Competing conservation ideologies: Troubled times for reporting on Namibian wild

[bearpaw]

Competing conservation ideologies: Troubled times for reporting on Namibian wildlife

Two competing ideological narratives have emerged in African wildlife conservation. The one is based on so-called ‘compassionate conservation’, aligned with the mostly Western animal rights movement, the other based on the human rights of the owners of the wildlife, the local people who live with wild animals. In Namibia, wildlife is thriving under the second narrative, which endorses consumptive use of wildlife.

more: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2019-04-14-competing-conservation-ideologies-troubled-times-for-reporting-on-namibian-wildlife/?utm_campaign=website&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email

[pianoman9701]

I often respond to friends who post the anti-trophy hunting things on their facebook pages. Once I give them information regarding what happens with large trophy hunting dollars and what happens without them, they often either take the posts down or acknowledge they had no idea that trophy hunting helps support balanced conservation, breeding programs, and the economies of the local communities. The success of the southern black rhino is a textbook example of what happens when hunting is regulated and the funds from it are used to perpetuate the targeted species through breeding programs, improving habitat, and providing boots-on-the-ground anti-poaching patrols. In the areas where the now extinct northern black rhino existed, no trophy hunting was exercised and the animals lived in declining habitat and remained unprotected by patrols, and were poached out of existence.

[bearpaw]

   exactly

[Cougartail]

I get some weird looks from people when I speak of a guy who hunts elephants until I add he donates huge $$$ to a non-profit to benefit them. And I mean HUGE $$$!

[baldopepper]

Personally I think WDFW does not do a particularly good job of making it known what a valuable tool hunting is in game management. A lot of their publicity seems to be centered on creating more hunting opportunity without any explanation of how this affects game management. We as hunters can attempt to educate non hunters, but more in-depth information from WDFW would certainly help. Most non hunters have no idea how much funding we generate for game management let alone the economic impact on communities in hunting areas. Non hunters have no idea how often we ,as hunters, push for regulation changes that cost us opportunity but are in what we feel are in the best interest of the species involved.