The way things are going, many companies will fold and the cheap deals you are seeing now are a sign of outfitters taking drastic measures to simply stay in business... it cannot hold for long on these terms and with less money for hunting fundamentals, such as community involvement and development and conservation measures in the form of anti-poaching and awareness campaigns, the deals will die-out with the wildlife and their habitats. Just a sad reality of the economics in hunting!
The only good that may come out of this crisis is that the people involved in the industry for the wrong reasons will be naturally weeded out as there is no profits involved in hunting at the moment - i have run many seasons at a financial loss, but for Tanzania in particular, 2007 & 2009 are probably the worst seasons financially. If this goes on, the dread of surrendering areas back to the government will happen and has already started in Tanzania! Once that happens, you can forget about the area maintaining its sustainability! The game will be poached and habitat degraded by encroachment and illegal harvests. The simple fact that our governments do not have the funds to manage areas on their own accord will guarantee this undesired scenario.
I accept these are very TOUGH times, and many a temptation are out there due to the difficulties, but at what cost!??? Wildlife and hunting is never about the short term - real hunters and conservationists are in it for the long term - when i got my first buff and my first lion -i swore that i would do everything to ensure my son would too - in the meantime i have fought the challenges and made that dream possible for many a hunter all over the world - it all comes at a price though - cheap deals do not last long enough for future generations to enjoy them - unless we surrender all that is wild to the game ranching system. Works for some and i have nothing against it, but doesn't work for me!
Ray, your concerns are REAL and Tom, yours FEARS are valid - so what are the solutions then? I don't have one for Africa - but i am doing my bit for the turf that i am responsible for and i aint selling my soul to economics. Hopeless Romantic? One could say so... But however i am judged, there will be only happy hunters in appreciation of the truly wild and real Africa, which is also not for everyone and i appreciate that too. At the end of the day, i don't sell animals - i share hunting opportunities and experience wilderness with people who have that desire. It just costs money these days people!
Lastly, there will always be hunting opportunities in Africa for our generation and maybe the next five or more, but it will only be available at higher and higher prices in future as the areas that will remain will most likely only be managed through people who can afford to pay for their management costs, which i do not see getting lower.
To end on a good note, there are numerous people out there who are doing the right things and fighting for the sake of hunting, wildlife and wild habitats and making huge personal sacrifices to overcome challenges such as the present economic hurdles, political pressures, population pressures etc. There is HOPE and the fight is ALIVE. Hunting in Africa has many allies and is a force of hope for wildlife and wild habitats too.