Botswana unfazed ... West threatens boycott over lifting of elephant hunting ban

I particularly liked the comment to the UK minister. Could you imagine the outcry if 200 elephants were let loose in the English countryside? If lions were roaming free through towns and villages? If leopards were eating people's pets? If cape buffalo were allowed to eat whatever crops and grass they came across?

I have little doubt that many tourists would initially choose to go elsewhere if hunting were reopened. There are very few countries with an Okavango Delta though, so many would still come, and I imagine those numbers would increase over time as people got used to the idea. No one is boycotting Kruger Park because South Africa allows elephant hunting . . .
 
Good for him.

Botswana's people, Botswana's Wildlife.

ARA's, you have the offer. Save the Elephants:
Buy some land adequate for the Elephants, pay for the capture, transport, treatment and release while insuring your Elephants don't harm anyone living next to your new private reserve in XYZ country.
Otherwise, get stuffed.

As an added incentive you can name every last one of them.
 
Do you think the availability of money from the Chinese government has anything to do with the hardening of positions against animal rights groups? These governments now have a alternate source of financial support.

Botswana has always been relatively wealthy. Nothing new. Just someone who decided that his People were more important than an over population of Elephants.
 
Full steam ahead Botswana!

Screen Shot 2019-03-05 at 19.06.39.png
 
I particularly liked the comment to the UK minister. ........ .

Ship him a bakers dozen to his home riding and see what gives. Muppet.
 
Ship him a bakers dozen to his home riding and see what gives. Muppet.
New Avatar? You now seem to resemble the President of Botswana. And you sound like him too. Perhaps we do indeed become those we admire . . .
 
Anyone who stands up to thugs is a hero of mine! :A Big Thanx:
 
It only took Botswana 5 years to figure out that they made a mistake.

Oopsie!

Fill the, boycotting Tourism void, with hunters.

But like with everything from the left the boycott will be only loudmouths on social media. If you want to see the Okavango Delta you have to go to Botswana. There will be no long term boycott.
Philip
 
Source: https://economist.com.na/42373/spea...rts-botswanas-course-on-elephant-populations/


What to do with 130,000 Elephants? – Environment Chamber supports Botswana’s course on Elephant populations

elephants-botswana-chamber.jpg


Statement by the Namibian Chamber of Environment, representing 42 conservation groups.

A Sub Committee appointed by President Masisi of Botswana recently made its recommendations in a White Paper regarding the hunting ban and human-elephant conflict.

We, as Namibian Conservationists, including environmental NGOs, researchers, community representatives and conservancies, hereby join a group of international conservationists in voicing our support for Botswana’s consultative process to address the challenges associated with managing its large elephant population. We applaud President Masisi and Botswana’s parliament for establishing the consultative process that looks to balance wildlife conservation with the needs and aspirations of the citizens of Botswana.

Namibia has felt the burden of international pressure against our policies that encourage the devolution of rights over, and sustainable use of, natural resources. We therefore take this opportunity to stand in solidarity with Botswana. We would like to draw your attention to an article in Africa Geographic that sets forth the following important issues that have not been highlighted in other media reports covering this story.

1) President Masisi’s establishment of the subcommittee to conduct a thorough Social Dialogue is a welcome move towards a more democratic style of governance.

2) Masisi’s administration once more opened the research permit application system, which signals his understanding of the role of objective conservation research in finding new solutions to human-elephant conflict.

3) The process embarked upon by Masisi’s administration is a welcome return to Botswana’s historic emphasis on consultation with people at the grassroots level. This also presents an opportunity to strengthen Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) in the country.

As Namibian organisations with extensive experience with the CBNRM programme in our country, we are especially interested in extending our support regarding point 3 above. This new dawn for Botswana will present many challenges and opportunities as the government once more involves local communities in wildlife management and conservation. We are therefore ready and willing to assist the government of Botswana in these important endeavours by drawing on the lessons we have learned in Namibia.

Yours in Conservation,

Namibian Chamber of Environment, supported by 42 member and partner organisations.

(Image by Conservation Action Trust)

List of supporting organisations:

  1. African Conservation Services cc
  2. African Foundation
  3. Ashby Associates cc
  4. A Speiser Environmental Consultants cc
  5. Brown Hyena Research Project Trust
  6. Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF)
  7. Desert Lion Conservation Trust
  8. Development Workshop Namibia
  9. Eco Awards Namibia
  10. EduVentures
  11. Environmental Compliance Consulting
  12. EnviroScience
  13. Giraffe Conservation Foundation
  14. Gobabeb Research and Training Centre
  15. Greenspace
  16. Integrates Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC)
  17. JARO Consultancy
  18. Kwando Carnivore Programme
  19. N/a’an ku sê Foundation
  20. Namibian Associations of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO)
  21. Namib Desert Environmental Education Trust
  22. Namibia Biomass Industry Group (Incorporated Association not for gain)
  23. Namibia Bird Club
  24. Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF)
  25. Namibia Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA)
  26. Namibian Environment and Wildlife Society (NEWS)
  27. Namibian Hydrogeological Association
  28. NamibRand Nature Reserve
  29. Otjikoto Trust
  30. Research and Information Services of Namibia (RAISON)
  31. Rare & Endangered Species Trust (REST)
  32. Rooikat Trust
  33. Southern African Institute for Environmental Assessment (SAIEA)
  34. Save The Rhino Trust (SRT)
  35. Scientific Society Swakopmund
  36. Seabirds and Marine Ecosystems Programme
  37. Seeis Conservancy
  38. Sustainable Solutions Trust (SST)
  39. Tourism Supporting Conservation (Tosco) Trust
  40. Venture Media
  41. Zambia Community-based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) Forum
  42. Zambia National Community Resource Boards (CRBs) Association
 

Attachments

  • elephants-botswana-chamber.jpg
    elephants-botswana-chamber.jpg
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But like with everything from the left the boycott will be only loudmouths on social media. If you want to see the Okavango Delta you have to go to Botswana. There will be no long term boycott.
Philip
100% correct annnnnd..... those screaming the loudest are people that won’t ever go anyway. 99.9999% of these yahoos never leave the states. They are arm chair social justice warriors.
3E11A56E-F1AF-40B2-A252-A4CAFC85BF6C.jpeg
 
I particularly liked the comment to the UK minister. Could you imagine the outcry if 200 elephants were let loose in the English countryside? If lions were roaming free through towns and villages? If leopards were eating people's pets? If cape buffalo were allowed to eat whatever crops and grass they came across?

I have little doubt that many tourists would initially choose to go elsewhere if hunting were reopened. There are very few countries with an Okavango Delta though, so many would still come, and I imagine those numbers would increase over time as people got used to the idea. No one is boycotting Kruger Park because South Africa allows elephant hunting . . .


I agree completely Hank.

About the OVD, I believe that hunting and photo safaris occurred together in the Delta previous to the hunting ban. Just the corrupt Joubert gave Khama 5% of his company and had the ability to secure the hunting ban. We had an idiot like that in Calgary running a photo safari company.
 
It only took Botswana 5 years to figure out that they made a mistake.

Oopsie!

Fill the, boycotting Tourism void, with hunters.

5 years is a length of time to be lauded. Even western countries take forever to admit they made a mistake. 5 years in Africa is literally a blink of an eye.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
From BWgovernment


UB ADVOCATES FOR SELECTIVE HUNTING

The University of Botswana has backed recent recommendations made by the cabinet sub-committee on hunting ban regarding the lifting of the ban.

In a statement released by the university regarding its academic position on the ongoing global debate on possible lifting of the hunting ban, researchers at the University of Botswana (UB) are of the view that the hunting could be used as a conservation tool if carried out selectively on certain wildlife species and in collaboration with registered community trusts.

The university recommends selective hunting of specific wildlife species such as elephants and buffaloes, both of which deprive farmers of harvests owing to crops damaged by elephants and valueless pastoral farming caused by Foot and Mouth Disease prone buffaloes.

Hunting the two species, the institution argues, would do well in compensating for loss of arable and pastoral farming.

The university said focus should be placed in hunting old males who have already put their genes into the population.

“Hunting is a conservation tool when applied appropriately with the knowledge of wildlife populations, and can be used to manage the distribution of the elephant population in Botswana which impacts negatively on the vegetation,” one of UB’s recommendations reads.

The university also calls for involvement of Management Oriented Monitoring System (MOMS), a monitoring approach that involves communities in monitoring the natural resources in their local environment, including wildlife numbers.

Over and above hunting, the university calls for a human-centered approach towards conservation policy formulation.

“Conservation cannot succeed in the long term if local communities are alienated from wildlife and excluded from all decision-making processes over wildlife and no consideration given to their concerns,” the institution states.

UB posits that ignoring human well-being to achieve conservation goals is not only morally wrong, but often defeats the sustainable development aspirations. Sustainable conservation of wildlife, they argue, must consider a socio-ecological framework which includes human well-being and welfare.

The hunting ban which was introduced in 2014 was motivated in part by a study conducted by Elephants Without Borders (EWB) in 2012 which concluded that some wildlife species had been decreased by hunting and poaching amongst many factors.

There were no community consultations carried out to factor in the views and opinions of the communities which co-existed with wildlife and were directly affected.

Following EWB’s findings that certain species were in decline, a blanket hunting ban on all wildlife species was instituted in January 2014 in spite of evidence that pointed to increasing elephant populations nationally.

The University of Botswana thus argues that the same findings pointed to a steady increase in elephant populations dating back to 1992.

The institution notes that the elephant population was still on the increase even prior to the implementation of the hunting ban in 2014.

This is backed by findings from aerial surveys conducted by both the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) as well as findings by Elephants Without Borders (EWB).

“The DWNP study observed that the elephant population has significantly increased to a total of 207 545 with 297 per cent growth between 1992 and 2012,” the statement says.

Although EWB’s findings differ from DWNP’s putting the population at 122 831, the NGO does acknowledge that Botswana’s elephant population is relatively large and show either increasing trends or mild and non-significant declines.

Both the two aerial surveys by DWNP and EWB, however, concurred on the decline of other wildlife species such as duiker, gemsbok, hippo, ostrich and springbok.

It has been established however that the fertility or calving rate of elephants exceeds mortality rate.

UB estimates that the calving rate for elephants stands at 7.2 per cent per annum with low mortality rate which is too insignificant to affect the annual increase in elephant population.

Hosting such a huge elephant population has translated into Botswana paying a heavy price with escalating human-wildlife conflicts, loss of human lives and loss of vegetation and bio-diversity. Researchers at the University of Botswana estimate that about 40 000 elephants descend upon Chobe National Park daily for water, destroying vegetation in the process. .

“We should also note that the 1991 Draft Elephant Management Plan recommended 54 000 elephants for Botswana’s rangelands, therefore, the current numbers are way beyond the carrying capacity and this is not sustainable management of natural resources,” reads the statement.

UB also notes that the hunting ban has resulted in the decline of tourism benefits previously enjoyed by local communities through Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBRNM) programme in the form of loss of jobs, income, scholarships and social services such as funeral insurance. Photographic tourism, which was meant to replace hunting, has also proven unfeasible in most concession areas.

As Botswana mulls over the possible lifting of the ban, proponents of re-introduction of hunting argue that there is need to promote hunting as a conservation tool and ensure increased citizen benefits and participation from the tourism industry which has proven to be minimal.

With a porous tourism sector resulting in revenue leakages estimated to be over 70 per cent according to researchers at UB, there is little direct benefit and value derived by citizens of from the tourism sector.

Moreover, bookings are made with companies headquartered outside Botswana, making it impossible for Botswana Unified Revenue Services (BURS) to tax the companies.

The university therefore calls for political willingness by the government to facilitate policies and strategies that benefit the citizens of Botswana. (BOPA)
 
DSC emailed out this video today about lifting the hunting ban.


 
BOTSWANA - helping to save the African elephant, and the English word "bamboozled."
 
Thanks for the links here. I just emailed my support. Hope they hear from all africahunting.com members!
 

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