http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?...2013/August/Friday23


Botswana ignores 'gold mine in game farming'


BONIFACE KEAKABETSE
Correspondent




*A young buffalo bull can go for P17 million



MAUN: In order to diversify the wildlife industry and enhance game farming, the Ministry of Environment Wildlife and Tourism has announced measures to clear legislative constraints stifling such ventures and any other bottlenecks in the tourism industry.Tourism is Botswana's third revenue earner but its potential is repressed by over reliance on wildlife viewing concentrated in the north of the country.

This development may shake the gamefarming sector, undertaken predominantly by rich people, from a prolonged economic slumber to lucrative opportunities which will be opened up by the lifting of the controversial trophy hunting ban in the communities-leased wildlife management areas.Speaking during a meeting with independent researchers on Tuesday, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks deputy director Dr Cyril Taolo confirmed plans to provide a good environment for game farmers. He said the ministry in collaboration with the game farming industry, expects to finalise the sector's guidelines during game farmers' meeting to be held on September 20 at a venue not yet announced.

The meeting aims to solve the sector's long pending thorny issues which include challenges in the local and export of meat carcasses from game farms, ownership of animals in the farms, and the problematic licensing and permits system. Taolo also revealed that the ministry was in the process of reviewing the game farming policy to update it for emerging and future issues. Earlier on, one of the concerned researchers in attendance had opined that the government, in past years, undertook a big drive encouraging farmers to take up game farming.But, he added, government did little to clear some of the sector's incapacitating laws. Some of these include stringent meat movement protocols imposed by veterinary authorities. He said available information shows there was a booming market nationally and worldwide for wildlife and its products. He said currently neighbouring countries enjoy these markets while the locals are just sitting on this gold mine.

South Africa has more than 10,000 farms in this lucrative industry. According to media reports, in 2011 a young buffalo bull in South Africa reportedly reached a record price of more than P17 million during an auction. Profits are apparently so lucrative that a mature Sable antelope can generate up to P 60,000 when sold to hunters. Locally, unbanning trophy hunting in the wildlife management areas is expected to divert the hunting windfall to the game ranchers. With proper licensing, game farms can also undertake game drives. Some local reputable game farmers include cabinet ministers. For this reason, the Botswana Wildlife Producers Association is often viewed as an exclusive club of the rich.

Taolo told the gathering that the ministry was concerned that the sector was too "elitist" and was very expensive to break into. He said to solve this problem the ministry under the Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) Programme promotes community ownership of game farms with two such ventures already in existence.

Thanks for posting. Interesting

Pardon my ignorance; does that read they are considering lifting the hunting ban?

quote:

Originally posted by LittleJoe:
Pardon my ignorance; does that read they are considering lifting the hunting ban?

That is the way I read it as well LJ.

I have heard rumors that all but 4 of the communities were raising holy hell over the loss of the hunting income stream. Perhaps there is hope.

quote:

Originally posted by Safari2:

quote:

Originally posted by LittleJoe:
Pardon my ignorance; does that read they are considering lifting the hunting ban?

That is the way I read it as well LJ.

No. It seems that the government will encourage or allow the CBNRM concessions, which were subject to the ban, to operate more-or-less as game-ranches, which were not affected by the ban. But the ban will remain in force in the WMAs. That's the way I read it.

Folks,

I'm going to check with Clive Eaton but I read this the same as Steve.

Mark

I thought the "Communities" had a pretty good chunk of the total elephant quota?

The latest news we received via the press was that from January 2014 no quota , licenses , permits will be issued for Controlled Hunting Areas (CHA's) this includes community areas as they are in CHA's. The concept of the closure of hunting benefitting the game farming industry as now the hunters will go to the farms instead is as ridiculous as it sounds.
South Africa has a local market of 45 million whereas Botswana has a local market of 1.8 million, there simply is not a market locally for bi-products such as meat, it is the cross country protocol that is the major challenge. The beef industry in Bots is in a mess due to the failure of the BMC and there is a surplus of slaughter cattle which inhibits the sale of game meat. Botswana has always been an expensive destination and this included the game farms compared to South Africa .Due to game laws , game ranches are restricted to indigenous occurring species whereas in South Africa some ranches offer over 30 species , so for a cheaper more options hunt I battle to see how a hunter would come to us. This is going to require enormous change to attract hunters to our game farms.

At this same referred to meeting , it was revealed that elephant numbers stand at between 212000 and 220000 elephant , nearly 70000 more than the last estimate. The equivalent of 220 000 CAT D11 bulldozers tearing up the bush , I always tell anti hunters , imagine the destruction of 5 bulldozers , now try 50 , then imagine 100 , then 1000 , then 10 000 , now try 100 000 , well 220 000 is like a mini nuclear bomb !!

quote:

Originally posted by Safaris Botswana Bound:
The latest news we received via the press was that from January 2014 no quota , licenses , permits will be issued for Controlled Hunting Areas (CHA's) this includes community areas as they are in CHA's. The concept of the closure of hunting benefitting the game farming industry as now the hunters will go to the farms instead is as ridiculous as it sounds.
South Africa has a local market of 45 million whereas Botswana has a local market of 1.8 million, there simply is not a market locally for bi-products such as meat, it is the cross country protocol that is the major challenge. The beef industry in Bots is in a mess due to the failure of the BMC and there is a surplus of slaughter cattle which inhibits the sale of game meat. Botswana has always been an expensive destination and this included the game farms compared to South Africa .Due to game laws , game ranches are restricted to indigenous occurring species whereas in South Africa some ranches offer over 30 species , so for a cheaper more options hunt I battle to see how a hunter would come to us. This is going to require enormous change to attract hunters to our game farms.

At this same referred to meeting , it was revealed that elephant numbers stand at between 212000 and 220000 elephant , nearly 70000 more than the last estimate. The equivalent of 220 000 CAT D11 bulldozers tearing up the bush , I always tell anti hunters , imagine the destruction of 5 bulldozers , now try 50 , then imagine 100 , then 1000 , then 10 000 , now try 100 000 , well 220 000 is like a mini nuclear bomb !!

Thanks Grahme

It is interesting that other than this post NOWHERE do you see the quoted figures above (220K eles). I am sure Bots does not want to release this data AND in the same breath mention the hunting closure!

quote:

Originally posted by Safari2:

quote:

Originally posted by Safaris Botswana Bound: ... ... ... At this same referred to meeting , it was revealed that elephant numbers stand at between 212000 and 220000 elephant , nearly 70000 more than the last estimate. ... ... ...

Thanks Grahme

It is interesting that other than this post NOWHERE do you see the quoted figures above (220K eles). I am sure Bots does not want to release this data AND in the same breath mention the hunting closure!

Monitor ... ... ... Sun

The problem is their fear of bad publicity: "What we do to the elephants will affect the rest of the world hence we need to be careful with measures we take against them.”

But I agree about them not wanting to make a connection between too many elephant and the ban.

I'd like to see the data though; who did the study; when and where it was published ... ... .

quote:

Originally posted by SteveGl:

quote:

Originally posted by Safari2:

quote:

Originally posted by Safaris Botswana Bound: ... ... ... At this same referred to meeting , it was revealed that elephant numbers stand at between 212000 and 220000 elephant , nearly 70000 more than the last estimate. ... ... ...

Thanks Grahme

It is interesting that other than this post NOWHERE do you see the quoted figures above (220K eles). I am sure Bots does not want to release this data AND in the same breath mention the hunting closure!

Monitor ... ... ... Sun

The problem is their fear of bad publicity: "What we do to the elephants will affect the rest of the world hence we need to be careful with measures we take against them.”

But I agree about them not wanting to make a connection between too many elephant and the ban.

I'd like to see the data though; who did the study; when and where it was published ... ... .

Thanks Steve..looks like the data was released last Monday.

This might get interesting. I represent a great ranch/game farm in Botswana (Kanana) and I'll check on what they have to say about this from the "on the ground" perspective. It will be interesting to hear from Clive on this too Mark.

I know this is pure fantasy at this point, but what Botswana should do is focus on wildlife and work toward eventually removing all of the veterinary fences and turning the whole damned country back over to the wildlife.

As a start someone should tell Ian Khama about the immensely negative perception (and environmental impact) of feed-lot beef.

Nice how they point out the "rich" people. Like the ones that can actually run a business and a country. I guess that's a bad thing in the Dark Continent

quote:

Originally posted by Hunting For Adventure:
This might get interesting. I represent a great ranch/game farm in Botswana (Kanana) and I'll check on what they have to say about this from the "on the ground" perspective. It will be interesting to hear from Clive on this too Mark.

Hi I used to be partners with the owners of Kanana , it's one of the biggest and best game ranches in Botswana .

The DWNP originally did fry and wet season counts every year in collaboration with USAID , from 1994 the annual off take was determined on these counts , however the DWNP failed to continue with the surveys and roughy 2 years ago Dr. CHase carried out an independent survey which unfortunately did not include some of the CHA's due to time and financial constraints , although he emphatically stated the noted declines in key species was not due to hunting but poaching , fires , human encroachment , droughts were the principal reasons for the decline against the 1994 figures, the anti hunters climbed onto the band wagon misquoting the reasons for decline , at the time of the presentation I personaly voiced my concern these counts would be used against the hunting industry even though the counts shiwed declines in Nat Parks and increases in hunting concessions , the survey now refered to was done in 2012 and the results released through a meeting in Gaborone last week. This survey indicates very similar population trends in the key species with the increase in elephant numbers being emphasized.

There is a Game Ranching Pitso to take place in Gaborone where ranchers can interact with government departments , and it is hoped that all the constraining issues will be brought to the notice of government (again) , we can only hope for some sort of improvement.

I remember Chase's survey. One of his claims was a decline in the Kudu population of something like 80% based on an aerial survey. Really? I immediately dismissed it.