http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?...r=2012/June/Monday25


Trophy Hunters Paradise


Monkagedi Gaotlhobogwe
Staff Writer



Trophy hunting is said to contribute 15 percent of all tourism earnings in Botswana.



This percent however, comes from only 1 percent of tourist arrivals. This is according to Dr Peter Lindsey of the Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria and IUCN.

The researcher who was in Botswana last week to make a presentation at the Kalahari Conservation Society's (KCS) annual general meeting, pointed out that more income is generated per hunting client in Botswana than in any other country in Africa. In Botswana, a hunting client is willing to pay as high as US$80 000 (P640,000) for a trophy hunt. Dr Lindsey said if managed properly, trophy hunting is completely sustainable. He described it as a low volume, low carbon footprint exercise that is possible in remote, marginal areas with low densities of wildlife and lacking in spectacular scenery.

His presentation comes at a time when the government has decided to end trophy hunting. A meeting of community based natural resource organisations held in March heard that communities living in wildlife rich areas are no longer benefiting as handsomely as they used to because government has effectively banned trophy hunting within 25 km radius of parks and game reserves.

Representatives of Chobe and Okavango communities complained that the hunting ban would lead to increased poaching. Dr Lindsey criticised government's decision to favour photographic safari over trophy hunting, saying many of the concessions within the designated buffer zones are not suitable for photo-tourism. He added that a significant proportion of Botswana's wildlife estate lacks the high density of wildlife or unique scenic value required for successful photo-tourism.

He said that 74 percent of the wildlife estate is unsustainable for photo-tourism and is dependent on returns from trophy hunting. "If hunting is not permitted in those areas, there is a risk of land use shifting to livestock production," he said. Lindsey also noted that most national parks and game reserves in Botswana get low visitation from photographic tourists. He said in 2006 alone, 95 percent of all park entries were in Chobe and Okavango.

He called for flexibility such that the form of land use most suited to the area in question is allowed. The researcher advised government to let market forces and land holders determine land use. The researcher warned that there are dangers associated with relying too heavily on photo-tourism as the tourism market is not large enough. He adised government to help grow photo-tourism by addressing challenges such as lack of direct flights to Botswana from Europe and US, excessive cost of air transport into Botswana, poor air-access to secondary tourist destinations such as the Kalahari, lack of tourism facilities such as all-weather roads, lodges, camp and picnic sites or viewing platforms in most parks.

In 2009, Dr Larry Patterson, described the photographic tourism model as destructive to the environment.

Good piece. Hope it gets mainstream coverage

quote:

Originally posted by Gayne C. Young:
Good piece. Hope it gets mainstream coverage

Don't hold your breath.

Kathi,

Thanks for posting…I too hope it gets some coverage. Sadly though the word I am hearing from the small circle of friends I have made after my two hunts there, is the Botswana government is unwilling to listen even to the extent and in the face of all evidence that safari tourism is not working because much of the money leaves the country and the impact to the environment is more than can be dealt with. Safari hunting is a profitable venture and has a light footprint on the land. Too bad, Botswana is a jewel.

Paul

Despite association with the Blackbeard family in his younger life...Ian Khama seems very resistant to hunting.

no, actually he is the typical well-off government official who could care less about the people who elected him. he has his share of the pie and is not concerned whether his constituents get a slice or not.

A brief update :
The Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO ) has been tasked to prepare management plans for the remaining controlled hunting areas (CHA's) - they have hired consultants EcoServ , so called draft plans have been presented for CT 1 ,2 ,3, and now NG 42 - all recognize non consumtive utilization is not the best option but as the consultants state their brief is to exclude consuptive utilization as a option - they propose 16 and 24 bed photo tourism lodges for the middle market segment - average bed night less than $100-00 ( based on above paper - imagine how many bed night to get $80 000-00 (from one client ) - then visualize the ecological foot print of over 10 000 bed nights proposed ) , the stakeholders meeting in the process rejected outright the proposal to exclude hunting. instead a gradual transisition from exclusively hunting through combined hunting and photo to the eventual exclusive photo tourism plan is the proposed option. The main point we tried to hammer home were two fold - the first is the area is not conducive to photo tourism due to thick bush and lack of variety of plains game ( main species being Elephant and Buffalo ) and secondly economics - the proposed change is not economicaly viable - we the existing concessionaires would have developed photo lodges a long time ago if we could find a willing investor /developer - but there are non , any additional revenue activities would have been warmly welcomed. kenya has shown what the outcome will be when you ban hunting = 85% reduction in wildlife populations , Botswana biologists and the entire tourism industry in Botswana do not support the closure of hunting in concessions . However the most frightening silence is from the international hunting fraternity both on a political pressure point and from SCI / DSC , politicaly these organisation have clout but the silence from them is deafening.

I have just now returned from my first Ele hunt....
It was based from Masame, NG 42.
I have been on photo Safaris....
This area would be a disaster for anyone who wished to invest in photo opprtunities!

The President's father was a drunkard too.....why doesn't he also ban alcohol???? Makes as much since as "banning" hunting because his father was a slob hunter!

quote:

Originally posted by Safaris Botswana Bound:
A brief update :
The Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO ) has been tasked to prepare management plans for the remaining controlled hunting areas (CHA's) - they have hired consultants EcoServ , so called draft plans have been presented for CT 1 ,2 ,3, and now NG 42 - all recognize non consumtive utilization is not the best option but as the consultants state their brief is to exclude consuptive utilization as a option - they propose 16 and 24 bed photo tourism lodges for the middle market segment - average bed night less than $100-00 ( based on above paper - imagine how many bed night to get $80 000-00 (from one client ) - then visualize the ecological foot print of over 10 000 bed nights proposed ) , the stakeholders meeting in the process rejected outright the proposal to exclude hunting. instead a gradual transisition from exclusively hunting through combined hunting and photo to the eventual exclusive photo tourism plan is the proposed option. The main point we tried to hammer home were two fold - the first is the area is not conducive to photo tourism due to thick bush and lack of variety of plains game ( main species being Elephant and Buffalo ) and secondly economics - the proposed change is not economicaly viable - we the existing concessionaires would have developed photo lodges a long time ago if we could find a willing investor /developer - but there are non , any additional revenue activities would have been warmly welcomed. kenya has shown what the outcome will be when you ban hunting = 85% reduction in wildlife populations , Botswana biologists and the entire tourism industry in Botswana do not support the closure of hunting in concessions . However the most frightening silence is from the international hunting fraternity both on a political pressure point and from SCI / DSC , politicaly these organisation have clout but the silence from them is deafening.

Ian Kama could give a flying shit less about international pressure. if he or anyone else in government truly cared about local people/revenue streams, this whole mess would never have begun.