The Bill provides for circumstances under which a permit application or permit may be deferred, refused, cancelled or suspended. The Bill will strengthen the implementation of legal requirements and administrative processes to limit the possible abuse of the permit system.
It is acknowledged that amendments in the Bill, on their own, will not be able to stop the ever-growing scourge of rhino poaching, which has become a highly lucrative organised crime being perpetrated by highly sophisticated crime syndicates, locally and abroad. I can just tell you that the recent price for a rhino horn like that is half a million rand. However, it will assist to address activities associated with rhino poaching in the following manner: National registration of professional hunters and hunting outfitters will now be required. Any person who facilitates the killing of a rhino in a manner other than that which was intended by the permit, or who exports the horns for a purpose other than what the permit provided for, faces the possibility of having his or her national registration withdrawn. The person will then not be able to obtain a permit to operate as a professional hunter or hunting outfitter in any province, as obtaining the permit is subject to national registration.
If a person is involved in activities associated with poaching, the issuing authority may defer a decision to issue a permit if the person is under investigation for a contravention of the Act. At the moment, we have this crazy system: While we are investigating someone, we are actually still obliged to give them further licences because the Act does not specifically provide for it. It does now. The issuing authority may refuse a permit if the activities associated with poaching are likely to have a negative impact on the survival of the species; the permit may be refused or cancelled if the applicant is convicted for an offence in terms of the Act; and the Bill proposes that a person who does not necessarily kill the rhino illegally, but who is nevertheless involved in this activity, or who allows the activity to be carried out, is also guilty of an offence. The Bill prescribes a system for the compulsory registration of professional hunters, outfitters and trainers in the hunting industry. This will ensure the implementation of a national registration system and will address the current challenges involving professional hunters being able to continue to operate in certain provinces, even though found guilty of an offence in another province.
The Bill provides for self-administration and the recognition of associations in the biodiversity sector. This system can be utilised to monitor compliance of the various subsectors in the biodiversity sector, through the professional bodies and associations, placing responsibility on the sector to promote compliance and best practice.
The Bill makes provision for new offences in the following instances: a person who engages in the bioprospecting discovery phase without proper notification to the Minister; a person who carries out a restricted activity which has been prohibited involving a listed invasive species; and a person who is involved in an illegal restricted activity, but who does not physically carry out the restricted activity.
The Bill makes provision for the declaration of an emergency intervention for the control or eradication of an alien species or listed invasive species where such alien species or listed invasive species may be a threat to a particular ecosystem. Of course, the reference to an alien or invasive species is not a reference to the hon Dr Oriani-Ambrosini! The Bill now provides the scientific authority, which is already established in terms of the Biodiversity Act, with the legal mandate to assist the department with the scientific work regarding the regulation of species to which international agreements on international trade are applicable.
There are a few further amendments which I don't have the time to go through. I will again remind you that we have also amended four other Bills of a more technical nature, and again, I think mentioning them is not necessary.
The portfolio committee therefore requests the House to adopt the amendments proposed to the aforementioned Acts, as contained in the National Environmental Management Laws First Amendment Bill. I thank you. [Applause.]