For a moment or a week, putting all confrontation aside and thinking about Africa, conservation and hunting - I have a question for those that really hunt Africa and truly enjoy being there. Not just as a one off, check the box thing, but you truly care.

Is/Are our conservation efforts working or making a difference in Africa???

My take- I have been there 15 times to most of the huntable countries. Since my first trip to RSA in 2003 and Zim in 2005, I see changes but am not sure they are good changes. For instance -

1. In RSA - the exponential growth of wildlife "farming/ranching" has been touted as a good thing for several species. But has led to odd breeding for colors that are not natural and to rhino ranching to preserve the white rhino. This is good, I think. However, due to land use practices and the overall growth of the black population in RSA, are we moving toward purely high fence operations, like mostly what we have in Texas? Is RSA headed toward the Texas model of breeding rarity and horn/antler lenghth for the sake of money? Are we actually conserving anything and growing the wild populations? I am not so sure.

In Zim - we were there just after the war vets took over large numbers of farms. We have been several times over the last 20 years. Poaching was on the increase, Mugabe and his ilk were stealing everything that had value. Since then, concessions are gone from leasee to leasee, Lemco turned into Bubye, the SAVE conservancies are being shrunk due to land being stolen/appropriated from the white owners, the Zambezi Valley is being pinched in by Chinese mining and better funded poaching groups. We, as the hunting public, are asked by the various conservation groups for more and more money to "eliminate poaching" and grow the resource, yet we are seeing fewer and fewer elephants, lions and other species. Are the polulations of wild animals growing or shrinking? Is money the solution- throw enough dollars/rand/euros at the problem and we can fix it? I don't think so.

In Ethiopia - great hunting destination, 40 species to hunt. Most areas there are bordering high populations of people. There appears to be limited poaching, and the cost to hunt there is high. However, is the population of mountain nyala, Meleliks bushbuck and other unique species rising or falling. Do hunters have any impact there or not??? Or is it a lost cause in the long term due to population growth???

In Zambia - the government and the influence by Indian nationals seem to dominate "conservation". Are the populations in the Kafue area or the in the Bangawelu Swamps getting better or worse? Does conservation actually help or is it something else?

In the USA - I have hunted all over but see "game" as some thing this is being managed for money whether wild or high fenced. I was involved in a "conservation" project many years ago where I contacted the top 100 conservatons groups that are in the USA. Part of this project, I asked for financial statements to see where their "conservation dollars" actually go. By and large, groups like Ducks Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and few others actually work to get land protected and get some access to the hunting public. However, several of the groups spent 90% or more of their money raising more money. I became a bit jaded and see most of this as pure money grab by people who sell "conservation".

In Europe - Wildlife is managed for money pure and simple. The ranches, hunt areas and forests are carefully managed to support animals for the table and for sport. Populations seem stable, and land access is seriously controlled, so I really see Europe as the future model for most of us. Am I right or wrong?

So back to my question - from what you see and know from experience - is conservation actually working or are just slowing the inevitable decline in wildlife populations and access to places we can hunt?

quote:

In Zambia - the government and the influence by Indian nationals seem to dominate "conservation". Are the populations in the Kafue area or the in the Bangawelu Swamps getting better or worse? Does conservation actually help or is it something else?

Both Bangweulu and the Kafue National Park are now Governed by Africa Parks and hugely funded and it is worth looking at their website. The government-controlled Kafue Flats require attention as so are the concessions that are on hold. The private sector has reclaimed vast areas such as Lower Luangwa with great success. Not sure about your Indian comment as we are all Zambians

Ross,

Conservation is working.

RSA: there is quite a bit of free range hunting. I have an outfitter there that has 1.5 million acres, low fence in 3 distinct areas. There is lots of game.

ZIMBABWE: You mentioned less elephants and lions. There are elephant hunting opportunities all over the country and now with the permitting process flowing nicely more and more people are interested. The lion population has blossomed since the quotas have been reduced. The lion numbers in some areas are way beyond where they should be to the detriment of the plains game.

ZAMBIA: As in all of Africa the GMA's that have been good stewardship have abundant game with elephants coming back nicely. Bangweulu and Kafue Park are now under the management of Africa Parks which appears to be doing a great job. Bangweulu has come back nicely from decline in the past. You now can basically be assured of a sitatunga on a very short hunt with proper planning, two black lechwe are allowed per hunter, tsessebe permits are available as well as buffalo that hadn't been hunted there in some years.

MOZAMBIQUE: Now has thriving populations of game after years of devastation during the war due to excellent management and long term commitment by its Coutada holders. I think it has the best unfenced plains game hunting in Southern Africa. The buffalo are also excellent with huge quotas available on the Delta and a 4 buffalo hunt possible.

ETHIOPIA: I can't comment on that one as I have not been there but it seems the largest problem there is human encroachment as you mentioned.

NORTH AMERICA: I think there is plenty of game but there are lots of hunters so the draw system is used. Point is you cannot have great hunting for top trophies if everyone can hunt everywhere on a general license. There is good public land hunting in very remote place or for the folks who can hunt far beyond the roads.

EUROPE: I have limited experience there having only hunted in the UK and Spain. In both countries hunting is well regulated and there seems to be abundant game. I saw literally hundred of game animals last year in the UK. The system there does not offer free access to everyone but even with dense human populations the game thrives.

Yeah! I think conservation is working.

Mark

Mark,
Thanks for your comments. Mine are just a snapshot and not based on any science, just what I perceive. That is the reason I am posting the question, just trying to get a sense check on if we are on the right path or need to try something else.
Thanks for your comments.

Andrew - thanks for your comments as well.

According the Webster's, to conserve is "to keep in a safe and sound state" or "to avoid wasteful or destructive use of".

My experience in Africa pales in comparison to many on AR. But I've been fortunate to have 5 safaris in 4 countries (Namibia, Congo-Brazzaville, Ethiopia, and most recently, Mozambique).

In each of my African experiences, I've found the operators perfectly exemplify what it is to "conserve" as defined above. Each concession I've hunted has actively worked to counter destructive and unsustainable usage of the land and wildlife. For example, when in Ethiopia there is an extreme problem with "wood poaching" due to the profound expansion of the human population there. To counter, the outfitter banned all harvesting of wood in the concession. Instead, local villagers could collect fallen trees and dead timber from the land 2 days of the week. This was an excellent strategy to preserve the land which in turn preserves the wildlife. In Ethiopia it is very clear, these protected lands will quickly vanish if the hunting stops in these areas.

On my most recent trip I had a wonderful experience in a community area. The area had been up for tender for years but operators were reluctant to take in on as it was devoid of game. The outfitter, Hardus van Zyl, took the area on and instituted year-round area development and anti-poaching. This practice was done from his own pocket for several years until the game rebounded and could support sustainable hunting. Over those few years, poaching has been nearly eradicated as the community benefits (employment and protein) from the area. The game has very quickly replenished and the area will continue to thrive so long as these protections are kept in place.

Ultimately, that was a long-winded version of yes...conservation is definitely working in Africa.

No one has mentioned Tanzania but it is definitely working there. When I hunted there in 2013, the elephant poaching was at it's extreme. I shot one of the last legal bulls before they closed elephants at the end of 2013. When I went back in 2015, there were hardly any elephants at all. They've kept coming back. In 2017 a young girl was killed by an elephant while I was there. Sad, and might have been due to the poaching. By 2021, I saw a lot of cow herds, but only immature bulls. Same in 2023, but the cows were more aggressive than in years past. But they are coming back. Unfortunately, will take 30 years for things to fully recover and I'll never live to see it happen, but I hope it does.

Good constructive and thoughtful thread this, thank you Ross for starting it.
RSA. The high fence law has made many previously rare and expensive species like Nyala, cheap and available to all. Conservation is certainly working in that way. If only Kenya would allow Hirola to be exported to the RSA I believe that would be another success story. I agree that the proliferation of colour varieties, often marketed as "species" does nothing for Conservation. Using artifial insemination to breed buffalo with 50 inch horns at 6 years old may be good business but a 38 inch Zambesi dagga boy would make me certainly meat of them in the wild. This does nothing for the species.
Ethiopia. While the government is only interested in wildlife as a revenue source the future looks grim. You have 2 game scouts with you at all times, a regional one and a government one, just to keep an eye on you. They just laughed as we watched Hamar tribesmen with AKs chasing and shooting Grants females with motor bikes. Poaching and land development have destroyed the hunting in the South. The Somali border and the Highland forests still seem to be intact.
Zambia. The lechwe on the Kafue flats and the Bangwuelu swamps are very vulnerable to Poaching. Numbers may be stable at a fraction of what they once were but their range continues to contract. Tssebbe at Banwuelu are greatly reduced in numbers. Hopefully Africa Parks can revive them.
Tanzania. It is 15 years since I was last in the Selous so I cannot comment. I was in Maasailand last month with Kilombero Safaris hunting both Endiomet and Lake Natron. Still great hunting but the huge increase in the numbers of people and the subsequent increase in livestock numbers is turning parts of the area into deserts. The species which cannot compete with cattle and goats have gone. I saw no Oryx or Cokes Hartebeest and only one Eland cow. Just one male Roberts gazelle. Modern human and veterinary medicine has doomed those species.
In England last summer for a few weeks I saw wild deer virtually every day. All hunting is on private land by permission or by paying. There are certainly too many deer of all six species found there.
Are we actually helping conservation? In some cases, very clearly. In others, like shooting lions of breeding age as the law in most countries demands, probably not!

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
No one has mentioned Tanzania but it is definitely working there. When I hunted there in 2013, the elephant poaching was at its extreme. I shot one of the last legal bulls before they closed elephants at the end of 2013. When I went back in 2015, there were hardly any elephants at all. They've kept coming back. In 2017 a young girl was killed by an elephant while I was there. Sad, and might have been due to the poaching. By 2021, I saw a lot of cow herds, but only immature bulls. Same in 2023, but the cows were more aggressive than in years past. But they are coming back. Unfortunately, will take 30 years for things to fully recover and I'll never live to see it happen, but I hope it does.

In Tanzania it is working very well.

After the government took action against poaching, things are certainly looking better.