Afriican Indaba eNewslletter Vollume. 5, Number 1 Page 1 AFRICAN INDABA Volume 5, Issue No 1 eNewsletter January 2007 Dedicated to the People and Wildlife of Africa to ensure that the conference did not turn into an emotional, pro- 1 Conservation, Wildlife & versus anti-hunting debate. Speakers, discussions, and ques- tions focused on the role of markets, property rights, and law for Markets the benefit of effective wildlife policy formation. Recommendations from the “Conservation, Wildlife & Mar- One of the first speakers was Richard Leakey, former Direc- kets” conference at the Strathmore Business School, Nai- tor of Kenya’s wildlife regulatory agency, Kenya Wildlife Service. robi, and its implications for Kenya’s wildlife policy review The content of Leakey’s presentation was a surprise to the audi- ence, given his past position statements. Leakey commented on Guest Editorial by Dr Stephanie S. Romañach the unsustainably and large scale of the illegal bushmeat trade. Wildlife conservation and wildlife policy are particularly emo- He stressed that hunting (in some form) has never stopped in tive topics in Kenya, often stimulating media coverage and in- Kenya despite the ban and is, in fact, widespread and out of tense debate. In 1977, Kenya imposed a ban on trophy hunting control. Leakey went on to say that decision makers should con- that is still in place today. sider a policy to regulate hunting, make hunting sustainable, and The Kenyan government has retained ownership of wildlife to allow people to derive value from wildlife. as well as user rights for the wildlife resource except for tourism. The ban on trophy hunting of almost three decades means Despite these policies, Kenya has remained a popular destina- that most Kenyans have never experienced regulated tourist tion among tourists, many choosing to visit the country for its trophy hunting. Younger Kenyans know only of stories from the famous parks. However, much of the country is not suitable for Continued on Page 2 tourism because of remoteness, lack charismatic species, or low densities of wildlife. Because alternative wildlife utilization op- tions are not permitted, there is little scope for people living with INSIDE THIS ISSUE wildlife to derive revenues from wildlife. 1. Conservation, Wildlife and Markets - Guest Editorial by As a result, wild animals are perceived by many Kenyans to Dr Stephanie S. Romañach be nothing more than a dangerous liability. This perception is 2. Kenyans Discuss Their Wildlife Policy enhanced by the increasing frequency and intensity of human- 3. Happy Birthday Selous! Africa’s Oldest Protected Area wildlife conflict in Kenya, which is widely publicized in the media. Celebrates 110 years by Dr Rolf Baldus Correspondingly, wildlife populations inside and outside of pro- 4. Peter Flack Receives Musgrave Award by G R Damm tected areas in Kenya have experienced serious declines in 5. Freestate Sells Black Wildebeest Hybrids by Gerhard recent years, and without a change in policy, conservation pros- R Damm pects are bleak. Kenya is currently reviewing its wildlife policy, 6. Caesarean Section on Aardwolf by Ronel Openshaw which could yield major changes and thus improve the prospects 7. Hotel Development Threatens Mosi-Oa-Tunya National for conservation. Park by Gerhard R Damm In early November, I was invited to a conference on ‘Con- 8. Oil Drilling to Start in the Selous GR by Dr Rolf Baldus servation, Wildlife & Markets’ held by the Strathmore Business 9. News From Africa School in Nairobi. I was asked to speak about the potential for 10. The Kipunji Monkey (Rungwecebus kipunji) trophy hunting to contribute to wildlife conservation and man- 11. Rowland Ward’s Records of Big Game Move Ahead by agement, and rural development in Kenya. Given that trophy Richard Flack hunting is such a contentious topic (especially in Kenya), I was 12. Keep NGO’s out of [Kenya’s] New Wildlife Policy Talks concerned that discussion would be emotional and unscientific. by Dr Imre Loefler This concern was amplified when I learned that an animal wel- 13. “Flack Hunts South Africa” Peter Flack’s Documentary fare organization was funding the conference. Thankfully, DVD reviewed by Gerhard R Damm though, the conference organizers obtained financial support 14. WWF on “Hunting for Conservation” from several organizations, thus ensuring a balanced agenda. 15. 2006 PHASA Convention by Gerhard R Damm The timing of the conference with the wildlife policy review was 16. The PHASA AGM from a Conservationist’s Perspective coincidental, but potentially of great value. by Dr Peter A Lindsey The 3-day conference opened on the morning of the 9th of 17. NAPHA’s 2006 AGM by Jofie Lamprecht Jr. November with an attendance of 100 – 150 people. There was a 18. NAPHA Trains Hunting Assistants and Camp Atten- line-up of 17 speakers from various backgrounds and specializa- dants by Martina Lamprecht tions, including those practicing law, journalism, economics, and 19. Successful Year 2006 for Conservation Force by John conservation. One of the goals of the conference organizers was J Jackson III The electronic newsletter for hunter-conservationists and all people who are interested in the conservation, management and the sustainable use of Africa’s wild natural resources Afriican Indaba eNewslletter Vollume. 5, Number 1 Page 2 Continued from Page 1 1 Conservation, Wildlife and Markets Tropical Resource Ecology Programme at the University of Zim- babwe, conducting research in the Savé Valley Conservancy. previous poorly-regulated and corrupt hunting industry that She earned her doctorate in ecology from the University of Cali- lacked necessary controls and lacked community involvement. fornia Santa Barbara, and has been conducting field research for The goal of my presentation was to provide information on the past 10 years. Stephanie has worked on herbivore ecology the economic and conservation status of the hunting industry in in the USA, Southern Africa, and East Africa, and carnivore con- other countries in Africa so that Kenyans could see what works servation in Southern and East Africa. Her current research in- in other places. I also spoke about how the hunting industry can cludes understanding the dynamics of the bush meat trade and improve its role in conservation (work done in collaboration with developing means for wildlife areas to protect wildlife while im- Dr Peter Lindsey, see African Indaba, vol. 4, no. 4, article 12). proving the livelihoods of neighboring community members, After my talk, some of the young attendees commented to working to create benefits to local citizens from trophy hunting me ideas they were not previously aware of, such as: the large- and ecotourism as incentives for wildlife conservation, and con- scale economics of trophy hunting, the high prices paid for some servation projects on endangered African wild dogs dealing with wildlife species on the live sale market, and the successes of conflict with game ranchers and livestock owners. trophy hunting on communal land in some parts of Africa. Discussions during the conference made clear that some of You can contact Stephanie Romañach at the time-tested principles of sustainable use, which are broadly [email protected] accepted in other East and southern African countries (e.g., landholders having wildlife user rights), are questioned in Kenya. Some Kenyans feel that conditions and conservation issues 2 Kenyans Discuss Their in their country are different from those elsewhere in Africa, and that different solutions are needed, but not likely to be found. Wildlife Policy Others are concerned that Kenya is too corrupt for controlled trophy hunting to work. A further concern about trophy hunting is During another wildlife conservation and management policy that it would provide another opportunity for a foreign industry to and legislation workshop in Nakuru in December participants exploit local resources without reinvesting significantly in Kenya. expressed the view that most Kenyans feel that they are not Photographic tourism in Kenya suffers badly from leakage benefiting from the wildlife and tourism sector and that they of revenues overseas and a failure to devolve adequate benefits should be directly involved to achieve a sense of proprietorship. to communities. Some Kenyans fear that trophy hunting will Not surprisingly, it was further suggested that the Kenya Wildlife operate on the same inequitable basis. Service (KWS) to be replaced by a private body to manage and Some of the opposition to hunting in Kenya stems from me- conserve wildlife. dia and policy influence from western protectionist and animal During the earlier conference at the Strathmore Business welfare organizations. Correspondingly, some of the delegates School (see preceding article by Dr Romañach’), Dr. Richard disregarded trophy hunting as an option without giving accurate, Leakey had already said in his speech to the participants that relevant, or factual justification for why it would not work in “we should be thinking about how to secure wildlife rights on Kenya. The fact remains that most wildlife species are reported private land at a market rate” and in continuation of his presenta- to have declined by 40 - 90% since hunting was banned. tion, Leakey lambasted the Kenya Wildlife Service in these A workshop was held on the final morning, designed to allow words “[KWS] has had 16 years to operate and [which] at the conference speakers to discuss the conference proceedings and end of the day is in debt,