07 Nov 2022

Heads of foreign missions have been called upon to support proposals Botswana is planning to table at the forthcoming CITES Conference of Parties (CoP19) slated for November 14-19 in Panama.

Speaking at a dinner hosted for the envoys in Gaborone, Minister of Environment and Tourism, Ms Philda Kereng said her ministry welcomed their thoughts and perspectives that would enrich the country’s proposals regarding trade restrictions on African species.

She recalled that  Southern African countries suffered a humiliating defeat at the 2019 CITES CoP18 held in Geneva despite the region’s increasing wildlife population, evident sustainable management efforts and positive impact on the improvement of livelihoods.

Ms Kereng said the region’s arguments fell short in negotiating the CITES decisions and resolutions regarding sustainable utilisation of biological wealth to improve rural livelihoods.

Ahead of CoP19, she said, there were proposals calling for further trade restrictions on African species whose populations were increasing in Southern Africa and were not threatened by international trade.

“The most relevant examples are the proposal to up-list hippopotamus from Appendix II to Appendix I. Should these two specific proposals be adopted, our community-based hunting programmes, and significantly in Botswana in relation to the elephant proposal, will be drastically curtailed,” she said.

The minister said there were other proposals that would be considered which penalised countries such as Botswana that were successful in sustainable wildlife management.

 It was, therefore, very important to seek help from heads of missions for Botswana to strategise on its negotiation approach, said Ms Kereng.

She said it was imperative for the envoys as experts, policymakers, community representatives and custodians of the natural resources to deeply critique and analyse the proposals.

“The country needs to communicate its success stories in wildlife conservation and sustainable use due to our policy decisions. We need to extensively highlight the benefits of hunting to community livelihoods,” she said.

Minister Kereng said the Botswana delegation to CITES CoP19 would include a strong contingent of community-based organisations who would share with the world the benefits of trophy hunting to communities.

She noted that the country’s RESET Agenda had identified tourism and its associated value chains as a priority sector to leverage development on because its sub-sectors, including hunting, offered ample job creation opportunities especially in rural settings.

 The minister said the hunting sub-sector was an important part of the ministry’s toolkit for meeting  national goals as well as Botswana’s global obligations such as realisation of Sustainable Development Goals.

Botswana, she said, was home to the largest population of elephants on the continent and was therefore justifiably proud of its record in the conservation of the iconic animals.

For his part, FAO resident representative Mr Rene Czudek said it was important to choose words which would not appear as if Botswana wanted to use hunting as a way of reducing its elephant herd. Ends