07 Jun 2023

The German ambassador to Botswana, Ms Margit Hellwig-Boette has emphasised the need to inform tourists visiting the Okavango Delta about the challenges faced by communities residing in wildlife management areas.

Responding to media questions regarding reports or debates on prohibition of trophy hunting, Ms Hellwig-Boette said it seemed some people lacked information and knowledge about the lifestyle of the affected communities.

European Union (EU) heads of mission were on a tour to appreciate projects they funded in the Ngamiland region.

However, Ms Hellwig-Boette revealed that majority of the tourists including conservationists were not aware of human-wildlife conflict issues and tended to concentrate on appreciating wildlife species and the beauty of the resource.

She said some of the tourists were only concerned about elephants dying. She was of the view  that thorough education should be undertaken to help change tourists perceptions.

“Tourists coming here are not aware of human-wildlife conflict challenges as they focus on poaching and elephant dying. They are more concerned about elephants than human beings being killed by animals while on domestic errands,” she added.

EU Ambassador to Botswana and SADC, Ms Petra Pereyra concurred that a lot of misconceptions regarding trophy hunting needed to be cleared, noting that education of  tourists was ideal so that they could understand the challenges posed by wildlife on the ground.

Botswana, she said, was unique with abundant wildlife species and educating the tourists could help.

“While people admire elephants, they should also know the damages they were causing within the communities,” she added.

Ms Pereyra admitted that the matter was open for debate at the European Parliament as some members of parliament asked questions on trophy hunting but appreciated that in Botswana hunting was conducted in a sustainable and controlled manner.

She said they were happy that hunting was done the right way as it was controlled and selective of certain species.

She also acknowledged that the affected communities were benefiting from the hunting exercise.

Ms Pereyra noted that Botswana had many species because of the country’s culture in conserving natural resources together with the commitment from government. ENDS