Wildlife Utilization and Game Ranching

Wildlife utilization and game ranching - Report on a study of recent progress in this field in Southern Africa

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the current status of game ranching in southern Africa, recent developments there in this field, and the impact of game ranching on wildlife conservation, so that the prospects for game ranching as a form of land use in developing countries may be assessed. Interviews, questionnaires, on site visits, correspondence, literature reviews and habitat studies were conducted mainly in Rhodesia, the Transvaal and Natal.

More evidence is constantly accumulating which shows the productivity of wildlife to be higher than that of introduced domestic livestock. Other evidence suggests that in many situations wildlife is more profitable than domestic stock if they are allowed to compete on an equal footing.