February 4, 2015 | 16:00 h - 17:00 h The Public Lecture was co-organized with the Global Nature Fund and BION (Biodiversitäts Netzwerk Bonn) with the following speaker: Dr. Andrew Venter, CEO of the South-African NGO Wildlands Conservation Trust on “Good Will Hunting - Trophy hunting as an instrument to enhancing biodiversity and livelihoods in South Africa?” Abstract: Since 2008, a rhino poaching crisis has been raging in South Africa. Its main cause was the misbelief in certain Asian countries that rhino horn has healing abilities. With black market prices comparable to those of gold, poaching and illegal trade in rhino horn is a highly profitable business, involving corruption and organized crime. The number of illegally killed rhinos is still rising yearly reaching more than 1,000 killed animals in 2014 (there are around 25,000 remaining rhinos worldwide). Without effective protection measures, this ongoing development is posing a serious threat to the survival of the species. South Africa, hosting more than 90% of the African rhino populations, is having a prominent role in the conservation of this iconic species. But what is the way forward to protect species and sustain livelihoods of impoverished communities in Southern Africa? What lessons could be learned for other regions in the world? Dr. Andrew Venter, CEO of the Wildlands Conservation Trust will present an insight view of which instruments have proven to be successful - and which failed - in meeting the needs of conservation and human development. Speaker: Dr Andrew Venter was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He holds a Bachelor of Science and post-graduate Honor’s and Master’s degrees in, respectively, Botany and Zoology. In 1994 he started his research for his PhD in and around the Kruger National Park, where he developed policies and procedures for the Park’s community conservation projects. Subsequently, he spent another five years in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, to complete his PhD. Since 2000, A. Venter has been CEO of the Wildlands Conservation Trust, a leading South-African NGO. The work focuses on three core initiatives: Conservation Space, Sustainable Communities and Greening of the Future.

• published: 13 Feb 2015
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