Does trophy hunting remain a profitable business model for conserving biodiversity in Cameroon?

Abstract

SUMMARYIn Central Africa, trophy hunting constitutes an incentive-based approach for sustainable wildlife management. We collected data from the wildlife administration, safari hunting enterprises and local wildlife management committees, to provide an order of magnitude of the financial performance of this sector in Cameroon. In 2012, trophy hunting was likely to generate an annual turnover of € 7.5 million and its added value could amount to only 0.0001% of GDP although these hunting zones cover 12% of the national territory. The profit margin for professional guides had become negative, with a net annual profit around € -0.7 million. The severe crisis in the trophy hunting sector is mainly due to an increase in the management costs of the hunting zones and the diminishing price of hunting safaris. The State plays a crucial role in enhancing the financial attractiveness of trophy hunting by the restoration of security in the Northern region and by technical measures to (1) clarify the allocation process for hunting areas, (2) simplify regulations and (3) establish an incentives system for law enforcement at national and local levels.Keywords: sport hunting, sustainable wildlife management, hunting zone, conservation La chasse sportive reste-t-elle un modèle rentable pour conserver la biodiversité au Cameroun?En Afrique centrale, la chasse sportive constitue une approche incitative pour la gestion durable de la faune sauvage. Nous avons collecté des données auprès de l'administration en charge de la faune, des entreprises de safari de chasse et des comités locaux de gestion de la faune pour produire un ordre de grandeur des performances financières de ce secteur au Cameroun. En 2012, la chasse sportive a probablement généré un chiffre d'affaires annuel autour de 7.5 millions d'Euros et sa valeur ajoutée a pu contribuer à seulement 0.0001% du PIB, alors que les zones de chasse sportive couvrent 12% du territoire national. La marge de profit des guides professionnels était devenue négative, avec un profit annuel autour de -0.7 million d'Euros. La crise sévère que traverse le secteur de la chasse sportive est principalement due à une augmentation des coûts de gestion des zones de chasse et au prix décroissant de ces safaris. L'Etat joue un rôle crucial pour rehausser l'attractivité de ce secteur en rétablissant la sécurité dans la région Nord et par des mesures techniques visant à (1) clarifier le processus d'allocation des zones de chasse, (2) simplifier la réglementation et (3) établir un système incitatif de mise en oeuvre de la loi aux échelles nationale et locale. ¿es la caza de trofeo un modelo económico rentable para la conservación de la biodiversidad en Camerún?En África central, la caza de trofeo consiste en un enfoque basado en incentivos para la gestión sostenible de la fauna. Compilamos datos de la administración pública a cargo de la fauna, de empresas de safari y caza, y de comités locales de gestión de la fauna, para proveer un orden de magnitud del desempeño financiero de este sector en Camerún. E...

Conservation overstretch and long‐term decline of wildlife and tourism in the Central African savannas

“…Large wild herbivores stand out for their economic importance. For decades, tourism has been the pillar of a thriving local wildlife industry, attracting governmental investments (Roulet, 2004; Lescuyer et al., 2016). The declining number of photographic tourists in North Cameroon runs in parallel with declining large wild herbivore population numbers, a relation sometimes reported as causal (Naidoo et al., 2016).…”

“…These savannas cover 1.06 million km 2 , 25% of which has been conserved as national parks, game reserves, or low‐intensity trophy‐hunting zones (Doumenge et al., 2015; Dinerstein et al., 2017). This ecoregion had important local photographic tourism and trophy‐hunting industries (Lescuyer et al., 2016; Roulet, 2004), and countries within it have comparable legal‐political frameworks (Doumenge et al., 2015).…”

“…We focused on large, wild herbivores––elephant ( Loxodonta africana ), giraffe ( Giraffa camelopardalis ), buffalo ( Syncerus caffer ), and 10 antelope species ( Alcelaphus, Damaliscus, Eudorcas, Hippotragus, Kobus, Ourebia, Redunca , and Tragelaphus )––as indicators of conservation outcomes because of their role as umbrella species, as suggested by the designation of six of the seven Central African national parks as important bird areas (Table 1; Fishpool & Evans, 2001; Macdonald et al., 2013); their economic value for tourism (Lescuyer et al., 2016); and the availability of long‐term survey data (Scholte, 2011). Large herbivores, detectable through direct observations in multispecies aerial and terrestrial surveys, are >25 kg (e.g., red‐fronted gazelle [ Eudorcas rufifrons ]) in the open savanna of Waza and Zakouma or >50 kg (e.g., kob [ Kobus kob ]) in the wooded savannas of Bénoué, Bouba Ndjida, CAR, and Garamba (Jachmann, 2002).…”

“…[2016] Internal Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife reports). Taxes constituted an estimated 20% of trophy hunting revenues at the individual trophy hunting enterprises in Cameroon (Lescuyer et al., 2016).…”

Lion trophy hunting in West Africa: A response to Bouché et al.

“…The trophy hunting model collapsed in Central African Republic [ 15 ], is currently disintegrating in Cameroon [ 16 ], and could soon fail in WAP owing to the pervasive political insecurity in the region, and the low revenues achieved[ 17 ]. Revenues in WAP only cover a fraction of total management costs[ 17 ], which is also observed in other areas.…”