Staff Reporter
THERE has been a significant decline in rhino poaching in Namibia, with 43 rhinos poached in 2025 and 24 so far in 2026.
This was revealed by the Minister of Environment, Indileni Daniel, who said the figures represent a significant decline from 2024.
“Our concerted efforts are bearing fruit. Our findings show that wildlife crime is declining. Notably, Namibia achieved a historic conservation milestone in 2025 by having recorded 43 rhinos poached, compared to the 91 recorded in 2024. This marks our lowest poaching levels in over a decade. Thus far, figures from 2026 show us that the threat remains active with 24 rhinos poached to date. Nonetheless, this is proving that our strategies are working,” Daniel said.
PROTECTING WILDLIFE: Scenes from the Third National Stakeholder Forum for Wildlife and Environmental Protection. Photos: Ministry of Environment.
The minister made these remarks during the Third National Stakeholder Forum for Wildlife and Environmental Protection, which recently took place in Windhoek.
She cited the decline in poaching as evidence that the ministry’s strategies are working. Despite this progress, she noted that there is still work to be done to combat poaching. Daniel explained that this entails tackling international criminal syndicates and disrupting the market driving demand for illegally obtained wildlife and plants.
“We must however know that we are not yet out of the woods. Sustaining this decline requires us to look beyond our borders. Ours is a tall order because we are fighting international criminal syndicates that adapt daily to our strategies. To defeat a moving target, we must strengthen cross-border collaboration and engage with international partners to choke off the global demand that puts our species at risk. To address poaching and trafficking, we need to cut the demand by making sure we cut the line to the underworld market. Once the market is paralysed, poaching and illegal plant crimes will surely decline,” Daniel added.
