Showdown over hunting reaches Westminster

Mbongeni Mguni | Monday March 18, 2024 06:00

A statement seen by Mmegi this week and endorsed by the High Commissioners of five regional countries to the United Kingdom, called on British lawmakers to consider the importance of hunting proceeds to conservation and communities.

After the defeat of a similar effort at the House of Lords last year, Labour's John Spellar has launched a Private Members Bill to ban hunting trophies. The move would mean hunters returning to the UK with their trophies would not be able to get them into that country, thus discouraging hunting.

According to the British Parliament, the renewed Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill, will undergo first reading next week, then be debated at a second reading on Friday, March 22 in the House of Commons, the lower of the UK’s two legislative houses.

Ahead of the debate, the Southern African region has joined hands to lobby the British legislators against a move which countries say is not motivated by science and will have devastating effect. The statement this week was from the ambassadors to the UK of Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the countries which collectively have the highest population of elephants in the world.

“It may surprise those in the Global North, but trophy hunting is an integral part of Southern Africa’s conservation success,” the ambassadors said. “It is well regulated in our countries, and it is controlled by scientific techniques. “We are only able to conserve so much land for wildlife because of the sustainable revenue generated by trophy hunting. “These trophy hunting areas are immense and remote, lacking infrastructure to support alternative revenue forms such as photo-tourism.”

The ambassadors pointed out that if income streams from trophy hunting were substantially reduced – as would happen under the proposed Bill – land would be abandoned and subject to poaching, or converted to less biodiversity-friendly uses, such as agriculture and livestock production.

“Local communities who live near and with wildlife would suffer,” the ambassadors said.

In a report accompanying the ambassadors’ statement, regional leaders said photo-tourism and hunting can and often do co-exist as entirely complementary sources of revenue for landowners and communities.

“However, most hunting areas will never be suitable for photo-tourism as they are either too remote or lack the density of wildlife necessary to justify the infrastructure such as access, roads, water, electricity, vehicles, accommodation,” the report reads.

Regional leaders said the Parliamentary debate surrounding the hunting bill has been “driven by extensive misinformation from animal rights activists, backed by celebrities who have no conservation expertise”.

In a separate development, Namibian Environment, Forestry and Tourism minister, Pohamba Shifeta, cautioned the German government against any plans to impose a import ban on hunting trophies.

In a letter seen by Mmegi this week, but dated February 28, Shifeta expressed deep concern about the alleged manoeuvres by the German government.

“We are very concerned about the current developments in Germany regarding the legal import of hunting trophies, as further German and/or European restrictions and import bans will inevitably harm Namibia’s species conservation strategy,” Shifeta wrote. “German guests play a crucial role for our communal and private landowners, with 80 percent of German hunters naming Namibia as their favourite hunting destination in Africa.”

Analysts this week said the letter confirms fears expressed by local communities and hunting safaris that the British legislation could snowball across Europe and lead to similar actions that will kill off the industry in countries around the region.

Senior officials from local government and representatives from communities that live alongside wildlife are due in the United Kingdom from this weekend, to take up the rallying call against the planned legislation.

Earlier in the week, nearly 100 representatives from the Ngamiland Council of Non-Governmental Organisation (NCONGO) marched to the British High Commission in Gaborone with a petition asking that British legislators reconsider their opposition to the country’s controlled hunting.

Local communities, who last year earned more than P30 million from hunting activities, said the ban on trophy hunting imposed between 2014 and 2019 by former president Ian Khama, had resulted in a complete loss of financial benefits for some local communities.

“The ban on hunting in 2014 led to a noticeable expansion of the elephant population in Botswana, causing elephants to venture into previously non-elephant range areas,” the petition reads. “This expansion has resulted in increased instances of crop damage, posing risks to human lives and livelihoods. “The current elephant population estimates in Botswana raise concerns about the environmental sustainability of maintaining such large herds in the country's rangelands.”

The petition continues: Wildlife, including elephants, have been responsible for damaging crops, leading to reduced yields and food scarcity for communities. “Furthermore, the escalation of human-wildlife conflicts has tragically resulted in human casualties, with reports of fatalities linked to encounters with elephants. “These conflicts underscore the urgent need for sustainable wildlife management practices.”

Should the proposed bill pass through the House of Commons, its next stop would be the House of Lords who were successfully petitioned by local communities last year.