Global environmental and wildlife watchdogs have named South Africa and Zimbabwe as the “epicentre” of poaching of the endangered rhino in Southern Africa.

In their latest joint report, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organisation - and wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC said since 2006, 95% of the poaching in Africa has occurred in Zimbabwe and South Africa. “These two nations collectively form the epicentre of an unrelenting poaching crisis in southern Africa,” said Tom Milliken of TRAFFIC, an organisation that works to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature.

The report, which has been submitted to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) ahead of its 15th meeting of the Conference of the Par-ties (CoP15) in March, documents a decline in law enforcement effectiveness and an increase in poaching intensity in Africa.

"The situation is most serious in Zimbabwe, where rhino numbers are now declining and the conviction rate for rhino crimes in Zimbabwe is only three percent," the report said. "Despite the introduction of a number of new measures, poaching and illicit horn trade in South Africa has also increased," it said, adding that the trade is being driven by the Asian demand for horns and is made worse by increasingly sophisticated poachers, who now are using veterinary drugs, poison, crossbows and high calibre weapons to kill rhinos.

Most rhino horns leaving southern Africa are destined for medicinal markets in southeast and east Asia, especially Vietnam, and also China. The report highlights Vietnam as a country of particular concern – noting that Vietnamese nationals operating in South Africa have recently been identified in rhino crime investigations.

Zimbabwe and South Africa are two of four countries in the world that still have significant rhino populations. The other two are Kenya and Namibia.

The report comes at a time when Zimbabwe has suspended wildlife hunting licences as the country has lost 250 rhinos to poachers over the past three years.

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, which is in charge of national parks in Zimbabwe, recently issued a statement warning permit holders currently on hunting sessions to stop hunting with immediate effect so that they can be verified.

Wildlife authorities in the country have found it hard to contain poaching in national parks especially after landless villagers began invading commercial farms, which were repossessed in 2000.

There have also been widespread reports of illegal and uncontrolled trophy hunting on safari areas and conservancies. Among other things, IUCN works on biodiversity and greening the world economy, by supporting scientific research and bringing governments and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice.