A Review of the Global Trophy Hunting Procedures and Processes with Illustrations from Zimbabwe

Abstract

Trophy hunting has become one of the most topical and controversial tourism and conservation issues in the world today. This informative and analytical paper exposes the loopholes in the practice’s procedures and processes with illustrations from Zimbabwe and then proffers feasible recommendations for the sustainability of the practice. Data for the illustrations was collected from in-depth interviews with national park authorities, registered hunting operators, some local communities around the hunting areas and the hunters themselves. This research revealed that although the global trophy hunting procedures and processes were well laid out as set by world body organisations such as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the Convention on International Trade and Endangered Species (CITES), there were several loopholes in the system which needed urgent attention especially for Zimbabwe. The study recommends that countries such as Zimbabwe, which rely heavily on wildlife tourism, should not necessarily adopt a ‘me too approach’ and ban trophy hunting. Rather, they should get rid of the weaknesses inherent in the trophy hunting procedures and processes highlighted in this paper to ensure a win-win situation for the practice. Further research needs to be undertaken to document the contribution of trophy hunting to the decimation of big game in such countries so that any decision to ban the practice can be justified.