Sustainable utilisation

The fight between the pro- and anti-hunting fraternities ignores the primary threats to Africa’s biodiversity

- Bryan Havemann

What is sustainable utilisation? The standard definition is this: The use of components of biological diversity in a way and at a rate that does not lead to the long-term decline of biological diversity, thereby maintaining its potential to meet the needs andaspirations of present and future generations.

How often have we heard the phrase, “If it pays, it stays?” No longer do we have the luxury of the “Out of Africa” type of existence that was so popular in colonial times when wide open spaces were synonymous with vast herds of wildlife that roamed across the plains. Back then, the term “Big Five” was coined by all the hunters coming to the African continent to hunt and take back trophies.

Africa is now more often regarded as a continent synonymous with corruption and unsustainable exploitation, which has had a devastating effect on certain wildlife populations and a negative knock-on effect for the communities who should benefit from their presence. If wildlife has a value and is bringing in hard currency, this is a motivating factor for communities and authorities to conserve them. There is no reason to preserve it as a resource if wildlife is perceived to have no value, and is causing damage to crops and livelihoods – perhaps even threatening people’s lives. In fact, ways will be actively sought to decimate wildlife if it has value only when sold on the black market as ivory, rhino horn or bush meat.