When it comes to wildlife trade legislation and policy, it seems that the Member
States of the European Union (EU) do not align with the EU itself. Meanwhile, the
European Parliament appears to be unhappy with the European Commission being
guided by science and global conservation agreements. From an African point of
view, one can only wonder at how easily evidence-based EU policy can be swept
away by populist politics.
The Action Plan is cognisant of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and
the Convention on the Illegal Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES), and quotes findings from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) study on sustainable use of wildlife.
These key conventions and studies are important to take into account when crafting
suitable policies and plans to tackle illegal wildlife trade.
Unfortunately, it seems that some MEPs, or politicians of EU Member States,
disagree. This disagreement is especially clear on the misunderstood and unpopular
topic of trophy hunting, which the Action Plan correctly frames within the broader
category of sustainable use:
“These legal and sustainable forms of income include nature-based tourism,
well-managed trophy hunting, and sustainable trade in wildlife. Well-
managed trade in wildlife can actively benefit species conservation, creating
incentives for local communities to protect wildlife resources in their
environment, while making a sufficient and sustainable living.” EU Action
Plan.
The more detailed part of the Action Plan is introduced with another statement that
lines up with global agreements and scientific research:
Several objectives within the Action Plan support the role of communities in
conservation, particularly through Community-based Natural Resource Management
(CBNRM). The substantial EU NaturAfrica funding aimed at supporting large
conservation landscapes is similarly supportive of community conservation.
All of the CBNRM programmes in this part of Africa use income from trophy hunting
to fund their activities. While photographic tourism contributes significantly in
locations that are particularly suited to tourism activities, hunting is often the only
source of income for community conservation. Current EU policies allow hunting
imports from hunting operations that support conservation, thus providing a
sustainable source of income for CBNRM.
With such a strict EU policy in place is there any further need for EU Member States
to clamp down on hunting trophy imports? Can the blanket bans on hunting trophy
imports proposed like the laws introduced in Belgium and the Netherlands achieve
anything more for conservation, or are they counter-productive?
Blanket trophy import bans overlook the role of local communities and do not
consider cases where hunting is a significant contributor to community conservation
initiatives. It seems that the progressive language in multi-lateral environmental
agreements and raised African voices seem to have fallen on deaf ears among
politicians in Europe.
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