Challenges and opportunities in sustainable wildlife management

The purpose of this paper is to identify the challenges and opportunities in sustainable wildlife management. Sustainability is used by so many researchers and practitioners but what does this mean for wildlife management and... [ view full abstract ]

The purpose of this paper is to identify the challenges and opportunities in sustainable wildlife management. Sustainability is used by so many researchers and practitioners but what does this mean for wildlife management and how difficult is it to achieve? Does sustainability in this context only refer to economic, environmental and societies or communities or does it entail more than this? These are some of the key issues that this paper will attempt to address since wildlife is under a growing threat in Africa. Poaching, growing populations, droughts, poverty, food security are all aspects that impact on the way we manage wildlife. Wildlife management is therefore not only contained to the geographical area where conservation takes place but goes far beyond these areas. Lessons will be drawn from previous studies done on these issues in order to provide some guidelines on how to ensure that we conserve wildlife, especially in Africa for future generations. Sustainable  wildlife management it is not only the responsibility of government alone, but the private sector has an important role to play. In this regard, privately owned game farms in South Africa and Namibia have an enormous impact on growing wildlife numbers and in creating a different model for wildlife management, therefore contributing significantly to sustainable wildlife management.