Portfolio Committee: Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

1. Portfolio Committee:Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Draft Norms and Standards for the management of damage-causing animals in South Africa 2 November 2010

2. Overview • Problem statement • Process of development of the norms and standards • Legislative overview • Purpose of the norms and standards • Provisions of the norms and standards • Conclusion • Recommendation

3. Problem statement • General extermination of larger predators (lion, brown hyena) led to an increase in numbers of smaller predators (black-backed jackal and caracal, as well as baboon) • Majority of livestock loss involves goats and sheep • Damage mainly caused by black-backed jackal and caracal • Lack of uniform provincial legislation to address the management of damage-causing animals

4. Process of development • A task team was established to participate in the drafting of the norms and standards, involving: • national and provincial departments responsible for environmental matters • national department responsible for agricultural matters • agricultural industry • conservation and animal welfare organizations • academic institutions • Approved for publication for comment by: • WG1 at meeting of 20 April 2010 • MINTECH at meeting of 7 May 2010 • MINMEC at meeting of 8 July • Minister on 24 October 2010

5. Legislative overview • National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (Act No. 10 of 2004) (NEMBA) • No person may carry out a restricted activity involving a listed threatened or protected species without a permit • Killing has been defined as a restricted activity in terms of NEMBA

6. Legislative overview (2) • Threatened or Protected Species (TOPS) Regulations, 2007 • Damage-causing animal means an individual of a listed threatened or protected speciesthat, when interacting with human activities, there is substantial proof that it– (a) causes losses to stockor to other wild specimens; (b) causes excessive damage to cultivated trees, crops, natural flora orother property; (c) presents a threat to human life; or (d) is present in such numbers that agricultural grazing is materially depleted.

7. Legislative overview (3) • Management options (requiring a permit): • Capture and relocation by the conservation authority or management authority of a protected area; • Control (killing) by the conservation authority or management authority of a protected area; or • Capture and relocation, or control by a person authorized by means of a permit by the conservation authority (provided that control may not be done by a foreign hunter). • A permit is not required if a damage-causing animal is killed in self-defense where it threatens human life (must be reported to the relevant issuing authority within 24 hours after the incident)

8. Legislative overview (4) • Permissible methods in terms of the TOPS Regulations: • Poison (1080 only – environmentally friendly) • Bait and traps (excluding gin traps) • Dogs, for flushing or retrieving purposes • Darting, for translocation purposes • Suitable firearm • Luring by smell or sound • Motorized vehicle • Flood/ spot lights • Gin trap defined as leg hold or foothold trap made up of two tightly closing jaws, a spring of sorts, and a trigger in the middle, without an off-set jaw or padded jaw that reduces chances of injury to the animal

9. Laminated or padded jaws The padding reduces the risk of injuries when jaws are set off.

10. Off-set jaws (unmodified) Off-set jaws have a gap between the jaws when set off, and are aimed at allowing movement of the limb to limit injury.

11. Purpose of the Norms and Standards • To provide a uniform national approach for the management of damage-causing animals • To assist issuing authorities to develop legislation/ policies for the management of damage-causing animals • To provide minimum requirements for the lawful use of methods and equipment to manage damage- causing animals • To ensure that the methods used are socially and ecologically acceptable • Aimed at targeting the individual animal causing the damage rather than the species

12. Provisions of the draft norms and standards • Guiding principles: • Management activities performed, and methods used, with due regard to applicable legislation • Implementation of a holistic and integrated approach: • Target the specific individual • Implementation of management interventions to prevent/ limit damage • Ecologically acceptable – detrimental effect on species and environment must be minimal; • Socially acceptable – management methods must be acceptable to society • Cost incurred to manage the damage-causing animal should not exceed the value of the damage

13. Provisions of the draft norms and standards (2) • Stakeholders must accept the inherent risk of conflict and also apply a combination of non-lethal methods • Government must accept that wild vertebrates may cause damage, and that they play a vital role in the management of damage-causing animals, as well as training and sound scientific advice. • Assessment of damage and reporting • Criteria for translocation • Minimum requirements for the following regulated methods: • Trap cages • Poison collars • Darting

14. Provisions of the draft norms and standards (3) • Call and shoot • Soft traps (gin traps with padded or off-set jaws) • Dogs • Deterrent methods not requiring permits: • Fencing (e.g. kraals, cable fence, jackal proof fence, camps) • Collars (e.g. bell and smell collars, cell phone collars, king collars) • Herding • Repellants and scare techniques (e.g. alarms, bells, lights, noice) • Management practices (e.g. coordinated lambing season, stock rotation)

15. Provisions of the draft norms and standards (4) • Criteria for the development of compensation strategies by provincial conservation authorities • Transitional period relating to the use of soft traps: Soft traps may be used lawfully to manage damage- causing animals for a period of three years after the promulgation of these norms and standards, after which use of the device may be prohibited if it is not used according to the provisions of these norms and standards. During this three-year period, research must be undertaken to improve the effectiveness of the soft traps and to search for effective alternative methods.

16. Conclusion • The norms and standards aim to provide for a nationally coordinated and uniform approach to the management of damage-causing animals • The norms and standards provide minimum requirements for methods that require permits in terms of the TOPS Regulations • The use of soft traps will not be prohibited, but the use thereof in accordance with the provisions of the norms and standards will be closely monitored

17. Recommendation It is recommended that members of the Portfolio Committee take note of: • The provisions of the draft Norms and Standards for the management of damage-causing animals in South Africa; and • The fact that the draft norms and standards will be published in the Gazette for public comment following finalization of the procurement process