British Parliamentarians together with Botswana’s former President Ian Khama are again hell-bent on destroying Botswana’s successful international hunting-supported conservation and development model.
They are lobbying for the revival of the proposed British Government hunting trophies imports ban Bill that was not passed in the House of Lords last year.
Other Southern African hunting countries will also be negatively impacted if the Bill is passed this time.
Meanwhile, the spotlight is on Botswana whose former President Khama harmed that country’s wildlife by imposing an international hunting ban that cut off income for communities and triggered wildlife revenge killings from 2014-2019.
This time around, Botswana hunting communities fear that Khama might repeat the same harm.
Khama is in London, where he is holding meetings with British parliamentarians and “supporting their lobby” to revive the hunting trophies imports ban Bill.
Reinstating such a ban would harm all hunting countries worldwide, including Botswana.
Khama’s move has drawn anger and protests from the Botswana hunting communities.
“He (Khama) is crazy,” said Botswana Chieftainess Rebecca Banika of the Pandamentenga/Paleka hunting community, which was paid over half a million US dollars in late 2023, for international hunting quotas for the 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024 hunting season.
“He is not concerned with the welfare of the community as we noted during his 2014-2019 international hunting ban that he imposed on Botswana during his presidency and poachers enriched themselves while hunting communities and our wildlife suffered.”
Meanwhile, a press statement from the Khama Foundation said this week, that Khama was already in London being “hosted by several members of the House of Commons in their quest to persuade the British government to adopt and enact into law, a Bill to ban trophy hunting, in the context of promoting animal welfare.”
The Khama Foundation revealed that Khama was also holding “one-on-one meetings” with British parliamentarians on the British government’s revival of the trophies imports ban Bill.
One of his main meetings would be with the Conservative Party’s Sir Roger Gale who is the chairman of an anti-international hunting All-Party Group Parliamentary Group.
The Khama Foundation said that Khama, “is recognised by both governments and conservation establishments across the globe, for his commitment and advocacy for animal welfare.”
However, Chieftainess Banika said: “No one should listen to him”.
Khama who is at odds with the Botswana government lives in exile in South Africa.
“He doesn’t represent the Botswana government nor the country’s hunting communities,” Chieftainess Banika said.
She is not the only one angered and protesting against Khama’s lobby to revive the British hunting trophies imports Ban Bill that is set to be read in the British Parliament on Friday 22 March 2024.
A statement from the Ngamiland Council of Non-governmental Organisations (NCONGO), co-signed by 18 Botswana hunting communities and NGOs said: “The communities view the former President’s lobbying efforts to persuade the British government to enact a bill banning trophy hunting as a misguided and counterproductive approach.
“The proposed ban overlooks the complex dynamics of wildlife conservation in Botswana and fails to take into account the perspectives and needs of the local communities who have been actively involved in conserving wildlife for years.
“The communities express concerns that a ban on trophy hunting could exacerbate existing tensions between humans and wildlife, potentially leading to negative perceptions towards wildlife conservation.
“Such negative perceptions could undermine Botswana’s efforts to achieve sustainable development goals (UN sustainable development goals), particularly if the hunting trophies (import Prohibition) Bill is passed without considering the local communities’ perspectives.”
Under Botswana’s successful conservation and development model known as community-based natural resources management (CBNRM); eight Botswana hunting communities were directly paid more than US$2 million late last year.
The payment was for the 2024 hunting season, which starts on 1 April and ends on 30 September.
These communities also have significant amounts of money in their bank accounts and continue to invest some of the money into conservation and community development projects.
“The communities decide what they want to do with the money without interference,” said the NCONGO CEO, Mr. Siyoka Simasiku in an interview this week, showing that Botswana has democratised natural resources management.
“The Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area 2023 elephant survey established that Botswana has the largest elephant population in the world (131 000), yet its carrying capacity is only 50 000.”
The Botswana hunting communities use international hunting income to significantly support community conservation and socio-economic development projects.
These include employing community game scouts to protect wildlife from poachers, supporting students with bursaries, and buying grinding/hammer mills.
They also erect electric perimeter fences to protect crop fields from wildlife damage and invest hunting revenue in agricultural projects, and habitat conservation.
Some of the income was used to build mortuaries, churches, and construct roads, install solar power, and secure water supply.
They also bought ambulances, constructed community shops/stores, and built up-market lodges that contribute towards employment creation.
The Botswana hunting communities arguably earn the largest payments from international hunting compared to other southern African hunting communities.
They would be the biggest losers if the ongoing international hunting bans, including the UK Hunting Trophies Import Ban Bill, succeed.
From 2014-2019, then President of Botswana Khama banned international hunting in the southern African country, without consulting the local communities.
This triggered the local hunting communities’ wildlife revenge killings that included a shocking incident in which four lions were fatally poisoned in one day.
This later developed into a country-wide wildlife revenge killings crisis which was stopped by current Botswana President Mogkweetsi Masisi, when he was elected in 2019.
Upon his election, President Masisi immediately lifted the international hunting ban imposed on them by Khama, which sent local hunting communities into wild celebrations.
Now, the hunting communities are worried that any ban on trophy hunting imports will progressively diminish the current significant benefits from international hunting and the conservation attitudes will “inevitably shift to poaching” as the costs of co-existing with wildlife outweigh the benefits.
“If international hunting bans are imposed, all the hunting projects not only in Botswana but in other southern African hunting countries will stop,” said Chieftainess Banika.
“Once people realise that they are no longer benefiting from their wildlife they will resort to poaching and other means of retaliating like the use of poison on problem animals which will exterminate the species, even those that aren’t in conflict with humans like the vultures.”
Chieftainess Banika warned that the once absolute conservationists could turn into absolute poachers or collaborators with poaching gangs.
The communities said in the NCONGO press statement that they, “fear that the lobbying efforts of the former President (Khama) could undo the progress made by Botswana communities, the government, conservation experts from the University of Botswana, and international organisations in promoting sustainable wildlife management practices.”
Meanwhile, the Botswana hunting communities are appealing for “a more inclusive and balanced approach to wildlife conservation that takes into account the needs and perspectives of local communities who are directly impacted by conservation policies and decisions.”
“In our united stance, we firmly assert that dismissing the potential community benefits of trophy hunting without directly engaging with the communities involved, reflects an attitude of superiority that contradicts the shared commitment to ensuring the future conservation of the planet,” said the statement issued by NCONGO.
“We stand united in our dedication to both the welfare of our communities and the conservation of our invaluable natural resources.”
*The writer of this article is Emmanuel Koro, a Johannesburg-based independent international award-winning environmental journalist who writes extensively on environmental and developmental issues in Africa.
*The views expressed by Emmanuel Koro, are not necessarily those of The Bulrushes
