Wildlife Ranching An Industry Under Pressure

Deon Furstenburg, director of wildlife science at Geo Wild Consult, an ecological services consultancy, spoke to Roelof Bezuidenhout about the state of game ranching in South Africa.

- Roelof Bezuidenhout

Geo Wild Consult recently held a game species symposium in Grahamstown. What emerged as the most important issues in the wildlife industry?

The symposium arose from issues that have a direct bearing on the future of the industry. These include the isolation of sub-populations under the government’s translocation policy, and species improvement in breeding programmes. Stakeholders in the industry need to have serious scientific debates on these issues. Important topics at the symposium included the development of a viable game meat market, as well as more practical regulation of the translocation of game species across geographic boundaries and provinces. This is not only for trading, but to help species survive ecological changes resulting from climate change.

There are concerns that the industry is at a crossroads. We’re certainly entering a new phase in which swings in supply and demand of the various wildlife market sectors may result in major price restructuring. While there are few ready answers at this stage, I believe trade will eventually stabilise again, creating a platform for renewed growth.

Why, after all these years, is there still disagreement between game ranchers and the Department of Environmental Affairs [DEA] about the translocation of animals?

Negotiations with the DEA have been ongoing since 1987. Ranchers feel that the department could be more cooperative, as well as appreciative, of the positive input and achievements of private game farming, particularly concerning game species and species management. We’d like officials to discuss scientific results at an academic level with the industry, as well as with nongovernmental experts.

Our argument is that official wildlife conservation (protection, wilderness and preservation) and private wildlife farming (consumptive business use) are two different industries that cannot be regulated from one podium.