Forcing Botswana and other African Nations to manage wildlife with reduced funding will negatively impact the conservation projects, biodiversity enhancement initiatives, and habitat protection in the region.
This is a lamentation by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism just after the recent purported United Kingdom (UK) Parliamentary Bill that is expected to ban the importation of legally harvested wildlife trophies into UK.
Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Goabaone Raphaka noted that the ministry is concerned over this decision and believes that no scientific research supports this ideology.
“This false narrative that hunting poses a threat to species has no scientific basis and misleads the British citizenry and the world at large,” he said. “If the Bill is passed by Parliament, it will affect Botswana's wildlife management.
The importation ban of legally harvested wildlife trophies will negatively impact wildlife authorities including Professional Hunting Associations and Community-Based Support Organizations from across Africa, thereby drastically reducing hunting incentives for Britons to hunt abroad, primarily in Africa,” added Raphaka.
He emphasized that, Trophy hunting is a key component of sustainable use approaches to wildlife conservation in Botswana.
The UK’s MPs have actually voted to support this controversial ban on importing hunting trophies from thousands of species into the UK, preventing British hunters from bringing the body parts of lions, elephants and giraffes into the country.
MPs from across the political spectrum spoke in favour of the legislation before it passed, after years of divisive debate on the issue that is a private member’s bill put forward by the Conservative MP Henry Smith and backed by the government's votes. Many scientists, environmentalist and African community leaders have said the new law could accelerate the loss of wildlife, and accused celebrity campaigners who are in support of this of “neo-colonialism.
Secretary at Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA ) in Kenya, Aghan Daniel on the other hand said that the solution for this issue for Botswana, might be that culling could be necessary at this point.
“Botswana need to do a lot of culling to address this situation as it might help them contain what they have in terms of carrying capacity of the ecosystem,” he said. He is of the view that this could affect African trading, but local countries can only start preparing for the situation and sort out possible solutions. Raphaka further said that, Trophy hunting is a key component of sustainable use approaches to wildlife conservation in Botswana.
"It has underpinned many of the varied community based natural resources management programmes that work towards more equitable, fair and inclusive biodiversity
conservation, and as such Botswana has earned international accolades for her sterling efforts to conserve and manage her wildlife
resources," he said. He therefore regarded this, a hard-won reputation which is a result of the implementation of wildlife management practices and strategies that stretches back several decades and that continues to this day.
Raphaka said this has been sustainable because of Botswana governance system and conservation strategies that focus on the broader ecosystem rather than isolated issues.
He highlighted that, elephants are an example of species whose numbers have increased in Botswana as a result of judicious management by government and its partners including community based organizations.
Raphaka further said that, Communities continue to generate considerable revenues through community quotas and special elephant quotas, subsequently used to finance elephant conservation projects and livelihood-enhancement projects for Communities in Botswana's elephant range as well as replenishing Conservation Trust Fund.
Research shows that, with over 130,000 elephants living within its boundaries, Botswana is home of the world's largest elephant population, and one of the last strongholds for African elephants as poaching continues to decimate populations. Raphaka said the ministry believes that, it is therefore crucial for Botswana to continue spreading its message on the conservation benefits of its Community Base Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) model. “Furthermore, the Ministry utilize the
latest in Population Science, Wildlife Survey Data, and Fair-chase Guidelines when overseeing Hunting Operations,” he said reiterating that the implications of their choice will negatively impact conservation projects, biodiversity enhancement initiatives, and habitat protection in the region. This he said will also increase the risk of poaching and human-wildlife conflict, negatively impacting for example the largest herd of elephants that Botswana supports.
This is a lamentation by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism just after the recent purported United Kingdom (UK) Parliamentary Bill that is expected to ban the importation of legally harvested wildlife trophies into UK.
Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Goabaone Raphaka noted that the ministry is concerned over this decision and believes that no scientific research supports this ideology.
“This false narrative that hunting poses a threat to species has no scientific basis and misleads the British citizenry and the world at large,” he said. “If the Bill is passed by Parliament, it will affect Botswana's wildlife management.
The importation ban of legally harvested wildlife trophies will negatively impact wildlife authorities including Professional Hunting Associations and Community-Based Support Organizations from across Africa, thereby drastically reducing hunting incentives for Britons to hunt abroad, primarily in Africa,” added Raphaka.
He emphasized that, Trophy hunting is a key component of sustainable use approaches to wildlife conservation in Botswana.
The UK’s MPs have actually voted to support this controversial ban on importing hunting trophies from thousands of species into the UK, preventing British hunters from bringing the body parts of lions, elephants and giraffes into the country.
MPs from across the political spectrum spoke in favour of the legislation before it passed, after years of divisive debate on the issue that is a private member’s bill put forward by the Conservative MP Henry Smith and backed by the government's votes. Many scientists, environmentalist and African community leaders have said the new law could accelerate the loss of wildlife, and accused celebrity campaigners who are in support of this of “neo-colonialism.
Secretary at Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA ) in Kenya, Aghan Daniel on the other hand said that the solution for this issue for Botswana, might be that culling could be necessary at this point.
“Botswana need to do a lot of culling to address this situation as it might help them contain what they have in terms of carrying capacity of the ecosystem,” he said. He is of the view that this could affect African trading, but local countries can only start preparing for the situation and sort out possible solutions. Raphaka further said that, Trophy hunting is a key component of sustainable use approaches to wildlife conservation in Botswana.
"It has underpinned many of the varied community based natural resources management programmes that work towards more equitable, fair and inclusive biodiversity
conservation, and as such Botswana has earned international accolades for her sterling efforts to conserve and manage her wildlife
resources," he said. He therefore regarded this, a hard-won reputation which is a result of the implementation of wildlife management practices and strategies that stretches back several decades and that continues to this day.
Raphaka said this has been sustainable because of Botswana governance system and conservation strategies that focus on the broader ecosystem rather than isolated issues.
He highlighted that, elephants are an example of species whose numbers have increased in Botswana as a result of judicious management by government and its partners including community based organizations.
Raphaka further said that, Communities continue to generate considerable revenues through community quotas and special elephant quotas, subsequently used to finance elephant conservation projects and livelihood-enhancement projects for Communities in Botswana's elephant range as well as replenishing Conservation Trust Fund.
Research shows that, with over 130,000 elephants living within its boundaries, Botswana is home of the world's largest elephant population, and one of the last strongholds for African elephants as poaching continues to decimate populations. Raphaka said the ministry believes that, it is therefore crucial for Botswana to continue spreading its message on the conservation benefits of its Community Base Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) model. “Furthermore, the Ministry utilize the
latest in Population Science, Wildlife Survey Data, and Fair-chase Guidelines when overseeing Hunting Operations,” he said reiterating that the implications of their choice will negatively impact conservation projects, biodiversity enhancement initiatives, and habitat protection in the region. This he said will also increase the risk of poaching and human-wildlife conflict, negatively impacting for example the largest herd of elephants that Botswana supports.
