Zambia lifts hunting ban
Zambia has lifted a 2013 ban on hunting - meaning wildlife, with the exception of big cats, can now be hunted for sport.
Zambia has lifted a 2013 ban on hunting - meaning wildlife, with the exception of big cats, can now be hunted for sport.
Zambian minister for tourism and arts Jean Kapata announced that the ban in 19 hunting blocks would be lifted with immediate effect. The ban had originally been put in place in 2013 following controversy over a flawed tendering process for safari-hunting concessions and fears for the population levels of big cats species.
The move has sparked a furious backlash on a Zambian tourism website with some potential travellers threatening to boycott the country, but the government and the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) believe they have lost revenue following the ban and that it has had a negative impact on the local communities.
There has also been debate around whether money from tourists paying to hunt big game on a quota-basis can mean funding for other conservation projects, and create an incentive to look after game and deter poaching.
ZAWA spokesperson Readith Muliyunda said that the ban on hunting of lions and leopards remained in place. "Hunting will be conducted under laid down conditions and strict supervision from ZAWA."
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