Rural communities prefer other income streams above trophy hunting

A new study based on surveys conducted with over 1 500 households living around the Kruger National Park suggests that communities would rather seek alternative income streams, as opposed to trophy hunting.

- By Janine Ryan

According to surveys conducted by researchers with people living in communities around the Kruger National Park, residents would prefer income alternatives that do not include the killing of wildlife through trophy hunting.

Communities living around the Kruger National Park face a complex reality: while the park draws global tourists, nearby residents contend with direct threats from dangerous wildlife to their livestock and crops. This coexistence is further strained by high local unemployment and poverty, which, in turn, can fuel illegal hunting.

Trophy hunting, while prohibited within the Kruger National Park itself, is permitted in approximately 20 bordering private nature reserves. This practice generates substantial revenue for tourism operators and landowners.

However, it is widely criticised for providing only minimal financial benefits to adjacent communities, typically limited to a few seasonal jobs.

This was according to a study by Neil D’Cruze, research strategic lead of Canopy, and visiting researcher at the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) at the University of Oxford; Angie Elwin, head of research at World Animal Protection and visiting research fellow at Manchester Metropolitan University; and Herbert Ntuli, senior lecturer at the University of Pretoria.