WILD-BW: MR PRESIDENT STAND YOUR GROUND: WE ARE NOT READY TO BAN HUNTING

Immortalised in British political folk lore the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher made her determination to push ahead with her liberalisation policy, declaring “the lady’s not for turning” in reference to criticism of her economic policies. This past week an open letter to President Duma Boko published in the website of an animal rights organisation, Action for Elephants UK called on the President to reinstate the hunting ban. President Boko will be well advised to stand his ground and like Margaret Thatcher not bow to misguided pressure from groups with very questionable motives about our nation and its people.

This letter delivered by Oaitse Nawa, founder of the Elephants Protection Society, to the Office of the President claimed to represent Batswanans (sic). Which Batswanan’s are these, one may ask?  

It goes on to demonise the Community Based Natural Resources Management system (CBNRM), the very system designed to support communities. When they claim to speak on behalf of Batswanans and then turn around to demonise them, it begs the question, who are they kidding? They should be very clear from the start and state that they speak on behalf of the animals. Or better still a select group of highly placed individuals. Clearly Nawa does not appear to have been the author of the letter but just a messenger for he could have advised them that we are referred to as “Batswana” not “Botswanans.” Mr. President, these people do not represent Batswana. A closer look at the list of signatories to the letter bares testimony that the vast majority belong to foreign based organisations.

They scream about the increasing difficulty in promoting Botswana as a leading destination for eco-tourism while trophy-hunting remains a dominant and visible form of wildlife utilization. There is no substantiation whatsoever on this sweeping and emotive statement. The last time I checked, tourism still remains in the top two economic contributors. We know that COVID dealt the sector a significant blow, but we have seen a very real recovery. We have also seen a significant increase in domestic tourism since the pandemic. We like it that way Mr. President and no amount of foreign vitriol should deter us from maintaining a healthy balance in our conservation policy which sees both photo-tourism and consumptive tourism living side by side.

They talk about, ethical-conservation minded travelers being reluctant to come to Botswana because they frown upon hunting that takes place in Botswana. They are of course talking about mainly animal rights travelers from the West. Mr. President this world is not made up only of western folks. By Sunday this week, China’s population alone was 1,416,048,203 (close to one and half billion). The point I am making is that we cannot be held at ransom by a fraction of the potential tourism market, especially when the global economic power dynamics are changing fast. New markets are emerging. So to suggest that we will be forever indebted to the western market forces is to ignore the fact that the continent itself is awakening to a new self- determination that is gaining ground including those inside the newly formed economic grouping called BRICS.

They betray their true nature in the third paragraph of their open letter. They state, “However, with rising human populations, the competition for land and resources between people and elephants has markedly increased, inevitably resulting in conflict. When trophy hunting is added to the mix, elephants become even more aggressive and the cycle of harm escalates, with casualties on both sides.” They put the blame on humans for human wildlife conflict. They worry that we are increasing in number. They would rather we diminish in numbers and the animal population increase. To me it sounds like we are a nuisance. They would rather have vast spaces empty of people and teaming with animals. They fail to acknowledge that more than half the territory of this country has been dedicated to wildlife one way or another. The end game to me Mr. President seems to be a desire to turn Botswana into a mega zoo by confining people into cramped urban areas. We can refer to studies that have been done that allude to such possibilities.

Then they go all out to demonize hunting. They use the tag “trophy hunting” as a stick with which they repeatedly bash hunting, hoping to evoke disgust and presumably support from yourself and any other person who would care to pay attention to their diatribe. They claim Mr. President that there is no quantifiable contribution that hunting brings to conservation. Mr. President from purely a financial point of view, hunting licenses have generated more than 40 million pula to the Department of Wildlife and National Parks between 2022 and 2024. This is money that goes to the Conservation Trust Fund, the CTF.

 They think we don’t read Sir, and thus try to bamboozle you with one sided research results that speak to mismanagement of communities and corruption reports. There is no disputing the fact that governance of community-based natural resource management trusts leaves a lot to be desired. It doesn’t take rocket science to see that, hence the introduction of the CBNRM bill. My prayer Mr. President is that you should take a more keen interest in that bill, especially as it clearly shuts out the voices of the communities. Stakeholders have called for an enactment of a community association such as in the case of the Law Society or Engineers or Trade Unions that would advocate for community matters. Additionally, they have called for a CBNRM forum to allow communities to dialogue with government and stakeholders (see article authored by Professor Joseph Mbaiwa on his comment on the bill). Such structures would negate the need for outside organisations to dictate to us our conservation policy. We can take a leaf from our Namibian neighbors who have set up the Namibian Chamber of Environment. It is a broad based organization that represents the interests of all conservation groups in the country including hunting groups. The balance, the commitment to national interests, the commitment to human rights and a healthy regard for animal welfare is there for all to see.

It is not our intention to comment on every point raised in the “open letter.” However it would be remise of us not to take them on, on their suggestion that hunting represents a colonial practice. I would argue Mr. President that there is no worse example of a colonial practice than a patronizing, condescending attitude displayed by those who believe they know better than those who have been able to secure a future for wildlife than most have.

In your position Sir, we are not oblivious to the fact that you have many challenges and considerations hanging over your head like Damocles Sword. But there are certain sacred interests that determine a people’s destiny. For your government, human rights is sacrosanct. Your support for community livelihoods including those who rely on hunting is critical. As a country we may not know all the nuances and the politics that are brought to play in the conservation space. But we know this one thing: these animals belong to us and we will take care of them the best we always have.

While we recognize that animal rights groups must express their views, their demand to have everything their way and that others toe their line laced with not so veiled threats, is demeaning to Batswana. But more tragically any pandering to their demands will lead us down a slippery slope with irreversible damage. The hunting ban of 2014 Mr. President, had dire consequences because it had very little or no scientific base. The environmentalists on both sides of the spectrum know that. In addition sustainable use is a perfectly legal and internationally recognized method of conservation sanctioned by CITES. It is also a sovereign right. It is human rights based. Don’t be moved Mr. President. We are behind you.