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NAPHA President's Message
Dear Members,
The international anti hunting campaigns, which were mainly stoked up since the Cecil hype of last year, threatened to bring about far reaching consequences for trophy hunting during the first quarter of 2016. One of the most serious threats was a proposal against trophy imports into the EU, submitted for signature by EU Parliamentarians on 28 January 2016, and open for signature by parliamentarians until 18 April 2016, as well as some more or less similar actions in other countries (US and Canada). This has brought about some very encouraging and successful activity by pro-sustainable use institutions, mainly in Namibia.
As far as Namibia and NAPHA is concerned, NAPHA has released a Position Paper on 4 March and subsequently distributed it to all EU Parliamentarians, Airlines and other institutions. On 14 March the PS of MET, Dr. Malan Lindeque called together a meeting of all pro-sustainable use stakeholders, during which extensive actions by various role-players where initiated, amongst others the compilation and distribution of an comprehensive information pack to EU Parliamentarians, inclusive of the voicing of strong concerns by people on the ground in Namibia’s Communal Conservancies.
For the written declaration against trophy hunting to be successful at the EU Parliament, a majority of 376 of the 751 Parliamentarians is required. Since 23 March a drop in signatures could be observed and up to date less than 30% of the required number of signatures have been obtained. It thus is highly unlikely that the declaration against trophy hunting will be successful. This proves that if presented in a well argued format and – importantly – in a respectful and sustainable way, the value of hunting as a conservation tool will be accepted by the majority of the general public.
We would however like to emphasize that it is not a time to rest on our laurels. During the meeting called by the PS on 14 March, NAPHA expressed the opinion that the approach should be twofold: as immediate action, the fending off of the import restrictions into the EU and secondly the cleaning of hunting of unacceptable practises in order to deprive similar anti-hunting campaigns in the future or arguments against hunting.
Hunter-conservationist Dr. Rolf Baldus, to whom the early alerting of the hunting fraternity against the written declaration at the EU Parliament largely is to be thanked, in a recent prominent article has emphasized that it is high time to clean the hunting sector of “black sheep” and has expressed the hope that the South African practises of “canned hunting”, “selective breeding of wild animals for the hunting industry” as well as “put-and-take”, which do irreparable damage to the image of trophy hunting, will not be brought to Namibia.
In the light of the recent tremendous effort done by sustainable use stakeholders in Namibia to protect the future of hunting, it really is frustrating that an enormous amount of our energy is drained by unnecessary attempts to try to maintain the good image of Namibian hunting against practises which are rejected by all PH Associations in Southern Africa; as well as high profile conservation organisations like the Antelope Specialist Group of the IUCN and others. Had it not been for Namibia, it is highly questionable whether hunting would have survived the day after Cecil. What will be our arguments in the next crisis if we do not manage to convincingly portray hunting as a conservation tool any longer?
We have a twofold request to our members: Please conduct all hunting responsibly and in the best long term interest of hunting (in this connection please take notice of a contribution by Royston Wright in this Newsletter concerning Leopard hunting) and secondly please distribute the NAPHA Position Paper to at least one non hunting acquaintance of yours; we need to make a lasting impact on the general public now.
All that said, be assured that we try our utmost to attend to burning day to day issues. We had a good meeting with the PS and Directors, during which irregularities with the MET Examination, hunting of nocturnal animals, shoot and sell permits under drought conditions, online permit system and poaching fines where discussed. Although progress at times is not as speedy as we would like to have it, we must keep in mind that the last weeks where very tough on MET as well.
We wish you some pleasant moments out in nature and the realisation how beautiful and special Namibia is, even at the eve of a very likely drought. Is it not beautiful to see the variety and number of birds gathering and frolicking at the waterholes now already?
Source: Namibia Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA)
Dear Members,
The international anti hunting campaigns, which were mainly stoked up since the Cecil hype of last year, threatened to bring about far reaching consequences for trophy hunting during the first quarter of 2016. One of the most serious threats was a proposal against trophy imports into the EU, submitted for signature by EU Parliamentarians on 28 January 2016, and open for signature by parliamentarians until 18 April 2016, as well as some more or less similar actions in other countries (US and Canada). This has brought about some very encouraging and successful activity by pro-sustainable use institutions, mainly in Namibia.
As far as Namibia and NAPHA is concerned, NAPHA has released a Position Paper on 4 March and subsequently distributed it to all EU Parliamentarians, Airlines and other institutions. On 14 March the PS of MET, Dr. Malan Lindeque called together a meeting of all pro-sustainable use stakeholders, during which extensive actions by various role-players where initiated, amongst others the compilation and distribution of an comprehensive information pack to EU Parliamentarians, inclusive of the voicing of strong concerns by people on the ground in Namibia’s Communal Conservancies.
For the written declaration against trophy hunting to be successful at the EU Parliament, a majority of 376 of the 751 Parliamentarians is required. Since 23 March a drop in signatures could be observed and up to date less than 30% of the required number of signatures have been obtained. It thus is highly unlikely that the declaration against trophy hunting will be successful. This proves that if presented in a well argued format and – importantly – in a respectful and sustainable way, the value of hunting as a conservation tool will be accepted by the majority of the general public.
We would however like to emphasize that it is not a time to rest on our laurels. During the meeting called by the PS on 14 March, NAPHA expressed the opinion that the approach should be twofold: as immediate action, the fending off of the import restrictions into the EU and secondly the cleaning of hunting of unacceptable practises in order to deprive similar anti-hunting campaigns in the future or arguments against hunting.
Hunter-conservationist Dr. Rolf Baldus, to whom the early alerting of the hunting fraternity against the written declaration at the EU Parliament largely is to be thanked, in a recent prominent article has emphasized that it is high time to clean the hunting sector of “black sheep” and has expressed the hope that the South African practises of “canned hunting”, “selective breeding of wild animals for the hunting industry” as well as “put-and-take”, which do irreparable damage to the image of trophy hunting, will not be brought to Namibia.
In the light of the recent tremendous effort done by sustainable use stakeholders in Namibia to protect the future of hunting, it really is frustrating that an enormous amount of our energy is drained by unnecessary attempts to try to maintain the good image of Namibian hunting against practises which are rejected by all PH Associations in Southern Africa; as well as high profile conservation organisations like the Antelope Specialist Group of the IUCN and others. Had it not been for Namibia, it is highly questionable whether hunting would have survived the day after Cecil. What will be our arguments in the next crisis if we do not manage to convincingly portray hunting as a conservation tool any longer?
We have a twofold request to our members: Please conduct all hunting responsibly and in the best long term interest of hunting (in this connection please take notice of a contribution by Royston Wright in this Newsletter concerning Leopard hunting) and secondly please distribute the NAPHA Position Paper to at least one non hunting acquaintance of yours; we need to make a lasting impact on the general public now.
All that said, be assured that we try our utmost to attend to burning day to day issues. We had a good meeting with the PS and Directors, during which irregularities with the MET Examination, hunting of nocturnal animals, shoot and sell permits under drought conditions, online permit system and poaching fines where discussed. Although progress at times is not as speedy as we would like to have it, we must keep in mind that the last weeks where very tough on MET as well.
We wish you some pleasant moments out in nature and the realisation how beautiful and special Namibia is, even at the eve of a very likely drought. Is it not beautiful to see the variety and number of birds gathering and frolicking at the waterholes now already?
Source: Namibia Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA)
