The EWT pledges less talk and more action to address South Africa’s snaring crisis at the inaugural Snare Mitigation Symposium

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The importance of less talk and more action to address the snaring crisis in South Africa is key to the conservation of all species.

This, and the need for greater collaboration and partnerships to address the negative impacts from the illegal snaring of wildlife, were among the outcomes of the inaugural two-day national Snare Mitigation Symposium in Pretoria.

The meeting of 140 delegates delved into the impacts, drivers and solutions to this increasing threat to wildlife and the economy. Co-led by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), the Cape Leopard Trust (CLT), the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and South African National Parks (SANParks), the inaugural Snare Mitigation Symposium was held at Environment House on 10 and 11 September 2024.

It brought together leading experts in wildlife crime, government officials and representatives of numerous stakeholders across the sector to examine the multifaceted aspects of the snaring crisis. The purpose was to understand existing and potential new complexities, and to share experiences and knowledge to reduce the problem both inside and outside conservation areas, in order to identify and co-create workable solutions for the benefit of people and the environment.

Snaring is motivated by complex socio-economic and cultural drivers and the symposium explored snaring from a myriad of angles and viewpoints. Information gained highlighted that animals are snared largely for personal or commercial use and is occurring at unsustainable rates across all provinces and in diverse landscapes. Sadly, many species including leopard, lion, hyena and other predators are killed as by-catch in snares originally set for bushmeat.

A key insight from the symposium is that we need more community interaction amongst stakeholders towards achieving positive outcomes for this threat to wildlife. Communities living with wildlife, and those linked to snaring, need to form an integral of the solutions being proposed, and to be undertaken, to address snaring.

No solution will be credible without the involvement of the relevant community voices in co-development of solutions. Solutions need to be diverse, purposely inclusive and tailored to, and by, the people living in the affected areas. Technological advances were showcased to improve snare detection and data collection.

Among the legal solutions highlighted by Ashleigh Dore, the EWT’s Wildlife and Law Project Manager, the need for legal reform to ensure laws applicable to snaring are the same across the country. Ashleigh also introduced a restorative justice approach to respond to snaring. Restorative justice is a holistic, inclusive and problem solving approach to justice that involves all parties involved in or impacted by the crime to (1) identify and respond to harm from the crime and (2) prevent reoffence.

Senior Conservation Manager Lourens Leeuwner, during his presentation on the threats of snaring countrywide, highlighted the results of the EWT’s recent project and proof of concept to determine whether anti-poaching dogs could be used for snare detection. The Canine Conservation Unit had spent several days testing techniques to detect snares in a farming and conservation area in Limpopo. Using two EWT anti-poaching canines, Ruger and Kisha, the team set snares in the veld before sending out rangers to find the items. While rangers only found some of the snares placed for the test, the canines had, in all cases, successfully tracked the scent of the person who had planted the snares and other items, finding most of the snares. As further proof that this technique works, the dogs were taken on a routine patrol of a farm that has problems with poachers using snares to catch wildlife. During this patrol, Ruger discovered a snare that had been planted by a real-life poacher. While there is a lot more work that needs to be done, this is proof that the concept works – an extra tool in the arsenal to combat poaching.

Among the key decisions adopted as outcomes included further research on the drivers and alternative livelihood solutions, more cohesive legislation to address snaring and other wildlife crimes, more centralised reporting and monitoring to ascertain the extent of the problem, and creating a greater understanding of the impact of snaring not only on biodiversity, but also on the economy and well-being of communities.

At a workshop following the event, the host organisations strategised next steps related to key themes and action points identified during the symposium that will include a wide range of stakeholders. Looking to the future, greater teamwork and communication between State, private sector and civil society will be cultivated to find sustainable long-term solutions for both people and wildlife.