The programme goal of SADC Regional Programme for Rhino Conservation is to ensure that the Southern African rhino taxa are maintained in viable and well distributed metapopulations as flagship species for biodiversity conservation within the SADC region.

The objectives are to implement a pragmatic regional rhino strategy within the SADC region following the acquisition of sound information on, firstly, the constraints and opportunities for rhino conservation within each range state and secondly, the constraints and opportunities for rhino metapopulation management at the regional level.

Five conditions have been agreed upon as necessary to be met by projects requiring support from the SADC Rhino Conservation Programme, namely:

1. Projects must be of a SADC regional nature or importance;
2. Projects must be limited to subspeciesCeratotherium simum simum, Diceros bicornis minor, Diceros bicornis bicornis ;
3. Fundamental rhino management issues such as land use economics, community involvement, etc. must be taken into account;
4. Both public and private rhino conservation projects will be considered, and
5. Implementation must make use of existing institutions and linkages.