importance of conservancies for enhancing the value of game ranch land for large mammal conservation in southern Africa

Legislative changes during recent decades resulted in a massive shift away from livestock towards game ranching in southern Africa, resulting in significant increases in the abundance and distribution of many wildlife species. However, there are problems associated with game ranching from a conserva...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of zoology (1987) Vol. 277; no. 2; pp. 99 - 105
Main Authors: Lindsey, P.A, Romañach, S.S, Davies-Mostert, H.T
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Oxford, UK Oxford, UK : Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.02.2009
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Subjects:
communities
Conservation
Economies of scale
Ecotourism
fences
Indigenous peoples
Introduced species
Land reform
Land use
Livestock
Mammals
Predators
private land
private lands
Ranching
Reintroduction
Social sustainability
trophy hunting
Wildlife
Wildlife conservation
South Africa
Africa
ISSN:0952-8369, 1469-7998
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Legislative changes during recent decades resulted in a massive shift away from livestock towards game ranching in southern Africa, resulting in significant increases in the abundance and distribution of many wildlife species. However, there are problems associated with game ranching from a conservation perspective, including persecution of predators, overstocking, introductions of exotic species and genetic manipulation of 'huntable' species. We suggest here that most of these problems could be overcome through promoting the formation of conservancies, where adjacent ranches remove internal fencing to form larger collaborative wildlife areas. Larger areas permit the reintroduction of the full range of indigenous mammals, tending to result in a land-use shift from high-offtake, low-value consumptive utilization towards higher value forms of hunting and ecotourism. Under these land-use conditions, ranchers tend to be more tolerant of predators and often actively reintroduce them. Freedom of movement for wildlife populations increases resilience to environmental shocks. The collaborative management agreements typical of conservancies tend to align more closely with conservation objectives than on single ranches. Fortuitously, there are financial advantages associated with conservancies: land-use options in conservancies are more profitable and there are economies of scale associated with cooperative management. Land within conservancies is likely to appreciate in value and attract external investment. In addition, conservancies are more conducive to developing partnerships with indigenous communities and investors and may thus increase the political and social sustainability of game ranching. However, ranchers are fiercely independent and may be resistant to removing fences due to the perception that they may relinquish control over their land and wildlife. Strategies are required to overcome such reluctance and promote the formation of conservancies to enhance the conservation value of game ranch land.
Bibliography:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00529.x
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istex:9FB2431EE7567BF2166B14C7413479B35F7205C0
ArticleID:JZO529
Editor: Steven Le Comber
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ISSN:0952-8369
1469-7998
DOI:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00529.x