- Six Southern African nations defend sustainable hunting amid proposed UK legislation
GAZETTE REPORTER
Six southern African countries have yet again voiced their strong opposition to the British Labour Party’s proposed Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill that aims to ban wildlife trophy imports from Africa.
Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe have formally requested an urgent meeting with British officials to address the implications of the Bill that was introduced in October and is due for second reading in January.
Seeking clarity from the UK
In a recent letter to British Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed, the nations demanded clarity on the Labour government’s stance.
The Labour Party – which came to power in July this year after 14 years in the doldrums – has pledged to phase out hunting within the UK over five years, a policy that could impact Africa’s hunting-dependent economies.
Reed reintroduced the Bill after it was shelved under the previous Conservative government, reigniting debate over its potential to undermine wildlife conservation efforts in southern Africa.
Threat to livelihoods
The Southern African nations argue that animal welfare groups, some from Africa, are undermining their sustainable hunting practices by supporting the proposed ban.
They view the Bill as a challenge to their conservation strategies and a threat to the livelihoods of communities living near wildlife areas.
Botswana, alongside other SADC states, has long advocated for the benefits of regulated hunting. Last year, then Minister of the Environment and Tourism, the late Dumizweni Mthimkhulu, led efforts to lobby UK MPs against the Bill.
Conservation achievements
Mthimkhulu highlighted Botswana’s wildlife conservation achievements, citing an elephant population that has grown from 50,000 to 132,000 over three decades alongside 6,000 lions.
He emphasised that regulated hunting generates revenue for communities and helps balance ecosystems by managing overpopulation.
“Hunting is strictly regulated in Botswana, with quotas and seasons designed to prevent species extinction,” he said.
“For example, Botswana’s elephant population grows by around 7,000 annually, far exceeding the annual hunting quota of 400.”