elephant slaughter in Zimbabwe and Namibia threatens $433m tourism industry – Radio Nehanda

Zimbabwe’s plan to cull 200 elephants and Namibia’s plan to kill 1,002 wild animals, including 100 elephants, sparked international condemnation.

Conservation organizations and experts say the move threatens Zimbabwe’s third economic sector: tourism, valued at $433 million.

“Elephant poaching results in tusks being stockpiled, increasing pressure to undermine international ivory trade bans and open up ivory markets.

“We are concerned that Namibia and Zimbabwe have been at the forefront of efforts to reverse the international ban on ivory trade to generate revenue.

“This would inevitably fuel demand and increase poaching pressure, with devastating consequences for the remaining elephants throughout their range,” the organizations noted.

“Killing the wildlife that underpins the tourism economy would threaten sustainable livelihoods. In Zimbabwe, tourism is the third largest economic sector and contributes US$433 million to the country’s GDP.

“This industry is highly dependent on healthy wildlife populations and intact protected areas and could suffer significantly from the culling of wildlife.”

The proposed cull, justified by drought relief, human-wildlife conflict mitigation and population control, is considered unsustainable. African savannah elephants, classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List, have declined by 60% across the continent in 50 years.

the slaughter exacerbates human-wildlife conflicts, fuels poaching and undermines international ivory bans.

They noted that claims of population growth have no scientific basis. Instead, experts advocate sustainable agriculture, conflict resolution through non-lethal measures, and food security through the provision of basic foods.

A 57-member coalition, including Action for Elephants and the Born Free Foundation, called on Zimbabwe and Namibia to drop the cull plans. They argued that adopting humane solutions ensures food security, human-wildlife coexistence and wildlife protection.

“The current drought affecting parts of South Africa is devastating to both people and wildlife. However, the governments of the countries concerned are not without resources to implement effective measures to address the problem and should use the drought as an opportunity to engage in stronger land governance and prioritize sustainable agricultural production among small farmers in rural areas.

“We note that experts have suggested a number of rational and sustainable alternatives to address the effects of the drought, most importantly the provision of staple foods such as cereals to ensure food security.

“Also, a wide range of measures and policies are available that have been shown to be effective in preventing and resolving human-wildlife conflicts without resorting to indiscriminate killing of wildlife.

“These measures should be explored and implemented before considering any lethal intervention,” the organizations noted.