How to pass the buck Legislation for Conservation versus

How to pass the buck
Legislation for Conservation versus
Wildlife Welfare in South Africa
Dr Mandy Lombard
Nelson Mandela
Metropolitan University
South Africa
Karen Trendler
Director ‘Working
Wild’
Wild’
South Africa
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3 4
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provinces
SA has one of the largest
and most commercialized
use of wildlife in the
world but inadequate
welfare legislation
Wildlife Tourism in top 5 forex earners
POOR people use
wildlife for
livelihoods
(USE THE BUCK)
Different
value
systems
LEGISLATION fails on
wildlife welfare
(PASS THE BUCK)
RICH people use
wildlife for
recreation
(MAKE A BUCK)
Legal system promotes Sustainable Use at all levels
CONSTITUTION
Right to use …
DEA
Dept. Environmental
Affairs
Sustainable use
DAFF
Dept. Agriculture,
Forests & Fisheries
Production
Conservation
Legislation
Animal Welfare
Legislation
So who is responsible for the buck’s welfare?
DEA
DAFF
Conservation
Legislation Permit
conditions
NGO:
National
Council of
SPCAs
Animal Welfare
Legislation
Fundamental Problems
Laws promote sustainable use
conflict of interests w.r.t. welfare
Laws weak
financially-driven bad practice
Laws fragmented
responsibility passed around
welfare is reactive
Fundamental Problems
Responsibility passed to NGO
without power / capacity / funding
Continuous argument
dominated by
stakeholders
Different value systems
Lack of a well-defined ethic
Two examples to illustrate these
problems
Captive African
Elephants
Captive (canned)
Lion Hunting
Captive Elephant Issue
Capture of calves from
wild populations for
elephant back riding
Training
Circus training
and chaining
DEA
DAFF
Conservation
Legislation
Animal Welfare
Legislation
Norms & Standards
for Elephant
Management
Minimum Standards
for Captive Elephant
Use
Canned Lion Hunting Issue
Breeding of lions
in captivity
Removal of cubs
to induce
oestrous
Release of
drugged adults
in small areas
for hunting
~3,000
wild
lions
~4,000
captive
lions
Constitutional Court
DEA
Conservation
Legislation
2005 legal
stakeholder process
to list ToPs
Predator
breeders
took DEA to
court
Way forward
Multi-pronged
approach
Interdisciplinary
research
Disciplines
Law
New/strengthened/streamlined – welfare
buck stays with user
Empirical Science
Better science to measure basic welfare
requirements
Social Science
Reconcile different value-based views
A well-defined ethic
Actions
Education and Training
All legal system participants
(policy drafters/magistrates, conservation/welfare
officials, academic institutions)
Networking and Coordination
Amongst institutions, agencies &
individuals
International advisory panel
Discussion document for policy officials
What you can do ….
[email protected]
Conservation
Scientists
Wildlife Welfare into
SA Policy
Development
Public Watch
Let’s
go get
lunch…