Rudolf Gaiseb
Trophy hunting earned communal conservancies over N$292.5 million between 2013 and 2024. The conservancies also earned over N$166 million through joint venture tourism during the same period.
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism acknowledged that conservation hunting remains an important part of Namibia’s integrated sustainable development and conservation strategy. Minister Indileni Daniel reported to Parliament last week, answering questions posed by Popular Democratic Movement member Diederick Vries on trophy hunting.
Daniel elucidated that trophy hunting provides protein in the form of meat to rural communities and farmers.
“Both tourism and hunting provide employment, social development and training to members of the community,” she said.
The minister said that selective, high-value hunting, in which an international client pays a premium to hunt older individual animals, is the most economically valuable and least extractive type of hunting. However, tourism has a far greater effect on the environment than hunting.
“Hunting reflects low numbers of visitors with high income, whilst photographic tourism has the opposite effect,” she added.
Vries questioned how the ministry ensures that trophy hunting does not harm Namibia’s biodiversity, particularly by removing prime genetic material such as the largest or strongest animals. Daniel told Parliament the ministry regulates this practice through registering trained local professional hunters who accompany each client and issuing permits based on quotas set using reliable information and scientific studies.
“This form of hunting removes just under 1% of the national wildlife population each year, against typical wildlife population growth of about 25 to 35% per year. In the case of slower breeding species such as elephants, typically breeding at 3-5% per year, the offtake is far lower, at about 0.2%,” she said.
Europe, the United States of America and elsewhere are some important high-value hunting areas for clients contributing to the sustainable wildlife economy in Namibia and to Namibia’s growing “rewilding” conservation programme.
Meanwhile, the quota-setting process for communal conservancies and national parks aims to ensure the sustainable utilisation of wildlife. Distinct sustainability criteria govern hunting for meat and trophy hunting, leading to the practice of issuing annual quotas for both personal use and conservation hunting in three-year cycles.
This cycle is designed to assist conservancies, national parks and farmers in forming contracts with hunting operators, thereby facilitating the efficient marketing of hunts.
She stated that to determine sustainable offtake quotas, the best available data on specific species and populations are used, considering factors such as population estimates, age and sex distribution, population trends, and current environmental
conditions.
Meanwhile, the minister highlighted that increasing pressure from international ideological anti-hunting interest groups to ban trophy hunting threatens the communal conservancy programme and Namibia’s conservation efforts.
“Namibia will continue to oppose these pressures; however, it is imperative that our practices remain beyond reproach. To this end, in 2018, the quota-setting process for conservancies and national parks was critically reviewed and revised in consultation with stakeholders,” she assured.
Moreover, trophy hunting contributes financial incentives for wildlife protection, particularly in areas where alternative forms of land use, such as agriculture or tourism, are less viable. The financial support generated through hunting fees is channelled towards funding anti-poaching patrols, habitat management and community development programmes.