Hey friends
PHASA has just sent me an e-mail requesting help on a cyber attack on their FB page. Some guys have facts that that hunting is not nearly as good for conservation as US HUNTERS claim.
For those that have facts and wish to post . Keep it clean . We are better than they are .



FB page " professional hunters association of South Aftica"

Posted by a Jaypee
The truth about the value of trophy hunting. By Dereck Joubert Botswana September 24, 11:39 pm
TJ and some others comment on the conservation value of hunting and it would be wrong to demonise the opinion. Sadly, I have spent more time that i needed to defending the anti hunting view and researching the facts. Hunting contributed much less to the economy of Botswana than it reported. In fact it added less that 0.27% to the GDP. The Wildlife Management Association (Hunters) said that it added P60M a year ($6M) but at least 80% of that stayed in US or Swiss bank accounts and the number, when we investigated. was a turnover number not a taxable profit number, so in essence hunting in Botswana earned less than one high end eco tourism camp. It also generated a volume, as an industry, of bums in airline seats at a fraction of the equivalent of one eco tourist lodge, the fraction of jobs, a fraction of curios, local food supplied, drinks etc. In fact one acre of land in prime location under hunting versus under tourism at much more environmental impact generated roughly 1,300% LESS income for government and communities. Less income leads to more poverty and increased poaching.So to answer TJ. poaching is increasing everywhere but hunting has not prevented it, at all. Hunting concessions are only occupied for 5 months a year anyway and even then the gunfire often masked poachers gunshots for anti poaching units. Just research the convictions or arrests out of a hunting area against those in photographic areas and you will find that actually in the history of time in Botswana not one poacher was ever convicted from a hunting area. Convert those to photographic use and you will see a substantial change in the areas, and their wildlife. I know. I have done it myself. We took over the 340,000 acre Selinda concession that made 80% of its revenue from hunting 6 years ago. It was almost a wasteland. Today it is one of Botswana’s finest concessions, with over 7,000 elephants 5,000 buffalo and stable lions and leopard populations. It is now, viable again. under hunting management it would have been worthless. Scientific research is clear, and two papers are relevant. 1) Hunting is bad for lion populations. There is no doubt of that. 2) As species become more threatened even extinct, their value to hunters goes up. Clearly hunters are not conservationists if this basic fact is correct and certainly the research confirms my impression. Now… I am issuing an offer and a challenge. We will take on any hunting area and hire all hunting guides and staff and rehabilitate them or convert them and give them jobs in the passive use industry if they want to. This way there will be no job losses, we have demonstrated there will be no increased poaching as a result and definitely more revenue to the country All that is left is some damaged egos and a slight adjustment to operating methods, exchange your guns for binoculars and some personality to guide interested and influential people into a world of wonder and excitement of a safari without killing and interact with intelligent people who can help change the world.Just not back to the old era of hunting. In Botswana at least, that is over.

I would start off by questioning his account of the Selinda (spillway) concession. I find it hard to believe it was "shot out" 6 years ago as Joubert claims. Does anyone know who was the last to have this area OR someone who may have hunted it during those last years. I know Safari South/Harry Selby had that area at one time but that was too long ago to be relevant to this discussion.

Two things. #1, you need to give us the link to the Facebook page if you want us to go there and leave positive comments.

#2, I hunted in the Selinda concession back in 1989 and it was a wildlife paradise. Now, I understand that a lot can change in 23 years, but that place had a ton of game, especially buffalo, lechwe, sitatunga, sable and lots of cats. We saw several fabulous lions, and I took my lion there after several miles of tracking on foot. I saw the biggest kudu bull and sable bull that I've ever seen in that concession. Lots of elephants too.

quote:

Originally posted by DLS:
Two things. #1, you need to give us the link to the Facebook page if you want us to go there and leave positive comments.

#2, I hunted in the Selinda concession back in 1989 and it was a wildlife paradise. Now, I understand that a lot can change in 23 years, but that place had a ton of game, especially buffalo, lechwe, sitatunga, sable and lots of cats. We saw several fabulous lions, and I took my lion there after several miles of tracking on foot. I saw the biggest kudu bull and sable bull that I've ever seen in that concession. Lots of elephants too.

My point exactly on Selinda..IF anything it should have gotten BETTER in the later years of hunting with the lion closure/reopening/closure and reduction in quotas (other than elephant)in general.

quote:

Originally posted by LHowell:
PHASA fb page

Thank you Les . I'm on a IPhone an can't get a link

Thanks for posting this Dave. We need all the help we can get.