Most trophies are imported into Europe from countries with abundant and stable populations of the species being hunted, including Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. This is why sustainably manage trophy hunting is recognised as a conservation measure by international agreements and organisations. Nevertheless, some governments, like the UK’s new Labour government, intend to ban trophies imports irrespective of whether hunting contributes to conservation and local livelihoods.
According to a new policy brief released by the London-based Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), a trophy import ban would also undermine the UK’s commitments to international agreements regarding trade and wildlife conservation. Its author, Dr Francis Vorhies (Director of the African Wildlife Economy Institute at Stellenbosch University) explains that the ban would go against the UK’s commitments to trade liberalisation under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and to targets ensuring that the trade of wild species is sustainable and legal as set out in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Most importantly, the UK along with over 180 other countries is a party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which regulates the trade in specimens of wild species including hunting trophies. Under CITES, species threatened by trade are identified and measures are put in place to ensure trade in these species is sustainable and legal. These measures including issuing export permits based on non-detriment and legal acquisition findings. A unilateral import ban by the UK or other European countries would undermine this well-established multilateral trading system and ignore the assessment undertaken by exporting countries, such as the southern Africa countries with the hunting sector is well managed.
African leaders, including the President of Botswana, have argued that the proposal is colonialist. Dr Shylock Muyengwa says“Colonialism is over – yet British politicians still forget to respect the will of African communities.” Dr Mike Musgrave says, “It’s the last gasp of an entitled elite who thinks African wildlife conservation still falls under the jurisdiction of the Colonial Office.” Professor Adam Hart says the proposal is “poorly thought through from a conservation perspective and has been branded ‘neocolonial’ and ‘racist’ by heads of state and community groups in Southern Africa.” Rather than a go-it-alone import ban on trophies, the UK should stick with the tried-and-tested multilateral trading rules and respect the rights of African countries to manage the use and trade of the wild species, including the export of hunting trophies.
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Summary
The rationale for import prohibitions or restrictions is normally protectionism, e., protecting domestic industry from foreign competitors. The rationale for the prohibition on hunting trophy imports could better be described as ‘illiberalism.’
In its current form, the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill puts in place illiberal measures that are at odds with the position of the UK as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and a Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Under CITES, to which the UK is an active Party, an internationally agreed system is in place for regulating the trade in endangered species, including hunting trophies. This system recognises the sovereignty of countries in making decisions about export and import permits. The import prohibition of this bill ignores this system.
The hunting trophy import prohibition bill undermines the UK’s position in CITES and in multilateral agreements regarding the sustainable and legal trade in wild species.
Well-managed, sustainable and legal trophy hunting is recognised by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Members and CITES Parties, including the UK government, as a conservation measure. A unilateral general prohibition of trophy imports is an anti-conservation measure.
