Game meat has been identified as one of the major role players in the wildlife economy. Game meat not only promotes and presents opportunities for land-use planning, environmental management and agricultural planning but also supports economic growth, food security and contributes to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country through provisioning of employment opportunities. Game meat production is one of the areas which challenges the inequalities of the wildlife sector through enabling transformation.

The game meat industry performs predominantly in the informal market whilst about 10% of game meat enters the retail market following the formal (compliant) related process. The industry in general is very fragmented.

CHALLENGES FACING THE GAME MEAT INDUSTRY IN SOUTH AFRICA

• Game meat industry is predominantly an informal industry which is fragmented without a common goal;
• The regulatory environment is often not well understood and is deemed to be complex / impractical by industry;
• The market demand, consumption and market needs of the game meat industry is relatively unknown;
• The game meat industry lacks a value chain approach to 'bind' the industry and to unlock the game meat potential;
• The game meat industry is highly untransformed;
• There is high level of incompliance with regulations within the game meat industry; and
• The major impact of foot and mouth diseases on game meat exports from SA to the world including the European Union (EU) regulations inhibits the industry.

From the hot arid deserts of the Sahara, through the lush green rainforests of the Amazon, to the ocean depths and bright corals, our natural world is a marvel of different landscapes, materials, colours and textures.

The land, air and seas of our planet are home to the tiniest insects and the largest animals, which make up a rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces. This is life, this is biodiversity.

Biodiversity found on Earth today consists of many millions of distinct biological species, the product of four billion years of evolution.

However, the word "biodiversity" is relatively new, and is thought to have first been coined as a contraction of the term "biological diversity" in 1985 and then popularised by authors.

Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth, it includes all organisms, species, and populations; the geneticvariation among these; and their complex assemblages ofcommunities and ecosystems.

It also refers to the interrelatedness of genes, species, and ecosystems and in turn, their interactions with the environment.

Three levels of biodiversity are commonly discussed - genetic, species and ecosystem diversity.

1. Genetic diversity is all the different genes contained in all the living species, including individual plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms.
2. Species diversity is all the different species, as well as the differences within and between different species.
3. Ecosystem diversity is all the different habitats, biological communities and ecological processes, as well as variation within individual ecosystems.

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BLACK RHINO: Africa’s smallest species of rhino, also known as the hook lipped rhino. The black rhino is characterised by the long upper lip, which is hooked for the purposes of grasping and pulling leaves, stalks and fruits from bushes, long grasses and trees.

WHITE RHINO: Africa’s largest species of rhino, also known as the square lipped rhino. The white rhino live in a group, known as a crash. These crashes are usually made up of a female and her calves. White rhinos can communicate vocally using a wide range of sounds. Calves squeak and adults snarl or wail.

JAVAN RHINO males like to be left alone and are very territorial.

GREATER ONE-HORNED RHINO: Asia’s largest species of rhino, also known as the Indian rhino.

SUMATRAN RHINO: Closest living relative to the woolly rhino. The only species to still be covered in hair and found in Asia.