British government close to losing wildlife conservation credibility
In its 1997 wildlife hunting quota-setting manual, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) also acknowledges hunting as a scientific wildlife management tool that doesn’t harm wildlife populations.
Johannesburg, South Africa-Wildlife-rich Southern African hunting communities have warned the British Government that it is very close to losing its credibility in wildlife conservation if it goes ahead with the decision to impose the hunting trophies import ban bill, based on the animal rights groups, NGOs, comedians, and musicians’ lies that “international hunting harms wildlife,” when in fact it doesn’t, writes Emmanuel Koro.
The US government officially recognises hunting as a scientific wildlife management tool. The UN agency that regulates international wildlife trade, including hunting (CITES), similarly regards international hunting as a scientific management tool.
In its 1997 wildlife hunting quota-setting manual, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) also acknowledges hunting as a scientific wildlife management tool that doesn’t harm wildlife populations.
“It was called to my attention by Ducks Unlimited (DU) in the USA that the waterfowl and their habitat would not exist but for the hunting - they exist because of the hunting/hunters,” said the Founder and President of the US-based NGO, Conservation Force, Mr John J. Jackson III. “It is no accident. To quote, “The ducks were there, in some measure, because I was there… hunting them.”
“I had skin in the game. It is the reason that waterfowl are doing so much better than birds at large.”
These facts about hunting benefits, together with the support it receives from UN agency CITES and the US Government, clearly expose the hunting lies that animal rights groups, clowns, and musicians are telling the British Government. It remains a mystery why the British are entertaining such falsehoods.
Governments that make decisions based on lies and cheating, as we are evidently noticing in West African countries such as Niger and Gabon, lose credibility and international support.
In fact, any lies and cheating-based decisions that any government [including the British Government] makes about anything will result in a loss of credibility.
“If the British Government is going to take the decision to ban hunting trophies to be imported into its country; truly and surely we as southern African states and hunting communities will look down upon our colonial masters as our enemies who don’t care about our lives and welfare, including that of wildlife,” said Botswana Chieftainess Rebecca Banika whose country has the world’s largest elephant population. “We will be economically crippled and devastated by hunger and poverty, ongoing projects will stop and so the British Government will lose all credibility as conservationists.”
Elsewhere, one of the community leaders of South Africa’s Makuya Hunting Community, neighbouring the elephant-overpopulated Kruger National Park, Ms Esther Netshivhongweni, who is also the Chairperson of the African Community Conservationists, said that the British Government was setting itself up for an embarrassing loss of wildlife conservation credibility, internationally, if it continued to listen to the “lies” of the animal rights NGOs, comedians, and musicians ‘that international hunting harms wildlife’ “when in fact it doesn’t.”
“Southern African communities are tired of being deprived of access to their natural resources by politicians, musicians, comedians, and animal rights groups who are just protecting their pockets at the expense of African communities,” said Ms Netshivhongweni.
“The UK Prime Minister [Mr Rishi Sunak] is protecting his political appointment and his pocket.
“By his actions, he becomes part of the British crew who want to continue with the British legacy of stealing African natural resources such as our wildlife products and minerals.”
Meanwhile, the Southern Africa Community Leaders Network (CLN) which represents millions of hunting communities’ residents, has called on the British Prime Minister Sunak to break his silence on the undemocratic hunting trophies imports ban bill decision that his country’s parliamentarians and The House of Lords are about to make.
“We call upon the Right Hon. Prime Minister, Mr Sunak that his silence on this matter does not portray good leadership, and we urge him and his party in power, to convene an urgent caucus and drop this bill immediately,” said Zambia-based CLN Chairman, Dr Rodgers Lubilo, a conservationist and academic who was educated at an international hunting revenue-built school.
“He [Mr Sunak] should take cognisance of the need to respect international commitments and avoid interference in other nations’ progressive actions such as the success story of conservation in Southern Africa.”
Botswana Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Philda Kereng, together with representatives of the UK-based Southern African countries’ diplomatic missions, wildlife managers from Botswana and Zimbabwe as well as Southern African community leaders and British scientists, recently met British Parliamentarians and warned them that the hunting trophies imports ban bill would work against wildlife and habitat conservation and also human socio-economic well-being in southern Africa. In a typical selfish, neocolonial, eco-colonial, dictatorial, and dismissive response, Lord Goldsmith said to them, “I hear what you are saying. But hunting, I just hate it. I hate it.”
Dr Chris Brown of the Namibia Chamber of Environment protested such paternalistic tendencies, warning that this would inevitably encourage wildlife-rich Southern African countries “to look eastwards to grow alliances and markets for our natural resources.”
Meanwhile, British scientists and conservationists have appealed to the British Government to amend the hunting trophies import ban bill, making it reward and not punish wildlife conservation success through hunting.
“The government [British Government] should support an amendment whereby hunting trophies are permitted only if they demonstrate clear benefits to both conservation and local livelihoods, fulfilling the government’s manifesto and helping rather than harming conservation,” said Professor Adam Hart of University of Gloucestershire, Professor Amy Dickman of Oxford University, Dr Dilsy Roe, IUCN Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group, Dr Hugh Webster, Wild Entrust and 158 signatories, in a letter published in The Daily Telegraph last week.
In Southern Africa, the revenue from international hunting supports habitat conservation, job creation for community rangers, building of schools that produce professionals such as medical doctors, accountants, teachers, nurses, engineers, and technicians. Sadly, the British Government is refusing to see the value of these significant hunting benefits.
“My message to the British government is that we are pinning our hopes for a better future on their decision to be in our favour, as we entirely rely on international trophy hunting for the development and welfare of southern African hunting communities, including my community, Pandamantenga,” said Chieftainess Banika. “The ban will affect us negatively, as it did from 2014 to 2019.”
Botswana was negatively impacted by the 2014–2019 international hunting ban imposed by animal rights groups influenced by former President, Ian Khama. Without benefits from wildlife, communities resorted to wildlife revenge killings. In came President Mokgweetsi Masisi who immediately lifted the hunting ban in 2019, literary saving both hunting communities and wildlife of the southern African country. There are no more wildlife revenge killings in Botswana.
The local hunting communities have described international hunting as the biggest industry that they have ever known in the 21st century. Despite this, the British Government is refusing to learn from Botswana’s practical lessons.
“The British Government needs to be more consultative and avoid dictatorial tendencies, said Dr Lubilo. “Its credibility in the eyes of conservationists, rural Africans, and our governments will be lost through this ill-fated piece of legislation that does not in any way recognise the rights of the custodians of wildlife, the rural people of Africa.”
About the writer: Emmanuel Koro is a Johannesburg-based international award-winning environmental journalist who writes independently on environmental and developmental issues in Africa.