04 Dec 2024

Stakeholders have welcomed the 2024/2025draft hunting quota, which shows an increase. 

The draft quota for elephants has increased to 480 from 400 last year, while buffaloes increased to 107 as compared to 82 in the previous year. 

Other species with an increase included baboons, Elands, Warthogs and Lechwe among others.

Stakeholders expressed appreciation during the just ended consultative meeting held in Maun saying the increase was a welcome development to reduce human wildlife conflicts and increase community benefits from sustainable wildlife utilisation.

“We appreciate government efforts to increase hunting quota for elephants and in our area, which is highly populated. We have been allocated 20 elephants,” said Ms Kutlwano Russel from Mababe Zokotsama Community Development Trust. 

She said the trust thrived on wildlife hunting, which generated huge profits to benefit the community, adding that hunting also stimulated job creation and contributed to the local economy.

The Mababe Zokotsama Community Development Trust manager, Mr Vusi Khumalo said wildlife hunting had several benefits saying through the proceeds generated, they assisted the elderly community aged above 60 and people lving with diabilities with P700 per month to restore their dignity.

He said they also financially supported members of the community during funerals, adding that the trust, bought a commercial plot at Sedie ward in Maun to construct an office and a 10-roomed guesthouse, which he said was almost complete.

A board member of Chobe Enclave Conservation Trust, Mr Nchunga Nchunga also acknowledged increase on elephant quota saying they too benefited from the hunting exercise. 

He said they benefited a lot through Community Based Natural Resource Management Programme, which aimed to improve natural conservation, rural livelihoods, reduce human wildlife conflicts and poverty.

“Since the lifting of the ban, we embarked on sustainable developments in the five villages affiliated to the trust through the proceeds generating from hunting exercise. We managed to construct two lodges, shops, purchase eight tractors, which we use to plant for the communities during ploughing season,” he added.

Mr Nchunga further noted that they experienced reduction in human wildlife conflicts saying the animals had relocated to the forest reserves because hunting was done in controlled hunting area.

MOLEMA trust secretary, Ms Nametso Molapisane said they survived through revenue generated through hunting and expressed disappointment that the quota for leopards had been reduced.

She said all their investors were more interested in leopards and elephant species citing that last year, they were allocated 30 elephants and managed to sell 26 while the three leopards were all sold and generated a total amount of P1.3 million.

“Hunting is the dominant activity in our area and our investors are not interested in other species and we request the department to increase both elephant and leopard species going forward,” she said.

Earlier on, wildlife officer, Mr Gabriel Mpiping presented the summary of the hunting quota saying they had experienced reduction and increase in some of the species.

He said they used triangulation method of quota setting, adding that the method comprised three steps of collecting wildlife information from different stakeholders, monitoring the impacts of the initial quota as well as adjustment of initial quota. 

The method, he said could be applied to situations without any initial census. Ends