As part of the Edge 50 list, Apolitical is publishing a series of articles exploring a selection of these bold initiatives to learn more about the stories and strategies behind them.

Created by Apolitical in partnership with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation, this list is an invitation to look beyond the usual playbook and ask what becomes possible when governments are willing to think boldly about today's biggest problems.

Apolitical spoke with Jessica Babich (CEO), Professor James Larkin (Chief Scientific Officer) and Dr Roger Howsley (Chair of the Board of Directors) of the Rhisotope Project, a South African initiative working at the intersection of nuclear science and wildlife conservation.

At the start of the 20th century, there were 500,000 rhinos worldwide. Today, roughly 27,000 remain. Anti-poaching has long focused on the point of attack: rangers, border checks and dehorning. The Rhisotope Project targets the other end of the chain. It embeds radioactive markers in rhino horns, repurposing existing border detection infrastructure worldwide and turning it into a global anti-poaching network. For the first time, the horn itself becomes evidence against those who traffic it.

When you first began exploring the idea of the Rhisotope project, what challenge were you trying to solve, and what did you think existing anti-poaching measures weren't addressing?

JB: The four biggest global black market crimes are weapons, drugs, wildlife trafficking and human trafficking. Unfortunately, where you get one, you'll get the others. Rhino horn is actually the most valuable false commodity on the black market. It has a higher street value than diamonds, platinum or cocaine, and the wildlife trade alone on the black market is in excess of $2.2 billion. That means rhino horns and rhinos matter because, no matter where you are in the world, this affects all societies.

The challenge is that traditional anti-poaching measures only address certain aspects of the problem. Boots on the ground is the first response, but detection at borders relies on random searches or intelligence. That makes the system very porous, so poaching becomes a low-risk, high-reward activity.

Through the Rhisotope project, we want to change that dynamic by making it a high-risk, low-reward endeavour, because for the first time, the Rhisotope project can tackle multiple aspects of the poaching problem. That starts with communities on the ground and filters up the chain into the nuclear security infrastructure, upping the game on prosecutorial success and severity.

JL: For me, the challenge we were trying to solve was: can we devalue the rhino horn? And the answer, I think, is yes. As we moved the project forward, we realised we could put pressure on a number of points along the rhino horn value chain. First, we devalue the horn in the eyes of the end user, thereby reducing demand. Second, we significantly increase the probability of detection as the horn is moved across borders, which makes it a less desirable commodity for those involved in illicit smuggling. That means criminal syndicates are less likely to invest time and money when the product they're going to get has significantly less value and is more risky to handle.

Can you walk me through what actually happens in the Rhisotope project, from when a rhino is treated to how a horn is detected at the border?

JL: The first priority is that no harm comes to the animal, and we make sure that anything we do is done under the direct supervision of the University's Animal Ethics Committee. I've spent two years testing and modelling the type of radioisotope we're using so that we know exactly what the radiation dose to the animal should be.

The rhino is darted by a specialist veterinary surgeon using a carefully measured cocktail of drugs. The process is controlled and quick. Once the animal is sedated, we reduce external stimuli by covering the eyes and placing earplugs. We then drill into the horn and insert a number of radioisotopes, as well as a radio-frequency identification chip (RFID) and take blood and hair samples if they're not already present. The whole procedure takes about ten minutes. The rhino keeps its horn and doesn't need to be treated again for five years.

If the animal is later poached and the horn enters the smuggling chain, the isotope signature allows it to be detected. Many international airports and ports already use radiation portal monitors that were installed to detect nuclear material. So we're essentially piggybacking on infrastructure that already exists worldwide. If a treated horn passes through one of those systems, it triggers an alert. That leads to secondary inspection, seizure and potentially nuclear forensic analysis and prosecution. We're working with several groups to ensure all of that becomes standardised.

JB: The most important thing about this technique is that it puts the animal first. The rhino gets to keep its horn, which it needs. Dehorning techniques do act as a deterrent, but it reduces the animal's breeding range and defence capabilities. It also has to be repeated every 18 to 24 months and costs roughly twice as much as our treatment.

RH: I'd add one further point on dehorning. When you remove the horns, you put them in a bonded warehouse, and collectively they are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. That, to me, creates an obvious security problem of its own. You're essentially concentrating an enormously valuable target in a single location and hoping it stays there. Leaving the horn on the animal is not only better for the animal, but it also makes far more sense from a security perspective.

The project uses radioactive materials, which can sound alarming. Did you face scepticism, and how did you build trust?

JB: Yes, absolutely. It's taken years of conversations to help people understand that the technique is safe for the animal. The nuclear industry understands the science immediately. But the conservation community needed time because this had never been done before. But once veterinarians and conservation leaders understood the science, they became strong supporters.

JL: From our side, the approach was simple: honesty. If someone asked a question and I didn't know the answer, I would say so and go find out. Radiation is often misunderstood, so being open and transparent was essential. We also took a belt-and-braces approach scientifically. For example, independent teams built different models to calculate radiation dose, and our results were checked by colleagues at other universities. We've also published our findings and continue to submit them for peer review because the science has to stand up to international scrutiny. Only then can you have meaningful conversations with rhino owners, conservation groups and communities.

RH: The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Director General has been working to help the international community understand just how widely nuclear materials are already used, in medicine, industry, agriculture and many other fields. The science is extremely well understood, and the technology is well-proven. By any measure, it's an exceptionally safe source of power. Radiation does carry a kind of instinctive fear for people, but when you really understand it, there's little justification for that.

What has enabled the project to grow to this point?

JL: The biggest factor has been the willingness of rhino owners to make their animals available. In the beginning, the idea was essentially written on the back of an envelope. But some owners in the Eastern Cape agreed to allow us to work with two animals for early research. It was a pivotal point in the project because someone was saying, "We trust what you're doing enough to be able to make what is a very rare animal available for you to do some initial research work on." Those early adopters have allowed us to move forward and demonstrate the science.

JB: Support from institutions has also been crucial; Wits University, the IAEA and the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa have provided research support, expertise and facilities. But scaling depends largely on funding. Rhino owners already spend enormous resources on security, so our aim is to raise funds to cover treatment costs and reduce the pressure on them. So far, we've treated 33 rhinos in South Africa's Waterberg region. Our goal is to treat at least 500 rhinos per year once the project is fully scaled. But the treatment itself costs roughly $1,100 per animal for five years of protection, and that excludes other expenses like the helicopter, the drugs and the ground crew.

What was the biggest learning from the pilot phase that you hadn't anticipated?

JL: One surprising lesson was the reduction in the amount of drugs needed to immobilise a rhino during the procedure. Lower drug quantities reduce risk to the animal, and any safety improvement is extremely important because we are working with rare animals.

JB: Staying resilient. We need to get this done, and there are times when you just feel so frustrated because it's not happening quickly enough. Poaching doesn't stop while we are developing solutions. So learning to be resilient and standing firm even when it feels like it's your darkest hour. Having faith that things will continue and that you are bolstered by amazing people and organisations that have supported us, and grow with us, along the way.

RH: My biggest surprise has been how instinctively people understand the idea. The challenge is building momentum because you're dealing with so many influential areas. You're dealing with aviation, airports, their regulators, international organisations, and potentially customs. So we need some heavyweight sponsors who can step forward and fund it for, say, three years to give it some real momentum and get it going.

What advice would you give to public servants who want to repurpose existing infrastructure to solve problems like this?

JL: Whatever the idea, you've got to believe in it, because for a long time, it's going to feel like you're howling at the moon.

Eventually, people will start to listen and understand what you're trying to achieve. You'll need to find allies, people who will support you and get the converts on board. But persevere. If it's worth having, it's worth fighting for.

JB: I think my advice would be: grow a thick skin and persevere. Because when you get those wonderful institutions, organisations and people who say: "We've got you, let's do this together", it changes everything. But believe me, it can get exhausting. I deal a lot with anti-poaching, how communities are affected, crime, and how human beings operate. But you have to stay resilient and not give up. And so every person who comes and joins hands with us then just motivates us more.