How Does Game Ranching in South Africa Contribute to Sustainable Use of Wildlife?

Wildlife tourism plays a key role in both wildlife conservation and economic development in Africa. The wildlife tourism industry generates approximately the same total revenues as farming, forestry, and fisheries combined. ... [ view full abstract ]

Wildlife tourism plays a key role in both wildlife conservation and economic development in Africa. The wildlife tourism industry generates approximately the same total revenues as farming, forestry, and fisheries combined. Game ranching is of central importance. Game ranches support a number of activities, including trophy and domestic hunting and photographic tourism. The revenues and game meat generated by game ranching, combined with the quantity of land devoted to game management, means that these lands play a key role in wildlife and habitat conservation. However, there is a lack of consensus regarding the effectiveness of game ranching as a conservation tool.
South Africa provides an excellent case study for the economic and ecological impacts of game ranching. The game ranching industry of South Africa accounts for approximately half of the US$201 million per year in revenues that are generated by trophy hunting in sub-Saharan Africa. In total, 9,000 game ranches provide habitat for over 1.7 million wild animals.

Although the financial returns of game ranching have been well documented, researchers have often implicitly assumed that the increased transition of lands to game ranching equates to net conservation gains in terms of habitat management and ecosystem services provision. We used interviews with 29 game ranchers and 10 other key stakeholders to investigate how ranchers manage habitat on their lands, and the degree to which they incorporate ecological advice into their land management activities. We found that game ranchers engage in several land stewardship practices that are consistent with sustainable use, namely: control of bush encroachment, removal of invasive, exotic plants, erosion control, the use of fire, and active management of game to maintain habitat quality. However, these land stewardship practices could be improved if game ranchers were provided with the appropriate outreach and extension materials. Game ranchers would benefit from the re-establishment of active extension services that provide guidance on biologically sustainable land management practices, which would reinforce the long-term financial and ecological viability of game ranches.