The fight against rising rhino poaching will get a boost once South Africa signs a Momorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Vietnam, the South African Ministry of Water and Environmental Affairs (MWEA) said on Tuesday.

The MOU between the two countries is on cooperation in the field of Biodiversity Conservation and Protection and will be signed in Hanoi, Vietnam, later this month when Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa visits the country, the ministry said in a statement.

"The signing of the MOU signals another significant intervention in the bid to address the scourge of rhino poaching. This intervention on the international front is intended to promote cooperation between the two countries and compliance with CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora)," the statement said.

These international engagements and agreements are crucial, the statement said, adding: "The MOU will be addressing, in particular, the illegal trade in rhino horn that has seen a scourge in rhino poaching."

The MWEA pledged its commitment to effectively dealing with the current scourge of poaching, and with illegal hunting largely driven by international demand for the rhino horn.

The latest rhino poaching statistics indicate that a total of 598 rhinos have been lost to poaching in South Africa since the beginning of this year, with the total number of arrests at 246.

In September 2011, the governments of Vietnam and South Africa agreed on a process towards the finalization of the MOU that will see the collaboration of natural resource management, wildlife protection and law enforcement.

The people arrested for poaching were from countries such as Vietnam, Molewa said earlier.

Growing demand for rhino horns in world market has been blamed for the recent upsurge in rhino poaching in South Africa. Endi

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