🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
CITES currently includes more than 180 member countries regulating international trade in endangered species.
Rhino horn is composed primarily of keratin, the same structural protein found in human hair and nails. Despite this biological fact, rhino horn has been trafficked for use in traditional medicine markets. International trade in rhino horn has been banned under CITES since the 1970s. Nevertheless, illicit demand persists in some regions, placing pressure on all rhino species, including the Javan rhino. With fewer than 80 individuals remaining, even minimal poaching risk carries outsized consequences. Indonesia enforces strict anti-poaching patrols in Ujung Kulon. The species survives partly because enforcement currently outweighs illegal incentives. The paradox is that a material with no proven medicinal value continues to threaten one of Earth’s rarest mammals.
💥 Impact (click to read)
Economically, black-market valuation can reach tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram. Such pricing creates powerful incentives for organized wildlife crime. Enforcement must therefore counter not just individual poachers but trafficking networks. For a population under 80, prevention is the only viable strategy. Recovery after renewed hunting pressure would be slow or impossible. Conservation success depends on maintaining deterrence.
At a systemic level, the issue reflects how cultural belief and economic inequality can intersect with extinction risk. A single horn represents both biological tissue and illicit commodity. The Javan rhino’s survival depends on suppressing demand in distant markets. Its future is shaped not only in rainforest clearings but in urban trade networks. The species endures because law enforcement holds the line against keratin commerce.
Source
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
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