African Indaba Articles - wildlife-baldus.com

corruption in the province. Once again, it is imperative that the public, ourselves and our clients, see thatthere are lines that cannot be crossed without consequences.Secondly, we have to make hunting belong to all the people of SA. This is a huge challenge for anindustry which has traditionally catered for the wealthy white client by white outfitters. PHASA has developedits draft BEE Policy which incentivizes members to empower and to contribute to PHASA’s empowermentefforts. Once again we hope to work with government to identify empowerment opportunities within theprofessional hunting industry, for the development and upliftment of a broad base of black folk whopreviously were not given the opportunities we whites had. We will do this in a manner that will uplift theindustry and that will be for the benefit of all parties, and for the benefit of conservation. There are many stateconcessions and tribal lands which can contribute substantially in this regard.Lastly, we have to market hunting to the public. We need to educate the public as to the role huntingplays in conservation and we have to show examples of the correct way to hunt. This will mean we have toengage the media on all fronts and to do this we must not have anything to hide.Without the professional hunting industry, the game auction of this weekend would be valueless andwould generate very little for the province. When I started game ranching back in 1986, Nature Conservationwas virtually giving away excess game as there was little demand. It has been the paying hunter who hascreated the demand. It is absolutely essential that the provinces are part of growing our industry. Theycontrol so many aspects of our industry and without their cooperation and help it will grind to a halt. Theprovincial reserves and community land hold much value that can be developed through professionalhunting. There is a desperate need to share the benefits of hunting with PDIs and to involve and educatethem, so that they can manage and grow their wildlife heritage and generate economic benefits too.Namibia’s professional hunting industry has a wonderful relationship with the government. The Namibianpresident is a member of NAPHA and participates in the annual conventions. He is a hunter himself.Currently the numbers of foreign hunters in Namibia are soaring, so much so that 2 extra international flightsa week have been scheduled to cope with demand. At the same time, SAA are losing seats because of ourgun legislation. Hunters to other SADC countries are often choosing to fly via Namibia to avoid the frustrationof transferring guns through our airports.Another challenge or opportunity for the industry is to get black people to enjoy hunting. It must not be forthe white elite, everybody must be able to enjoy this wonderful sport. A speaker at our last convention, RevMahana, drew the parallel with golf. How many black people actually played golf prior 1994? Hardly any, andnow all the executives play. It is en vogue. So can hunting become the recreational pastime of blackcorporate South Africa. This is a challenge to all hunters and not only to us involved in professional hunting.It must be remembered, that if game is not utilized for profit, its economic value will deteriorate and manyprivate farms will be driven back to stock farming by economics alone. It is therefore vital, that the provinceassists to maintain and grow the value of our wildlife and wildlife areas. Hunting is the best tool to do this.The revenue generated from the game auction this week, is entirely dependent upon the health of thehunting industry. Game auctions countrywide are a barometer of the health of the hunting industry. Let’shope that it grows from year to year. All of us in the professional hunting industry need to join hands withgovernment and work together to realize the enormous potential of this wonderful and exciting industry, forthe benefit of all South Africans.Editor’s Note: At the Limpopo Wildlife Expo, Premier Moloto called for an increase in trainingfacilities within the wildlife industry to enable more people to obtain employment in the sector. MrMoloto said stronger partnerships had to be built between the wildlife industry and communitiesliving along boundaries of protected areas. "Our parks will not be sustainable if the needs of thepeople living in surrounding areas are ignored," he insisted. Collin Chabane MEC for EconomicDevelopment, Environment and Tourism, told the delegates that elements of the Black EconomicEmpowerment (BEE) Charter for Tourism would be introduced in the province. He said that in-depthtalks with representatives of the hunting industry will be held to create greater access for blackpeople to this sector.50