The move by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has puzzled conservation groups and highlighted the long-standing tensions around perlemoen – South Africa’s most heavily-poached marine species.
The proposal was meant to be tabled at last week’s CITES summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan where member states debate global wildlife trade regulations.
South Africa had planned to request that its perlemoen (known internationally as abalone or Haliotis midae) be listed under Appendix II, which would require strict import and export permits for international trade.
According to Mongabay, the DFFE delegation withdrew the plan without offering a public explanation to other countries.
South African abalone is in high demand in East Asia and sells for premium prices. That demand has fuelled decades of rampant illegal harvesting, mostly driven by organised crime networks working with local gangs.
TRAFFIC, a global wildlife trade watchdog, estimates that more than two-thirds of all abalone exported from South Africa since 2000 was illegally sourced, with about 4 000 tonnes poached in 2024 alone.
Possible reasons for the withdrawal
While crime syndicates profit, many coastal communities rely on perlemoen poaching for income amid shrinking legal fishing quotas.
At the same time, South Africa’s legal abalone farms – which employ thousands – say tougher trade rules risk scaring off legitimate buyers.
The Abalone Farmers Association of South Africa (AFASA) welcomed the government’s withdrawal, arguing that a CITES listing could damage the market for legally produced fresh and frozen abalone.
“When [buyers] see that this is a CITES-listed product, they’re not going to be interested in being educated about what is legal and what is illegal,” said AFASA chair Johan Heckroodt.
“They’re just not going to buy it.”
A change in political leadership
Heckroodt also suggested the last-minute change of course was also related to the recent replacement of South Africa’s environment minister.
Former environment minister Dion George, who supported a CITES listing, was replaced last month by Willie Aucamp.
Some environmental groups say Aucamp has hunting ties and is more aligned with industries that favour looser controls on wildlife use.
Relisting to save the perlemoen species
TRAFFIC argues that CITES remains the only tool that would allow importing countries to help curb illegal shipments.
South Africa’s CITES proposal focused specifically on dried abalone, which is the form most commonly trafficked. One alternative, TRAFFIC says, is for South Africa to independently relist dried abalone under Appendix III, which it briefly did in 2007.
With wild abalone populations now estimated at just 2% of historic levels, conservationists warn that delays in tightening controls leave both the species and the legal industry at risk. They argue that any long-term solution must also include economic options for coastal communities who have become reliant on the illegal trade.
South Africa’s environment department says it will explain the withdrawal once there is “more clarity on certain issues.”
