June 15th, 2009
Dr. Kefle Argaw
Director General of Ethiopia Wildlife conservation Authority
P.O. Box 386
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Fax: +251 (11) 551 41 90
Email: e.w.c.o@ethionet.et
Dear Dr. Argaw:
Thank you for your response dated May 4th 2009. Safari Club International and Safari Club International Foundation (SCI and SCIF) appreciate your response and the opportunity to comment. Safari Club International is sympathetic to the concerns of your government regarding revenue and fairness. However we submit that more revenue from hunting in Ethiopia could be raised through a gradual increase in trophy fees rather than through an abrupt and significant escalation in fees.
If trophy fees must be increased, those increased costs should be allocated, at least in part, towards wildlife conservation. Safari Club International and Safari Club International Foundation would like to encourage the government of Ethiopia to establish a system under which a percentage of any trophy fee revenue increase be designated for wildlife conservation and for the local communities where hunting occurs. SCI and SCIF strongly support the concept that local communities bear much of the responsibility for wildlife conservation and that consequently, the local communities should share in the revenues from trophy hunting. Unless local communities recognize the value of trophy game, avoid poaching and participate in the conservation of game species, those species may diminish and ultimately disappear. The loss of the species not only reduces hunting opportunities, but also removes food and income from the communities. It is vital that local communities share in the benefits of sport hunting so that they will understand the value that a sustainable wildlife population brings to the country. SCI and SCIF are pleased that the EWCA understands this concept and makes it priority in their management of wildlife.
Although fee increases may be both inevitable and ultimately beneficial to the wildlife species in need of conservation, increases that are too abrupt and too severe can do more harm than good. When trophy fee prices increase substantially, over a very short period of time, hunters may change their plans, seek other countries for their hunting trips, or forgo travelling altogether. This reduction in safari travel could hurt the total revenue that the Ethiopian government could collect. Additionally, the trophy fee increase could have a substantially negative affect on the safari operators who are already struggling due to the global economic downturn. Any distress among the Ethiopian outfitter industry could reduce government fees in the short and long term while hurting economic growth.
For this reason, SCI and SCIF recommend that, if Ethiopia plans to move forward with the trophy fee increases, those price increases should be pushed back until the end of the economic crisis and/or the trophy fees should be raised gradually over a period of years rather than all at once. SCI and SCIF recognize the Ethiopian government’s position on the country’s entitlement to hunting related revenues. We submit, however, that it would be far more beneficial to Ethiopia to have larger long term government fee revenue along with more hunters spending money in the local economy than to have a small short term trophy fee increase that for the long-term discourages hunters from spending their funds in Ethiopia.
As SCI stated in its previous letter, our organizations believes the existence of a stable, healthy number of hunt outfitters and professional hunters is important to the health of the hunting community. These people make it possible for safari hunting to occur. Without them, the revenues and other benefits associated with safari hunting would not continue. Therefore, we favor the establishment and continuation of a reasonable, reliable and predictable business environment in which safari hunting can flourish. Such an environment benefits everyone – the hunters, the outfitters, the governments, the local people who derive benefits from the hunting activities, and, at the end of the day, the game species themselves.
Thank you for taking the time to consider our concerns. SCI and SCIF look forward to working with you on this issue and would be glad to offer our assistance and expertise on any future wildlife or hunting issues that occur.
Sincerely,
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