Hunting outperforms tourism in conservancy earnings

Trophy hunting has generated significantly more income for Namibia’s communal conservancies than joint-venture tourism.

Tourism minister Indileni Daniel told parliament that, between 2013 and 2024, communal conservancies earned more than N$292 million from hunting, compared with N$166 million from joint-venture tourism.

Daniel shared the figures during a recent parliamentary session.

She said trophy hunting also provides much-needed food for rural communities and farmers, while both hunting and tourism create jobs and boost social development.

Daniel highlighted the sector’s indirect revenue benefits, noting that hunting supports businesses such as taxidermists, lodges, fuel stations, curio shops and restaurants.

She added that conservation hunting plays an important role in Namibia’s integrated sustainable development and conservation strategy.

Closely watched

The minister said the most economically valuable and least extractive form of hunting is selective, high-value hunting, in which an international client pays a premium to hunt older animals.

Daniel added that the ministry closely regulates the practice by registering trained local professional hunters to accompany each client and issuing permits based on quotas set using reliable data and scientific studies.

Hunting clients may export a portion of the animal, known as the “trophy,” as a memento of the experience, while most of the animal enters the local food chain.

According to Daniel, this form of hunting removes just under 1% of the national wildlife population each year, compared with typical population growth of 25 to 35% annually.

For slower-breeding species such as elephants, which reproduce at around 3 to 5% per year, the offtake is far lower, at about 0.2%.

High-value hunting by clients from Europe, the United States of America and elsewhere therefore remains an important contributor to the sustainable wildlife economy in Namibia, the minister stressed, as well as the rewilding programme.

Daniel added that trophy hunting contributes to conservation efforts by providing financial incentives for wildlife protection, particularly in areas where alternative forms of land use, such as agriculture or tourism, are less viable.

Revenue generated through hunting fees is often directed towards anti-poaching patrols, habitat management and community development programmes.

Daniel said the sector also helps sustain a wildlife-based economy, discouraging the conversion of land to other uses that could be detrimental to biodiversity and long-term conservation goals in Namibia.

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