by implicated States to end illegal use and consumption of rhino parts and derivatives. This report primarily deals with developments since CoP16. Click here to see the full document.