Insights from the African Wildlife Economy Colloquium

28 November 2024

Why a Colloquium on the African Wildlife Economy

As a postgraduate fellow with the African Wildlife Economy Institute, I was privileged to participate in the enlightening inaugural African Wildlife Economy Colloquium.

During the colloquium, participants included attendees from 17 countries (12 of them in Africa). A total of <165 attendees participated online>, while 64 attendees joined in person. The event featured 52 speakers sharing their insights and contributing to the event's dynamic discussions. The diverse audience comprised researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, all united by a shared commitment to advancing wildlife economies and conservation efforts across the continent.

Aligning Conservation and Economics

A prominent theme throughout the colloquium was the necessity of aligning conservation efforts with economic considerations. Many speakers emphasised that for wildlife to thrive, policies must support both biodiversity protection and economic sustainability. This alignment is crucial, notably in wildlife ranching, where economic pressures can lead to decisions that undermine conservation goals. The discussions highlighted the importance of creating policies that incentivise conservation and make it financially viable for landowners and communities to engage in sustainable wildlife management.

Innovative Financial Incentives

Another topic was the exploration of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) to enhance the economic competitiveness of wildlife conservation. By providing financial incentives for preserving ecosystems, PES can align economic interests with conservation objectives, making wildlife conservation an attractive option compared to traditional agricultural practices. This innovative approach emerged as a promising strategy to bolster the wildlife economy while protecting natural resources.

Certification for Sustainability

The importance of certification systems in promoting sustainable practices was a recurring theme. Presenters discussed how third-party verification, and certification can enhance the credibility of wildlife products, from game meat to wild plant ingredients. These systems assure consumers of the sustainability of their purchases and encourage producers to adhere to best practices, creating a market for ethically sourced wildlife products.

Emerging Opportunities in Wildlife Trade

The colloquium also highlighted emerging opportunities within wildlife economies, particularly in game meat markets and the often-overlooked insect trade. Discussions emphasised the potential for these sectors to contribute significantly to local economies and food security. However, careful management and regulation are essential to ensure that these industries do not compromise biodiversity.

Ethical Considerations in Wildlife Management

There was critical examination of ethical considerations surrounding hunting and wildlife use. Contextualising the ethics of hunting in the African context needs to take into consideration what hunting means to the African communities who have hunted for many thousands of years. As part of addressing ethical concerns, local people, are currently excluded and commonly labelled as poachers for pursing their hunting ambitions. The conversations also emphasised the need for equitable distribution of benefits derived from hunting tourism, addressing concerns about fairness and sustainability. These ethical considerations are vital for fostering community support for conservation initiatives and should ensure that previously excluded and dispossessed people are part of hunting and have access to the wild resources on their lands.

Linked to ethics and sustainability, was the health and food safety of wild harvested products. For instance, Lydia Bhebhe, an AWEI postgraduate, noted that “there is a need for integration of human, animal, and environmental health through the lenses of the One Health principles. Participants stressed that success of wildlife enterprises depend on the interconnectedness of health considerations. These sentiments were also echoed by Qudra Kagemba, from TRAFFIC who is focusing on how to reduce zoonotic disease and sustainability risks in Tanzania game meat industry by developing a one health approach to value chain management. By adopting a holistic perspective, we can develop wildlife economy strategies that promote not only conservation and enterprise, but also ethical practices and health communities.

One Health Approach

Finally, the necessity of the integration of human, animal, and environmental health was highlighted through the One Health approach. Experts stressed that sustainable wildlife production must consider the interconnectedness of these health considerations. By adopting a holistic perspective, stakeholders can develop strategies that promote biodiversity, public health, and economic resilience.

Promising Pathways

The African Wildlife Economy Colloquium showcased a rich diversity of ideas, insights, and discussions from practitioners and researchers showing the interconnectedness of complex issues relating to sustainable use of wild species and the governance of of Africa's wildlife economy. Several promising pathways – enabling policies and laws, voluntary standards and certification, development of wild meat value chains, development of ethical wildlife enterprises, and innovative financing models – emerged from the discussions. For all the participants, perhaps the most important takeaway was the recognition that Africa's wildlife economy is a highly complex system, and we need to bring multiple disciplines and stakeholders together to address identify opportunities for moving forward.

The African Wildlife Economy Institute hosted the event in partnership with the following organisations: