Conservationists in Africa are appealing to world celebrities to stop undermining conservation effort by communities who depend on natural resources for a living. This came out in an interview that was held by this publication and a representative of Mahenye conservation program, Liberty Chauke. Mahenye communal land is found in Chipinge south, Zimbabwe, Africa.
Mahenye has headlined conservation efforts since it adopted a consumptive tourism initiative named Communal Areas Management for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) in the mid 1980s.
This day, consumptive tourism is under fire from green groups who are advocating for the abolishment of hunting in wildlife and that the camera should be used to shoot animals than the bullet. And celebrities have put their names in support of the banning wildlife hunting in Africa.
According to Chauke, banning of wildlife hunting is like terminating the lifeline of African rural dwellers that depend on natural resources.
“African rural dwellers have no other sources of income than farming and natural resources which include wild animals. Wildlife is usually abundant in these areas that receive little rainfall and crop farming is not dependable.
“For instance, Mahenye communal area lies in Natural Farming Region 5 which is arid. Crop farming isn’t dependable. People then depend on the forest. Knowing where their livelihoods depend, our people have succeeded in utilising wildlife in a sustainable manner.
Liberty Chauke
“Many of our celebrities might not understand that trophy hunting is regularised and is not done wantonly,” said Chauke.
The Mahenye conservationist outlined that their communities co-exist with dangerous wildlife.
“It is not coincidental that dangerous animals like elephants, buffaloes and lions are found in their numbers in Africa. The African dweller let their numbers grow because they put value in animal. The animals and people co-exist.
But by end of day, the people suffer if the animals multiply to excessive numbers. People get killed, injured and their crops get destroyed by wild animals. That shows the need to control wildlife numbers. Therefore, we encourage celebrities to get facts on how wildlife and humans co-exist,” added Chauke.