A new study has shown that communities living near South Africa’s Kruger National Park overwhelmingly favor earning an income through wildlife-friendly initiatives rather than through trophy hunting.
Researchers surveyed over 1,550 households in 12 communities surrounding the park and discovered that over 80% supported 10 income-generating options that avoid killing animals.
Proposed alternatives included a lion protection fee, wildlife credits, community craft tourism, communal vegetable gardens, online sales and tourism, non-ecotourism income streams, biodiversity stewardship, land leasing, and community-based natural resource management.
“Our research suggests there is a powerful opportunity to align conservation and community development, without relying on trophy hunting,” the study’s authors wrote in an article for The Conversation. “Where wildlife populations need to be managed, certain animals could be relocated.”
The research also found that about 80% of respondents whose communities had already implemented four of these alternative income options expressed approval for them.
Additionally, people reporting greater happiness and those living in smaller households tended to be more supportive of conservation, hinting that raising quality of life and reducing economic pressures could encourage stronger support for wildlife.
“South Africa is currently revisiting its national policies on wildlife use,” the authors stated. “This offers a window to rethink how conservation is funded and to put ethical, community-based alternatives at the heart of that vision.”
Lady Freethinker is grateful to the researchers and the communities near Kruger National Park for showing that humane, community-led livelihoods are viable and preferred, and we urge South African policymakers to prioritize and fund these alternatives that protect wildlife while improving people’s well-being.
