Bioprospecting

• The National Biodiversity Economy Strategy aims to conserve biodiversity while also contributing to job creation and economic growth.
• The strategy is being revised so that the country’s national policy is better aligned with recent international policy developments in the biodiversity sphere.
• It’s been criticised for monetising and exploiting biodiversity – in other words, using biodiversity to generate money.
• We are conservation scientists who have conducted extensive research into the outcomes of different conservation strategies in southern Africa.

Expanded remit

• More than its predecessors, the convention’s latest framework recognises the need to conserve biodiversity as well as how biodiversity benefits people.
• This model results in many landholders opting for wildlife-based enterprises on their land, instead of other land uses like agriculture.
• In particular, trophy hunting is opposed on moral grounds and perceptions that it threatens wildlife populations.
• Our view, however, is that the market expansion potential of key wildlife economy activities shouldn’t be diminished.

Trophy hunting

• Trophy hunting is estimated to contribute US$250 million per year to the economy and support 17,000 jobs, mostly in rural areas.
• Read more:
  Half of Africa’s white rhino population is in private hands – it’s time for a new conservation approach

  We think trophy hunting and other sustainable use activities like meat hunting and meat sales are important tools for including communities in conservation.

• Secondly, undertaking several activities on a piece of land, including trophy and meat hunting, increases the resilience of the enterprise.
• But relying too heavily on trophy hunting to sustain conservation would be a mistake.

Looking ahead

South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe are some examples of African countries that have committed to policies aimed at unlocking well-governed, multi-use landscapes that support diverse livelihood strategies and link people to nature’s values. The evidence shows that such landscapes can support the recovery of wildlife populations, the restoration of ecosystems, the improvement of rural livelihoods and rural innovation and resilience.
Hayley Clements receives funding from Kone Foundation, The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Oppenheimer Generations Research and Conservation. Alta De Vos receives funding fromThe Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the James S. McDonnell Foundation, the Global Resilience Partnership and Future Earth. Matthew Child is currently employed by the South African National Biodiversity Institute.