Business of Conservation

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https://hdl.handle.net/10217/100286

This digital collection includes presentations given at the 8th International Wildlife Ranching Symposium held in 2014 for the symposium theme: Business of Conservation.

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Open Access
A new era of harvest on private lands in the USA: when should we manage pheasants like fish?
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Powell, Larkin, speaker; van Hoven, Wouter, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Hunters on public and private lands in the USA are regulated by harvest and possession limits. Wildlife managers rarely design spatially-explicit regulations or quotas for individual properties. Two policies on private lands could affect local harvest dynamics: fee hunting and guided hunting on private lands, and payments by states to private landowners to obtain Open Access rights for public use. These could result in higher levels of harvest on specific parcels of privately owned land, suggesting the need for new methods to prevent over-harvest. A third dynamic may have synergistic effects: fragmentation of private forests, wetlands, and grasslands has increased to the point that dispersal of game animals could be affected. I used spatial simulations to show how animals such as northern bobwhite, deer, and ring-necked pheasants can be legally over-harvested when multiple parties hunt the same parcel of land. During scenarios based on observed rates of use on Open Access-type lands in Nebraska, male pheasants were not predicted to survive the hunting season, and over 85% of female pheasants were illegally harvested when error rates were 1% per hunting party. Spatial modeling suggests that the level of fragmentation in eastern Nebraska does not allow the dispersal of pheasants to repopulate depleted areas. Shorter hunting seasons and state-supported monitoring should be implemented on Open Access lands that have high use potential. Also, landowners who engage in fee hunting should have their lands monitored to establish suggested harvest levels or quotas to protect the public resource.
Open Access
Is intensive breeding of color variations in game achieving triple bottom line profits for all?
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Nel, Lizanne, speaker; Dry, Gert, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Private landowners in South Africa have, for decades, derived sustainable income from the use of indigenous biodiversity through ecotourism and hunting. These benefits provide incentives to conserve biodiversity and private landowners "protect" more than double the area of proclaimed protected areas and they contribute substantially to achievement of national conservation targets. Recent trends in wildlife ranching however include selective breeding of indigenous game species to produce extraordinary trophy animals based on either unusual colour variations or trophy quality. These animals are sold either as breeding stock or directly for trophy hunting. Breeding is generally done in intensive or semi-extensive environments to faciltate selective breeding and to reduce production risks. Financial returns on certain atypical wildlife species have been exceptionally high and they run the risk of becoming a financial commodity. Conservation agencies and certain groups within the wildlife industry have raised concerns about the potential negative impacts that this commercialisation of wildlife can have on biodiversity integrity and associated industries. Another view is however that these activities contribute to the development of a sustainable green economy. Mainstream sustainable development thinking dictates that activities only have a long-term value to humanity if their benefits continuously outweigh the social and environmental costs of generating that value. This paper discusses intensive and selective breeding of indigenous wildlife, in terms of economic, environmental and social sustainability to guide our thinking in a complex, multi-disciplinary reality in order to determine the benefits and/or risks to current and future generations as wildlife is a common heritage of the people of South Africa.
Open Access
Game ranching in South Africa: biodiversity conservation or agriculture?
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Reilly, Brian, speaker; van Hoven, Wouter, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
South Africa is unique in having created an extensive game ranching industry across a wide range of indigenous ungulates to pachyderms and even large predators. From small beginnings by a handful of private landowners and forward thinking conservationists this industry now encompasses approximately 17% of the countries land surface area and herds may number as many as 20 million ungulates. The industry has an annual turnover exceeding a billion USD and is a significant contributor to the burgeoning green economy that includes ecotourism, hunting and many allied industries such as fencing, infrastructure and equipment as well as a host of consultants and practitioners from veterinarians, translocators, ecologists and other professionals. The industry has contributed significantly to the conservation of a number of species such as white rhino, black wildebeest, sable and roan antelope and a number of meta-populations are now biased towards private land more than in official protected areas. The industry has now reached a crossroads in terms of its divergence into more specialized intensive breeding of species for specific traits such as trophy size and colour variation and a departure in many instances from the official conservation objectives of the country. This paper will discuss the current status and position of the industry in relation to the official conservation stance and unbundle the contributory factors to the threatening conflict between the conservation fraternity and game ranching industry. The paper will further propose potential ways forward in dealing with this unique state of affairs in South Africa considering that communal lands and many commercial farmers consider wildlife a viable option for the future.
Open Access
What makes a hunting experience memorable?
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Saayman, Melville, speaker; van der Merwe, Peet, speaker; van Hoven, Wouter, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Growth in the number of game farms and hunting lodges (operators) in Southern Africa has created fierce competition amongst these hunting operations. In order to remain competitive it is important to determine what hunters regard as important in order to have a memorable experience. The literature review revealed that different markets (hunters) have different expectations and needs and for that reason the purpose of this paper is to determine the aspects that contribute to a memorable experience of foreign (trophy) hunters who hunted in South Africa in 2013. In addition the paper will also determine which socio demographic and behavioural variables influence memorability. This was achieved by conducting a structured questionnaire survey and the results are of high importance to hunting operators and product developers alike. It is also the first time that such a study is conducted amongst South African international hunters.
Open Access
How does land use affect the relative abundance of two mesopredators in the, Eastern Cape, South Africa?
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Parker, D. M., speaker; Kok, A. D., speaker; Perry, T. W., speaker; van Hoven, Wouter, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Livestock pastoralism and game ranching are the two dominant land use types in the Eastern Cape, South Africa and conflict between humans and medium sized carnivores is widespread. In this study, we used 12 spatially explicit (3 x 3) trail camera grids (3600ha), to assess the relative abundance indices (RAI) of two common predators; black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) and caracals (Caracal caracal). Camera grids were equally distributed across the two land use types. Over 19121 trap nights, 726 photographs of black-backed jackals and 81 photographs of caracals were taken. The RAI of jackals was significantly higher on game ranches than livestock farms (U = 109; df = 1; p < 0.05). In contrast, the RAI of caracals was similar on the two land use types (U = 73; df = 1; p > 0.05). While the two mesopredators are actively removed by managers on both land-use types, removal rates are higher on livestock farms than game ranches. Thus, monogamous, pair-bonded black-backed jackals may be more sensitive to the effects of predator control than solitary caracals. The merits of predator removal as a conflict mitigation strategy are discussed.
Open Access
Internal audit and wildlife ranching: friend or foe?
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Reilly, Yvonne, speaker; van Hoven, Wouter, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
South Africa is unique in world terms having spawned a significant wildlife industry. This industry encompasses some 17% of the land surface area in which private and corporate landowners extensively ranch between 16 and 20 million indigenous animals, mostly ungulates. The economic value of the industry annually exceeds 1 billion USD. The enormous amount of time, money and other resources that are invested in the wildlife ranching industry of South Africa presents serious challenges for the future; if this industry wants to ensure that its current status quo remains intact. This sector fulfills a pivotal role in the economy of S.A and therefore to ensure that this role is maintained in the future, the assistance of internal auditing is crucial. This discipline developed by addressing all the needs of different stakeholders. The internal audit is defined as: An independent objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an entities operation. It assists an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness at risk management, control and governance processes (IIA2009). This paper examines the wider management issues of wildlife ranching by reviewing whether all the stated objectives are achieved effectively, efficiently and economically. The three spheres that form the extent of internal audit, that of risk management, control and governance are applied on different wildlife ranching issues. Examples of corporate governance perspective where a balance must be created between performance and conformance to achieve objectives, are applied on issues such as ethics of lion hunting, ivory trading and trophy hunting control. Risk management techniques are explored by applying various techniques on important wildlife ranching issues e.g. monitoring of wildlife. This paper further aims to ensure that wildlife ranching will in future rely on internal audits to make recommendations. It will assist them to achieve their objectives more efficiently, effectively and economically, as well as adding value in a consulting perspective as and if needed. Integrity, openness/transparency and accountability must prevail intact in the wildlife ranching industry if this industry wants to persist and grow, particularly in the light of future community potential stakeholder status and official interest in the governance within the industry. Internal audits can thus drive sustainability and add to the success of this, an important industry in a green economy worldwide, in particular the region and South Africa.
Open Access
Wildlife ranching industry: the South African flagship of a sustainable green economy
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Dry, Gert C., speaker; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Unlike American wildlife culture which is based on the belief that making money out of wildlife is immoral; the South African wildlife culture is based upon sustainable use and or commercialisation. It is trite knowledge that the value placed on game, the wildlife industry has not only restored wildlife to the land but has also enhanced and restored the genetic quality of our wildlife. The wildlife industry has grown positively, predominantly as a result of the legal trade, the exclusivity of wildlife and the hunting and tourism industry. Currently 16,8% marginal, uneconomic, semi desert agricultural land has been converted into a sustainable land use option. All private game ranches are marginal farms in economic terms that have been converted from domestic stock/crop farms into effective land-use options. These farms are not, and never have been conservation land. The South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) has been highly successful with their conservation and preservation mandate with regard to national- and provincial owned parks but the implementation of a newly proposed legislative regime will seriously cripple the wildlife industry as the 'flagship' of South Africa's Green Economy. The wildlife industry proposes the development of enabling legislation that will give the wildlife industry room to grow and prosper and to be regulated as a "national competency" for the governance of the wildlife industry. The wildlife industry can assist the national growth agenda to ensure real progress. The sustainable use of South African wildlife can gain traction given evidence based research reported in various pieces of research, Macro Economic indicators for game ranching in South Africa and some specific game ranching growth initiatives.
Open Access
Transaction cost measurement for the evaluation of the regulation of live wildlife trade in South Africa
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Dry, Gert C., speaker; van Hoven, Wouter, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Although South Africa has in theory, an economic comparative advantage in the production of indigenous wildlife, the ability to capitalize on this advantage was originally initiated by an incisive policy that entrusted ownership of wildlife to private landowners. Since 1991, wildlife ranchers have continued to transform marginal land into thriving operations despite a largely unreceptive policy environment. Discrepancies that exist between provincial permit-award procedures, the conservation status of many indigenous species, and the degree to which translocation can occur not only generates uncertainty; it also raises concerns amongst wildlife ranchers with regards to the cost of doing business. This status quo suggests that the current regulatory environment is not organized in such a way that transaction cost are minimized. Hence, the regulatory environment is not an efficiency-inducing administrative instrument that facilitates exchanges between economic agents. The paper addresses the latter; revewing policy-induced transaction cost associated with the live trade of wildlife species. It is argued that the implicit costs force consideration of externalities that would otherwise be ignored when market forced act in their own best interest. Results revealed significant implicit cost which confirms that the current regulatory environment is not efficient. This research not only indicates the need for legislation that is standardized across provinces, it also reveals the importance of transaction cost considerations when biodiversity or environmental policies are developed or amended.
Open Access
Zooming in on trophy hunter's spending
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Saayman, M., speaker; van der Merwe, P., speaker; van Hoven, Wouter, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
The purpose of this paper is to determine the determinants of trophy (international) hunters spending in South Africa. Hunters in South Africa can be divided into two categories namely biltong (primarily local hunters) and trophy (primarily foreign hunters) and hunting makes a significant contribution to the tourism industry and the economy in general. One of the key contributors or ingredients of economic impact studies is tourists (hunters) spending, and the 9000 international hunters spend approximately R1.2 billion in 2013 which can still be increased. The reason being that hunting lodges and game farmers are mostly located in rural provinces with high rates of unemployment. Therefore this research can help practitioners and marketers alike to focus their marketing and development activities and resources on these variables. The research was conducted by means of a structured web based questionnaire survey and this is the first time that the determinants have been identified in South Africa which has a vibrant hunting industry.
Open Access
Financial incentives for private land conservation in the United States
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Vana, Jordan, speaker; Dry, Gert, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Americans have supported private land conservation for more than 30 years. In that time, the nation's 1,700 land trusts have helped landowners conserve more than 47 million acres of farm and ranch land, wildlife habitat, and open space around the country, including more than 1.2 million acres in Colorado. Financial incentives play a critical role in these efforts. This session will provide an overview of these incentives, including federal, state and local tax benefits available to conservation-minded landowners, as well as government and private funding options. This session is not intended to provide legal, financial or accounting advice. Rather, it will give participants a working knowledge of the financial incentives available for conservation in the United States, with a particular focus on Colorado.

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