Setting of 2006 Hunting Quotas Africa
June 28th, 2005 by Administrator
Setting of 2006 Hunting Quotas Starts - THE Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has started setting the hunting quota for the 2006-hunting season.
Officers from the authority’s Scientific Services Unit are already on the ground trying to meet some stakeholders in the hunting industry so as to determine quotas to be set.
In a statement, the authority’s public relations manager, Retired Major Edward Mbewe, said the participatory approach, involving land holders, local authorities, safari operators and supporting organisations was being used to develop 2006 off-take hunting quota.
“Although the various stakeholders may have independent objectives, sustainable off-takes largely depend on realities on the ground as detected by monitoring systems such as animal population status,” said Rtd Major Mbewe.
He said resource persons to provide background information on participatory quota setting indicators or trends on impacts of hunting and illegal off-take would be drawn from research programmes, technical environmental organisations.
The resource persons, Rtd Major Mbewe said, would make representations, while in certain areas provide information to assist in coming up with the recommendations for administering and monitoring the approved quotas.
The proposed workshops are going to cover six major areas of wildlife production and all land categories for instance Campfire areas, State land and conservancies, in South East Lowveld, Matabeleland South, Matabeleland North and Zambezi Valley.
At least two workshops were proposed for each of the four regions.
“The participatory approach which is being used for quota setting is an ideal process as it aims at having a co-management approach whereby all relevant stakeholders become active participants who compliment the authority, in all aspects of wildlife management that underpin sustainable utilisation,” said Rtd Major Mbewe.
The guiding principle in the determination of quotas for all hunting areas, Rtd Major Mbewe said, was that the quota levels should enable Zimbabwe to be a hunting destination where animals of international acceptable trophy quality hunted from viable and sustainable populations were offered for a high fee
The Herald (Harare)