African Conservation Leaders Deliver Strong Message to
U.S. Government
15 NOVEMBER 2013
PRESS RELEASE
Washington — Last week, Safari Club International
Foundation held its 12th annual African Wildlife Consultative Forum (AWCF) in
Livingstone, Zambia.
Conservation leaders attending included wildlife
management authorities from the nine African counties of Botswana, Ethiopia,
Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, as
well as representatives from the safari industry, NGO and wildlife science
sectors.
The government representatives attending the AWCF
delivered this week a letter to the Co-Chairs of the Presidential Task Force on
Wildlife Trafficking, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry and Attorney General Eric Holder.
The letter presents their recommendations for the
implementation of President Barack Obama's Executive Order Combatting Wildlife
Trafficking. The letter recommends that the Task Force appoint Safari Club
International Foundation to its Advisory Council to act as a liaison for the
African governments who are the principle agents for conserving wildlife on
their continent.
"It is distressing that Africa's governments were
not included or even consulted on the U.S. government's new Task Force to stop
poaching. This policy decision of the U.S. government directly affects Africa's
communities, wildlife, and economies. To ignore these countries is an obvious
misstep that needs to be rectified," SCI Foundation President Joe Hosmer
said.
During the forum, presentations on the global importance
of hunting and tourism were made to the AWCF attendees. This spurred great
interest on the part of both the African governments and the African
professional hunters associations to embark on a socio-economic review of
consumptive and non-consumptive tourism in Africa. SCI Foundation will assist
in funding and managing this economic review.
The Operators and Professional Hunters Associations of
Southern Africa have also sent a letter to the Task Force explaining their
integral role in Africa's wildlife management, and requesting official
participation in implementation of the Executive Order. From anti-poaching
patrols on land areas that are 22% larger than all the national parks of
Africa, to employment opportunities for local individuals, to infrastructure
projects that improve the livelihoods of the community where they work and
live, the role of the outfitters and professional hunters of the safari
business are inextricably linked to the sustainability of Africa's wildlife.
"The AWCF is successful because it gives African
governments, conservation professionals, and professional guides a platform to
generate consensus on critical policy issues that are otherwise often made
without their input. SCI Foundation is prepared to be the liaison for Africa's
nations, communities, and its future by working directly with the U.S.
government to end poaching," Hosmer concluded.
Letter On Behalf of AWCF Participating Nations:
Letter On Behalf of Operators and Professional Hunters
Associations:
Visit www.safariclubfoundation.org for more.
