Gaborone — Botswana is galvanising the support of southern African countries to lobby against moves by Europe to ban the import of wildlife trophies from Africa.
The southern African country, its local communities and the Botswana Wildlife Producers Association said it was important to amplify voices against Europe's efforts to ban trophy hunting.
Trophy hunting involves the killing of large animals such as elephants, buffaloes, elands, lions, tigers and others for sport.
Hunters often pay large sums of money for this and keep the heads or other parts of the animals for display.
Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia and Zambia are concerned that the ban on trophy hunting will hurt the livelihoods of local communities and tourism earnings that help the countries conserve their wildlife resources.
At present Bostwana issues about 300 elephant hunting licenses per year generating some US$3 million for the country while Zimbabwe issues about 500 licences earning the country about US$100 million a year at its peak.
In South Africa trophy hunting supports an estimated 15 000 jobs whereas non-consumptive tourism supports at least 90 000 jobs.
For Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa and other SADC countries, trophy hunting increases food and livelihood security for rural people and plays a role in mitigating human-wildlife conflict.
In 2022, the European Parliament announced plans to introduce a ban on the import of wildlife trophies and animal rights activists are concerned that continued hunting will further deplete wildlife populations, which are declining in many areas from loss.
Currently, no European Union ban on wildlife trophy imports has materialised so far and moves by the UK House of Lords to approve a ban have failed to pass, while Germany and France are considering similar prohibitions.
Only Belgium has succeeded in introducing a ban, amid calls for the rest of Europe to follow suit.
The Botswana Wildlife Producers Association fears the domino effect of the trophy hunting ban.
"The Botswana Wildlife Producers Association is afraid of the domino effect of the UK ban," said Isaac Theophilus, CEO of BWPA.
"The ban could spread to other European countries and have a huge impact on SADC countries.
"We want to utilise our resources for the well-being of our rural people who often bear the brunt of wildlife encroachment.
"We should not be punished for good wildlife management. They should allow us to utilise our resources sustainably."
Southern African countries strongly oppose moves by Europe to ban trophy hunting.
The countries argue that the ban has a negative impact on local community livelihoods and conservation efforts. The countries further argue that a blanket ban overlooks their role in sustainable wildlife management and urges for a more inclusive approach that considers their perspectives and needs.
"We should not be punished for taking care of our wildlife resources," said Theophillus.
"Let the world allow us to utilise our resources as they do for their own."
He said Europe needs to understand the damage brought about by wildlife within areas adjacent to national parks in terms of crop damage, competition for water holes and loss of lives.
Apart from the trophy bans, a massive drive to shut down ivory trade worldwide has left Southern African elephant rangeland countries with virtually no markets to sell their ivory.
The ivory ban has left most SADC countries stuck with hundreds of tonnes of unsold ivory.
Had controlled trade been permitted, the countries could have generated revenue that could support animal welfare and protection as well as local communities.
Southern African nations including Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Zambia have for years been battling the global wildlife trade regulator to grant them rights to sell ivory acquired through natural deaths, confiscations and culling.
The countries are home to the world's largest elephant population.
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The big herds, faced with shrinking forest cover and human encroachment of their corridors, venture into human settlements looking for food and attack those who try to stop them.
This has led to the unending human-wildlife conflict among local communities living in areas adjacent to game sanctuaries.
Zimbabwe and most other SADC countries have not benefited substantially from the wildlife resources due to the Cites' ban on the ivory trade.
Zimbabwe and most other SADC countries are sitting on tonnes of ivory which they cannot dispose of owing to a Cites ban.
The country is sitting on ivory and rhino horn stockpiles worth US$600 million.
Southern Africa is home to half of Africa's elephants and Zimbabwe's population of more than 84 000 against a carrying capacity of 40 000, is only second to that of Botswana in the world.
SADC countries often stand nearly alone in opposing the destruction of illegal ivory stockpiles and a total ban on the ivory trade among a slew of measures widely believed to combat poaching.
