Strong stance against anti-hunting lobbies

Namibia has reaffirmed its position in defence of trophy hunting, warning that increasing pressure from international anti-hunting groups threatens the country’s successful communal conservancy programme and broader conservation efforts.

Responding to questions raised in parliament recently about trophy hunting, tourism and environment minister Indileni Daniel said Namibia’s conservation model is built on the principle of sustainable utilisation and will not be dictated by external pressures that undermine this approach.

Daniel said growing calls from anti-hunting lobby groups to ban trophy hunting pose a serious risk to Namibia's conservation achievements, particularly within communal conservancies where wildlife management and rural livelihoods are closely linked.

“Namibia will continue to oppose these pressures,” she said, adding that the country remains committed to ensuring its wildlife management practices remain credible and defensible.

Science-backed policy

To strengthen transparency and scientific credibility, the quota-setting process for conservancies and national parks was critically reviewed and revised in 2018 in consultation with stakeholders.

Under the revised system, stronger emphasis is placed on scientifically determined, data-based quotas. 

Oversight is provided by the quota-setting coordinating committee, which includes technical staff from the ministry as well as representatives from non-governmental organisations involved in conservation.

The process of determining quotas is then extended to communal conservancies and national parks, allowing them to provide input and reach an agreement before final quotas are recommended to the minister for approval.

She said quotas must be grounded in reliable quantitative data and developed through thorough consultation with communal conservancies, specialists and other relevant stakeholders.