Brussels –-(Ammoland.com)- The International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC), European Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FACE), and the Dallas Safari Club (DSC) welcome the decision by the Government of Botswana to reintroduce controlled hunting as a component of the conservation strategy of this wildlife rich and biodiverse country. This decision, announced on 22 May 2019, follows an inclusive year-long consultation process, including dialogue with affected communities, local authorities, conservationists, NGOs, tourism businesses, researchers and other stakeholders and is an outstanding example of representative democracy-in-action for which Botswana should be congratulated.
The Government of Botswana cited several reasons for this decision:
- The high level of human-wildlife conflict and the increasingly negative impact on livelihoods;
- An increase in predators and corresponding increase in livestock deaths;
- The hunting suspension has a negative impact on rural people who had previously received revenue and other benefits from consumptive utilization;
- Lack of capacity within the Department of Wildlife and National Parks lead to long response times to problem animal control reports;
- The general consensus from those consulted was that the hunting suspension should be lifted.
Yesterday, 23 May 2019, The Minister of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism, Honourable Kitso Mokaila held a press conference, during which a number of misconceptions were addressed, including the allocation of sustainable quotas for elephants.
It was emphasized that the aim is not to reduce elephant numbers, nor to cull, but rather to ensure that rural people have incentives to protect wildlife. This will relieve the current situation whereby rural people bear the brunt of living with large dangerous animals but have no incentives to protect them.
The Ministry was clear that people must be part of the solution, a
