https://neweralive.na/posts/do...ss-british-govt-told



Don’t cause Zambian wildlife loss, British govt told


2022-01-10 Staff Reporter

Don’t cause Zambian wildlife loss, British govt told

Emmanuel Koro



The president of the Zambia National Community Resources Board Association (ZNCRBA), George Tembo, said the British government’s recent announcement to ban international trophy-hunting imports from Africa would inevitably cause a loss of Zambia’s wildlife.

Therefore, Tembo said the Boris Johnson administration should not proceed with a Bill that would cause Zambian wildlife loss.

According to the British government’s environment secretary George Eustice, the ban will apply to imports of hunting trophies from endangered and threatened animals worldwide, including Africa’s big five (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo).

The ZNCRBA president described the ban as “not fair enough for us African hunting communities because international hunting revenue is adding value to wildlife and habitat conservation and socio-economic development.”

“If today we ban hunting, we will become poorer, and lose both wildlife and its habitat,” he said, urging the British government to discontinue the bill that prohibits trophy-hunting imports. “The more we give people benefits from international hunting revenue, the more we can fight and reduce poaching.”

To prove this, Tembo said Zambia’s Sandwe Chiefdom “is a good example” to demonstrate negative impacts of banning hunting.

“I can give you a practical example of our West Betauke Game Management Area under the Sandwe Chiefdom, located 500 kilometres from the country’s capital city Lusaka, where government banned hunting for five years. What happened is that we lost more and more wildlife and resources (natural resources) to poachers,” he stated.

“We had no resources to pay community game scouts to fight against poachers. We said this hunting ban is getting us nowhere. We must bring back hunting (which funds salaries for game scouts). Then, we negotiated with the government for the return to international hunting in our area. With hunting back, wildlife populations are increasing. We have elephant, antelope, kudu, crocodiles and hippos.”

Tembo said throughout Zambia’s hunting communities, international hunting revenue is significantly supporting wildlife and habitat conservation, including socio-economic development.

“International hunting revenue is improving community livelihoods,” he noted. “In the Sandwe community where I come from, it has supported about 17 community public infrastructure since 2016. We have built and improved health facilities, schools, community houses and paid cash directly to vulnerable communities.”

The safari operators whom they work with have also improved and built different types of community infrastructure, including the construction of community game scouts’ houses.

Tembo added that Zambian communities are also using international hunting revenue to reduce hunger by procuring agricultural production equipment and inputs.

“Agricultural inputs have been bought, and people are having bumper harvests. The inputs are drought-resistant, and help vulnerable people to do farming. We also are coming up with lodges and fish farming, using international hunting revenue as a way of improving community livelihoods. I absolutely want international hunting to continue because it really adds value to socioe-conomic development.”

The British government is an active supporter of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that, among others, seek to eradicate poverty, poor health and achieve environment and wildlife conservation in the next eight years by 2030. Ironically, its Bill to ban trophy hunting imports which include Africa’s big five works against the key UN SDGs such as poverty eradication and environmental conservation in Africa’ hunting communities.

“Before being employed as a driver in Zambia’s Mulobeza Game Management Area in the elephant over-populated Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Area where Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe share the same borders, I could not provide for my family needs,” said Reuben Shamabi. “However, from the time I started this job, it has really improved my life. All my family’s socio-economic conditions have improved.

“My family is benefiting from my 15-year employment as hunting community driver. I built a house, bought cattle and household property. I pay for my family’s medical bills, and I am able to send my children to school.”

These are the promising poverty alleviation signs in Zambia and other African hunting communities that the British government is needlessly taking away. Therefore, if implemented, the trophy-hunting imports ban Bill will contribute to the failure to achieve the much-publicised UN SDGs by 2030.

International hunting benefits have been misrepresented to the British government by the animal rights groups fundraising industry that it, like most Western governments, have tragically chosen to use as its reliable source of information on international hunting.

The UN international wild trade regulating agency CITES allows the hunting of endangered species which include Africa’s big five as a scientific wildlife management measure. The British government is a member of CITES. Its move to introduce a Bill that bans trophy-hunting imports suggests that it opposes CITES’ use of hunting as a scientific wildlife management tool.

CITES allows the hunting of all wildlife, including endangered wildlife, as long as it’s not harmful to the hunted population, and acknowledges hunting as a necessary wildlife management tool.

Hunting doesn’t have a detrimental impact on wildlife, as only 0.5-3% of the population is hunted.

Old wildlife bulls which are no longer of reproductive value are the ones that get hunted. When the old male predators are no longer able to actively hunt their own prey, they start moving into rural communities for easy prey which includes humans and livestock. This increases human-wildlife conflict. That’s the other reason why such animals need to be cropped out.

According to the 1997 World Wide Fund For Nature Quota Setting Manual, the main purpose of a quota is to identify the number of animals that can be put down without reducing the population. Normally, the off-take rate is fixed either equal to or slightly lower than the growth rate.

In this way, while the growth in population size may be slowed down, the total number of animals in the population does not fall. The quota can, therefore, be considered sustainable.

Trophy-hunting is often incorrectly confused with the poaching that is currently devastating many species, including elephant and rhino.

However, trophy-hunting typically takes place as a legal, regulated activity under programmes implemented by government wildlife agencies, protected area managers, indigenous and local community bodies, private landowners or conservation/ development organisations.

International hunting revenue is additionally used to raise awareness on environmental conservation.

“We are also using international hunting revenue to raise community awareness on water and forests, and the species in it,” continued Tembo. “This, together with hunting benefits, is significantly helping to promote wildlife and habit conservation in Zambian hunting communities.”

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


2022-01-10 Staff Reporter

Boris does not listen to common sense.

He listens to that stupid greenies Bimbo he is married too!

The letter to the British government was a nice start.

I wonder how the other countries will address the British government bill that would stop the importation of legally hunting game.

quote:

Trophy-hunting is often incorrectly confused with the poaching

More like "Deliberately Misquoted" to suit their anti hunting agenda.

Europe and the US no more cares about what African countries want or need than they did during colonial times. The only difference is that now it is the so called progressive greenies that are the dictators.

I had this discussion with my PH in Tanzania several years ago. He wanted to know why the US made such boneheaded decisions and refused to listen to the affected people. I explained to him that very few Tanzanians vote in US congressional elections. Not much of a contest, really.
kh

https://allafrica.com/stories/202201190613.html


Namibia: Stop UK Trophy Hunting Imports Ban Bill


19 JANUARY 2022
New Era (Windhoek)
OPINION
By Emmanuel Koro



A leading SADC Safari hunting company that has so far spent over US$3 million to support wildlife conservation and socio-economic development in Tanzania has appealed to the British Government to discontinue the trophy hunting imports ban bill because it will harm African people and wildlife.

"Does the UK Government really want to destroy those human lives, let alone the wildlife in these conservancies?" asked Robin Hurt of Robin Hurt Safaris, in his appeal asking the British government to stop the wildlife-harming trophy hunting imports ban bill.

"Safari hunting is a legal and much-valued industry in African countries that allow it, including Namibia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, South Africa and Mozambique. Namibia alone has over 80 community wildlife conservation projects, all managed by indigenous peoples; that depend 100% on safari hunting revenue."



Hurt's appeal comes ahead of the 18 March 2022 British parliamentarians' vote on the animal rights groups fundraising industry-sponsored private members' bill to ban trophy hunting imports into the UK, including Africa's big five (elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, and buffalo).

Hurt has like other safari hunting companies operating in Africa, continued to use international hunting revenue to support wildlife and habitat conservation, including socio-economic development in hunting communities.

"I chose to support wildlife and habitat conservation, anti-poaching as well as socio-economic development in Tanzania's hunting communities where we operate," he said "Since 2006 we have built 37 schools, 75 teachers houses, 28 medical dispensaries, 34 village government offices, 19 wells and water pumps, nine water storage tanks and five water pipelines."



Born in Britain, Hurt, who celebrates his 59th season as a full-time professional hunter this year and also his 77th birthday; has lived his whole life in Africa. Although he has British blood in his veins, he is "African at heart" and considers himself African. Robin Hurt Safaris Tanzania is now being run and managed by his sons, Derek and Roger Hurt.

"My sons are both professional hunters who continue enthusiastically with my conservation ideals," said Mr Hurt. The Robin Hurt Safaris supports key wildlife and habit conservation as well as community socio-economic projects that include anti-poaching activities such as the collection of steel snares, supporting community game guards, building classrooms, community health programmes, bee-keeping, village community banks and education improvement activities.



Hurt said that one of the most important parts of "our anti-poaching efforts are the removal and destruction" of steel snare lines.

"These snares are hugely destructive to wildlife numbers," he said. "Although the snares are set to catch buffalo and antelope, numerous predators get killed as well. Additionally, elephants and rhinos occasionally get maimed by these snares. We estimate that each snare kills an average of five animals annually. Since 1986 we have destroyed approximately 60 000 snares. This has saved the lives of approximately 300 000 animals."

"Robin Hurt, who in my long years in conservation, is probably the single most committed conservationist I know," said Wilfried Pabst a German who operates in Zimbabwe's Sango Conservancy and who has made an immense contribution to wildlife conservation that includes the translocation of 100 elephants using his finances.

If implemented, the proposed British government trophy imports hunting ban Bill would destroy not only the wildlife and habitat conservation gains that Hurt has supported for the past 59 years as a professional hunter; but would also crush the socio-economic development hopes of African hunting communities.

"This ban is an excellent idea if destroying our wildlife is what the UK government has in mind", said Pabst who warns the British government that "it is a form of neo-colonialism" if it proceeds with the bill without conducting site visits to African hunting communities and also without consulting African politicians, chiefs, rural councils, and the local population.

Meanwhile, over 100 leading wildlife scientists and conservationists worldwide, this month wrote an open letter to the British government warning it against introducing the trophy imports ban Bill because it takes away both the revenue and incentives to conserve African wildlife.

"Although supporters of trophy hunting import bans claim such legislation will save African animals, these bans will ultimately achieve the exact opposite, resulting in unprecedented rates of habitat loss, with consequent wildlife depletion," said president of African Professional Hunters Association, Mike Angelides.

CITES allows the hunting of all wildlife, including endangered wildlife, as long as it's not harmful to the hunted population, and acknowledges hunting as a necessary wildlife management tool. Hunting doesn't have a detrimental impact on wildlife, as only 0.5-3% of the population is hunted.

Despite knowing that CITES allows the hunting of endangered species as a scientific method to successfully manage wildlife, a British newspaper based in London, The Times, this month, chose to demonise hunting and mislead the public in an article written by Judi Dench and Mr Peter Egan.

"... British hunters are shooting endangered animals in growing numbers," they said in an attempt to mislead the ignorant world to think that international hunting of endangered species is illegal.

Elsewhere, observers say that it's hypocritical and dictatorial for the UK to allow hunting domestically while seeking to prohibit hunting trophy imports. The Community Leaders Network of Southern Africa said in a recent statement that such double standards undermine the human rights of millions of its members, threaten their livelihoods and disrespect the SADC region's unparalleled conservation success.

"So it seems, unfortunately, that Africa is facing a new kind of racism - one where one life is worth much more than another," said CEO of the Operators and Professional Hunting Association of Africa, Danene van der Westhuyzen.

The Times' Dame Judi Dench and Egan's demonisation of international hunting have been questioned. They said without quoting a single villager from African countries where hunting takes place, "Some of their operations are multi-million-pound businesses, yet villagers say they receive no benefits from them."

"Why is The Times set on demonising the legal safari hunting industry?" asks Hurt. "It [legal hunting] is a means of funding the expensive stewardship of wilderness and wildlife outside of protected areas - and importantly funds local communities that co-exist with wild animals and justly have the right to earn revenue for setting aside lands for wildlife habitation. Furthermore, it funds anti-poaching programmes."

Hurt said that contrary to The Times' misrepresentation of international hunting benefits, there is enough evidence on the ground in African hunting communities to illustrate the benefits of hunting.

"The wildlife hunting revenue-built Masoka Secondary School in Zimbabwe, has so far produced two medical doctors and more doctors and professionals will be produced in the future," said a Masoka wildlife hunting community representative, Ishmael Chaukura. "The school also produced accountants, teachers, nurses, technicians and engineers, etc. Wildlife revenue enables children born into poverty to escape from it; through education. These hunting benefits make us appreciate the need to conserve wildlife and its habitat."



International hunting benefits have impressively made Namibia's Anabeb Conservancy residents switch from the tradition of using their land for cattle production to safari hunting. Their attitude to wildlife has changed positively.

"I remember poaching a big kudu for meat," said chairman of Namibia's Anabeb Conservancy, Ovehi Kasaona. "My friends were also poachers for meat, including my father and grandfather. My uncle even poached for rhino horn sale. In the past when we saw wildlife, we saw meat for the pot. Now we are associating wildlife with tourism businesses such as lodges that we have built, using money from wildlife hunting. This has created employment for people who work at the lodges and those involved with game drives."

Africans are known not to ever conserve wildlife as long as they don't benefit from it - they would rather poach it. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether or not the British government will go ahead with a bill that takes away these never-seen-before international hunting benefits and in the process add to the list of the British's bad legacy of colonialism in Africa - the needless destruction of Africa's wildlife and its habitat.

"Great Britain has a dark past of colonisation, exploitation, slavery and the cause of a litany of sadness across our continent (Africa)," said Paul Stones who runs Paul Stones Safaris and hunts in Mozambique and South Africa.

"Africa is tired of being treated like the mongrels [dogs of no definable type or breed] of the world, by what is regarded as 'first world' countries. The Covid-19 pandemic was proof enough of this."

*Emmanuel Koro is a Johannesburg-based international award-winning independent environmental journalist who writes extensively on environment and development issues in Africa.