Emmanuel Koro in Vic Falls

Botswana Government officials are preparing for wildlife hunting reforms in order to ensure greater wildlife conservation and community development benefits. 

This follows President Mokgweetsi  Masisi’s lifting of the suspension on hunting in May this year that was imposed by former President Ian Khama in 2014.

“The suspension on hunting forced some communities to exclusively focus on photographic safaris, with many jobs and hunting income having been lost,” said Botswana Government Head of Scientific Services Dr Cyril Taolo, speaking at the African Wildlife Consultative Forum (AWCF), organised by Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) in Victoria Falls recently. “Now we need to make use of our sovereign rights and prepare for wildlife hunting.”

Demonstrating how harmful the wildlife hunting suspension can be to wildlife economies, Dr Taolo cited the huge job and income losses that rural communities in Botswana suffered following the unfortunate 2014 blanket hunting suspension imposed on Botswana by its Western animal rights groups influenced former President Khama. 

“We were not consulted when the hunting suspension was imposed by former President Khama,” said Mr Siyoka Simasiku, Executive Director of the Ngamiland Council of NGOs. “In sharp contrast, we were consulted and agreed when President Masisi was seeking input from the citizens of Botswana on a mandate to lift the suspension on hunting.”

Dr Taolo said that the hunting suspension was imposed in 2014 and lifted in May 2019. The five-year hunting suspension negatively impacted on the rural communities involved with Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM). 

A recent statement issued by Botswana’s Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism said that Batswana hunting communities lost US$1,4 million and 305 jobs in just 12 months following the ban. The loss of wildlife benefits triggered revenge wildlife killings, including poisoning of lions. These communities continued to suffer costs of living with wildlife, ranging from the killing of their loved ones, livestock and destruction of crops and property. 

“We are sort of back in the hunting business now,” said Ms Debbie Peake, spokesperson of the Botswana Wildlife Producers Association (BWPA). “We are going to do it (hunting). We have the resolutions, resolve and pride to do it.”

In May, Botswana’s Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism issued a statement announcing that controlled and strict hunting would start. Despite stiff Western animal rights opposition to hunting, Botswana conducted its citizen-hunting quota for locals, done by raffle. The hunted trophies are not for export. However, when commercial hunting takes off the trophies will be for export.

“Botswana is committed to wildlife conservation with 21 percent of its land set aside for wildlife management areas, serving as wildlife buffer zones next to national parks,” said Dr Taolo. A total of 42 percent of Botswana’s land is dedicated to wildlife conservation.

Meanwhile, Botswana’s preparation for the resumption of hunting includes the need to explore ways of including the citizen professional hunters into the hunting industry. This includes the national elephant management plan. Botswana’s Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism is currently working together with the University of Botswana to find ways to include local people to work in wildlife management.

Elsewhere, African hunting community representatives from Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, all participating at the AWCF gathering, said that they were enjoying good socio-economic benefits that include the construction of schools, roads, clinics and even the building of mortuaries to keep their departed loved ones while awaiting burial. All were done through the income received from hunting.

Mr Ishmael Chaukura of Zimbabwe’s Masoka area, a beneficiary community under the Zimbabwe Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) said that not only did they build schools using hunting revenue, but they also managed to produce two medical doctors who learnt there. The doctors are currently contributing towards the improvement of Zimbabwe’s health services. They are working in Harare. One of the outstanding products coming out of the Masoka village’s wildlife funded school is a top government official also working in Harare at the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority. The school also produced teachers and two professional hunters who are working with safari operators that have hunting concessions in Masoka community.

“Having our own residents working with safari operators that have hunting concessions in Masoka Community is helping to make us establish good working relationships with the safari operators,” said Mr Chaukura.

Uganda Wildlife Authority Deputy Director Conservation, Mr George Owoyesigire said that rural communities in his country are earning US$3 million annually from hunting. “The positive impacts from hunting include species population increases,” said Mr Owoyesigire, referring to the incentives hunting gives communities to protect wildlife. “The punishment for poaching is lifetime imprisonment.”

Ethiopia has the biggest nyala species (mountain nyala) that fetches perhaps the highest trophy hunting fee of US$15 000.

“The Western animal rights groups’ attempts to ban hunting is a threat to wildlife conservation,” said Ethiopia Wildlife Conservation Authority official, Mr Ato Chemere Zewdie Ejeta. “If hunting is banned it will negatively impact both on environmental and wildlife conservation as rural communities would start using wildlife conservation land for livestock and crop production.”

A representative of the Zimbabwe Chief’s Council, Senator Chief Sianzali said that anyone who is opposed to hunting is an enemy to African hunting communities. 

African community representatives attending the AWCF are arguing that “It is unacceptable to talk about animal rights without talking about human rights.” 

Ethiopia is a biodiversity rich country. Mrs Elfinesh Woldeyes Zelellew said that Ethiopia has the second largest migratory species population in Africa.

“Mountain nyala and bush buck are among the huntable species in Ethiopia,” said Mrs Wolderyes Zelellew. “We allow hunting of selected old males based on annual off-take quotas. Seventy-seven percent of our hunters come from the USA and the rest are from South Africa and other countries.”

Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu spoke against Western animal rights groups’ continued attempts to ban hunting, including the US Government’s attempt to introduce the anti-hunting Cecil Act. The Act is aimed at banning trophy exports from Africa to the US. The ban would make Zimbabwe lose substantial hunting revenue and this would also remove communities’ incentive to conserve wildlife that doesn’t benefit them meaningfully. The USA is one of Zimbabwe’s biggest hunting markets. “I appeal to those who are drafting the Cecil Act to send their wildlife experts to come here and collect data upon which you can base your decision,” said Minister Ndlovu. “The war should come to an end, and the winners should be wildlife and communities that share the land with it.”

Speaking in support of African hunting industry that contributes to both wildlife conservation and growth of the continent’s wildlife economy, the CEO of Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF), Mr Laird Hamberlin said, “Don’t let anybody tell you that hunting isn’t sustainable. Anybody who tells you hunting isn’t good is an enemy to all of us [African hunting communities, wildlife conservation and SCIF].”

Mr Hamberlin urged the African hunting communities to work together with SCIF to make hunting “resilient for the future.”

–Emmanuel Koro is a Johannesburg-based international award-winning environmental journalist who has written extensively on environment and development issues in Africa.