African countries on Sunday unveiled an action plan, which seeks to give directions on how to preserve the rhinos on the continent.

The African Range State's African Rhino Conservation Plan was unveiled by South African Minister of Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, in Johannesburg on the sidelines of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which opened on Saturday.

Molewa said the plan clearly demonstrates the commitment of the African range states to work as a collective to secure viable, growing and valued rhino populations across the African landscape.

African rhino range states participated in three workshops over the last two years to develop this continental plan, according to the minister.

"The plan does not seek to duplicate existing more detailed national rhino plans, but rather seeks to complement them by providing an overarching higher-level umbrella plan under which all the national plans can fit," she said.

The plan also seeks to identify and focus on areas where collectively and cooperatively there may be opportunities for range states to work together to enhance rhino conservation such as enhancing effective conservation funding, increasing cooperative sharing and analysis of intelligence information, and boosting political will and support for rhino conservation across the continent.

"While there had been conservation successes that we celebrate, the range states recognize that there is a need to cooperate to further enhance the conservation of rhino on the continent and to effectively address illegal trade in wildlife," Molewa said.

She said African countries have decided to unite in combating illegal trade in wildlife and save the rhinos.

The minister invited donors to support the continental initiative, and encouraged the African countries to implement it.

(Xinhua News Agency September 24, 2016)