The black rhinoceros is now a critically endangered species. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the once formidable prevalence of this mammal has been reduced to mere thousands in recent years, a result of vigorous poaching by money-hungry criminals in impoverished African nations. It is rarely a positive to allow a species to go extinct, but almost every citizen of certain sub-Saharan countries would think otherwise. A blessing and a curse to the continent, the endangerment of black rhinos not only signifies corruption in African governments, but also embodies the fundamental misconceptions resting in the typical civilian mind.
The major problem with the black rhino is its incredible economic value: just one horn from this creature can be sold for tens of thousands of dollars on the black market. A key ingredient in traditional Asiatic medicines and a structural component in certain forms of daggers, one rhino horn can make a poacher nearly 50 times richer than the average citizen of almost every central African nation. Though illegal, the sale of rhino horns has vast economic benefits for these nations: the more money the poachers earn, the more they spend and subsequently stimulate their nations' economies. Furthermore, the rambunctious and large mammal can have a devastating impact on nearby crops, crushing an agrarian farmer's livelihood in a matter of minutes. The rhinos are a nuisance; not only that, but every time one of these incredibly scarce resources is poached, the price for the next horn substantially increases and the demand for the next horn rises along with it, which is a win-win for both poachers and farmers.
From an external viewpoint, the solution to the endangerment issue is quite simple: stop the poachers. They are immoral criminals who reap their own land of a valuable environmental resource. What the poachers do not understand is that tourism plays a large part in the economies of many nations of Sub-Saharan Africa, and if the rhino population can be preserved then a steady stream of comparatively rich tourists will pay huge dividends to see these mammals. Though the monetary gains would not immediately be as large from using the rhinoceros for tourism, it provides a less volatile means of making money, a more socially accepted practice of earning according to the distant first world. The quandary, then, is a philosophical question of worth: steady money vs. fast money, environment vs. economy.
Chances are a poor farmer in Africa does not care what we Americans think; his next meal is more important to him than racking his brain for an answer to a question of humanity. He needs sustenance, but more than that he needs an incentive. Tourism needs to somehow have a positive impact on his livelihood if we want the rhino to stay alive, if we want to stabilize the wealth of all these impoverished African nations. The first step in doing so is using our gargantuan global influence to help ease corruption in African governments. Whether through limited force or UN sanctions, pushing for an end to apathy toward the general public within ruling classes will ensure a more stable economy and a happier people. The second step is distribution of tourism profits. Rather than having privatized tourism firms, governments must be placed in charge of the profits and redistribute the publicized wealth throughout the nation, putting money directly in its citizens' pockets so long as the rhinos stay alive. Although our nation itself is not unified on the extent to which a government should redistribute wealth, our socioeconomic concerns pale in comparison to the issues that arise from unstable African economies, and we are certainly proponents of a stable global economy. Thus, it is our duty to incentivize this transition to publicized tourism firms, for economic stability is a direct result of a (responsibly) wealthy central government.
It is easy to say from our air-conditioned rooms on a full stomach that poachers should not control a nation's economy, but the fact of the matter is that corruption and immorality negatively impact everyone in the long run. This brings us to the third step: education. There is nothing more important in this world than a population of well-informed minds; an elevated state of thinking directly correlates not only to happiness but also to safety when considering how power is wielded in African governments.
More than anything else, the United States is a proponent of democratic vision; our citizens are endowed with the power to criticize the dealings of our government and because of that right our nation continuously progresses. If education and democracy can be spread to less fortunate countries, the general welfare of everyone in the world can be increased. Furthermore, a world of so many individual problems can advance forward — and the black rhino, a symbol of progress in itself, can thrive forever.
Ryan Gorman is a Viewpoint writer.
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