BOTSWANA PROTESTS THE PROPOSED BILL THAT PROHIBITS TROPHY IMPORTS

The Botswana Government and local communities living in wildlife areas are currently protesting to the British Parliament about the potential of the UK passing a bill that prohibits trophy imports from Botswana and other Southern African states known as KAZA countries from entering the UK.

The UK is Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which regulates international trade in over 35,000 species of wild animals and plants, their products (such as animal skins) and derivatives (such as food or medicine). The Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill seeks to ban the imp
ortation of legally obtained wildlife trophies from Botswana and other African countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia, Nambia, Tanzania and South Africa. It is going for the second reading in the House of Lords on March 23, 2024.

For Botswana, the European Union trophy hunting market including the UK comprises of 30% while the USA market is the largest at 70%. In this regard, the British trophy hunting market for Botswana is big and cannot ignored by both the Botswana Government and communities living in wildlife areas. The big question therefore is if this Bill passes at the House of Lords, what are the implications to conservation and rural livelihoods.