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Monday, February 21, 2005 - Web posted at 8:51:49 GMT Namibia now among top hunting destinations LINDSAY DENTLINGERNAMIBIA is gaining in popularity as a prime trophy-hunting destination in Africa - now among the top three after South Africa and Tanzania - despite tensions between conservation groups and the hunting fraternity. |
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This was revealed at the annual general meeting of the Namibia Professional Hunters Association (Napha), which was held in Windhoek last week. Addressing the more than 100 members who attended the gathering, Minister of Environment and Tourism Philemon Malima said Government recognised hunting as an important part of the tourism industry and believed it had a role to play in the conservation and management of wildlife, by only targeting male animals past their reproductive prime. Government is expected to shortly begin a process of selling trophy hunting concessions on State land for the next four years. The 18 concessions will be the largest number ever awarded for national parks and game parks across the country. Malima said the recovery of certain species made it possible to increase the number of concessions, but did note with concern that this was not true of all species. He said too many lions were still being shot indiscriminately, suppressing the lion population. Buffalo and black-faced impala, he said, had also not been able to increase their numbers significantly. Following years of a low black rhino population, Cites last year approved Namibia's request to allow five black rhino a year to be shot by trophy hunters. Malima said the Government wanted conservancies and rural tourism projects to be among those who benefit most from trophy hunting, but he warned the largely white hunting fraternity against the formation of "superficial partnerships of convenience". The Minister felt that more could be done to increase the number of previously disadvantaged people with professional hunting qualifications. Trophy hunting has become one of the largest income generators for conservancies, with more than half of the existing 40 conservancies having been allocated a hunting quota through the MET. Government has offered incentives in the form of discounts to promote black economic empowerment in the trophy-hunting industry. While acknowledging Napha's good image, Malima warned that Government would enforce a zero-tolerance policy against those who ignored accepted hunting codes of practice and ethics. "We do not like prosecuting anyone, but there are those with short-term interests and who take chances with the law," he said. "Despite the overall good situation, there are still some problems. We are concerned about compliance to regulations and people taking shortcuts. We expect … professionals to know the legal framework in which they have to operate," he warned. Napha President Frank Heger said he was pleased to report that Napha had been able to establish a good relationship within the tourism industry and the MET, and pledged to continue working towards boosting the country's tourism industry through hunting. He described the trophy-hunting industry as having been successful in Namibia because its benefits had been taken to the lowest levels of the communities and had become a high revenue earner for rural communities. Heger said Namibia's popularity as a hunting destination was also largely due to the large variety of species in a variety of landscapes. When Government last year announced its plans to auction hunting concessions, originally scheduled for December, conservation groups expressed the fear that it would deplete game herds, traumatise game and hurt eco-tourism. The auction was postponed because of the large number of interested applicants. The MET said it wanted more time to scrutinise applications and hold meetings with interested parties before auctioning the licences. |
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