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Background
Botswana is inhabited by approximately 130,451 wild African savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana) (Chase et al., 2016) playing significant role in the country’s ecology and wildlife tourism industry (Lamarque et al, 2009; DWNP 2012). However, the range of these elephants have increased significantly in Botswana as they roam around for water; hence they are breaching the protected areas and coming in contact with the human territory (Bale, 2019). Encounter with elephants have caused several deaths and serious injuries each year (Mckenzie et al., 2019). Botswana’s Government claim 8000 elephant-human conflict have occurred with 45 people being killed recently (eNCA, 2019). Moreover, elephants have also affected the livelihood of farmers raiding crops and destroying their farms (eNCA, 2019; Solly, 2019).As a result, recently Botswana government has come to a decision of lifting the 5-year prohibition on elephant hunting (Solly, 2019).
This decision was taken by the new government of Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi overturning the ban imposed by previous government of Ian Khama in 2014 (de Greef and Specia, 2019). This has outraged the conservationists as well as international community, whereas positive feedback of the affected locals was seen (Solly, 2019). Botswana’s low impact tourism was a conservation success story which inspired many countries (Magole and Mogle, 2011); but now the International community has threatened the government that it would boycott Botswana’s tourism if the ban lifting decision is not cancelled (Travel Weekly, 2019). Tourism Operators have also reacted negatively regarding this decision and announced it would destroy the ecotourism and conservation reputation of the country which took 20 years to build up (Travel weekly, 2019). The government stated that hunting would resume in a controlled and ethical way (Frace24, 2019) with only 400 hunting license granted on an annual basis (Travel Weekly, 2019). The government stated that Community based organizations and trusts would be provided with over 50% quota for hunting and it will be operated in only some designated areas (Travel Weekly, 2019).
The following analysis aims to give an overview of the stakeholders so as to help in understanding various complexities that will affect the decision whether the government’s decision to lift ban on elephant hunting remains intact or not.
Creative alternatives and possible win/win solutions
Affected people
- supporting decision of government to lift ban on elephant hunting
- elephants are their enemies threatening their life and livelihood
- Live a secure life
- Maintain their livelihood
- Farming without fear of animals destroying their farm and raiding crops
- Culling the elephant to reduce its number which will reduce the conflict
- Building the electric fencing in their area to stop the animals from entering their area
- Getting other employment opportunities to decrease their reliance on agriculture for their livelihood
- Getting education on measures to implement during elephant-human encounter
Botswana Government
- To protect rights of Botswana citizens to live their life fearlessly
- safety of the Botswana citizen (France24, 2019)
- Reducing the human- wildlife conflict incidents (France24, 2019)
- trophy hunting would provide revenue which would help to fund conservation programmes (Los Angeles Times, 2019) and compensate affected local community (Solly, 2019)
- To increase number of rural voters (de Greef and Specia, 2019) Controlled and ethical hunting to reduce number of elephants such that the number of elephant doesnt reach too low, without international community protesting it
- Declare a buffer area around the elephant habitat and building electric fencing around the area to stop elephants from conflicting with humans
- Reinstating the ban and involving people in affected area in eco- tourism to solve their financial problems
- Getting fund from international community to compensate affected people and educating them on measures to take during a direct encounter in return of the agreement to ban the hunting
Conservationists
- To protest against decision of government to lift ban on elephant hunting
- Hunting is an out-dated Practice (Burke, 2019)
- protecting rights of elephants to live their life
- hunting would result in the increment of the illegal poaching activities to supply ivory trade with elephant tusks (France24, 2019) Reinstating of the ban on elephant hunting and government finding other solutions like electric fencing to prevent conflict
- setting standard elephant population below which it may not be hunted
- to walk away from negotiation and keep protesting
International community
- To go against Botswana government’s decision to lift ban on elephant hunting
- To protect elephant population residing in Botswana government taking back the decision to lift ban
- Walking away from negotiation and boycotting Botswana from tourism
- Providing funds to the Botswana government to compensate affected communities and educating the communities on measures to take during encounter with elephant so Elephant Live their life freely ” having a habitat with a larger range
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