By Adam Cruise
Protagonists for and against trophy hunting as a conservation tool come together to debate the issue and chart a way forward
The role of trophy hunting in Africa has increasingly become one of the principle conservation debates over the last few years. Often heated and mostly polarising, the topic takes on even greater urgency with the ongoing slide towards extinction of a number of the continent’s iconic wild species, many of them sought after by the hunters for their rare and impressive trophies.
High poverty levels and low development rates that continue to hinder progress in many rural areas as well as rising poaching levels of all forms, all exacerbated by corruption and mismanagement, are significant additional factors forcing conservationists to search for more effective management strategies of protected areas.
To date, protagonists on both sides of the debate have never come together in any meaningful way. In a bid to break the impasse, this year’s Conservation Lab will make the role of trophy hunting one of its feature points of discussion.
Paul Stones and Stuart Dorrington will represent the hunting fraternity and Colin Bell and Ian Michler the photographic industry.
“We have to ask ourselves,” says Michler, owner of Invent Africa Safaris, which specialises in tailor-made safaris across the continent, “is trophy hunting the most effective way to manage protected areas? I don’t think so as in the longer term it may well be incompatible with conservation objectives. For too long the debate has been avoided so this event at Cons Lab is necessary and it’s only the start of a long discussion on these issues.”
“African wildlife has its back to the wall,” says Stones of Paul Stones Safaris Africa. “Of this there is no debate whatsoever. The hunting world has long since proven that conservation-based, responsible hunting is a very useful tool in the sustainability of habitat, and species security. The past has been a continuous fight between those in support of non-consumptive and consumptive methodology. We sincerely hope that we can bridge the two, for both play a vital role in the future security of Africa’s fauna and flora and the truth is, whilst we fight, Rome burns! Let us discuss the way forward, remove emotion and bias and let’s focus on how we can unite for the betterment of a dwindling wildlife future.
The panelists will further lay out their cases and then pool their ideas, research and experiences to find a common and actionable ground as well as highlighting areas for future research and discussion.
The aim is to produce a working document acceptable to both parties that can assist those working within government, NGOs, communities and the private sector. Outcomes on issues such as parameters for understanding biodiversity conservation, the various types of land-use, activities best suited for these and best hunting and photographic practice.
The debate will take place at Spier Wine Estate on Saturday May 12 at 9am.
