Thu Dec 11 08:27:18 UTC 2025: Botswana Faces Criticism Over Increased Elephant Hunting Quota

GABORONE, Botswana – The Botswana government’s decision to increase its annual trophy-hunting quota for elephants has sparked controversy, with conservationists warning of potential harm to elephant populations and increased human-wildlife conflict.

Botswana, home to the world’s largest elephant population of over 130,000, lifted a hunting moratorium in 2019, citing the need to manage elephant numbers and generate revenue for local communities. A preliminary government draft indicates that the quota for trophy hunting for 2026 has been raised to 430 elephants, up from 410 in 2025.

While the government maintains that regulated hunting is crucial for managing elephant populations and mitigating human-wildlife conflict, critics argue the increased quota poses a threat. Oaitse Nawa, founder of the Elephant Protection Society (EPS), called the quota “too high” and urged the government to reconsider.

Concerns also arise that targeting elephants with large tusks disrupts elephant society and exacerbates conflicts with human communities. According to Will Travers, cofounder and executive president of Born Free, trophy hunters target individual animals they regard as ‘trophies’ … in the case of elephants, those with the largest tusks, the mature males.

The debate also encompasses the economic benefits of trophy hunting, with the government reporting over $4 million in revenue from hunting licenses in 2024, used to support conservation and community projects.

Amy Dickman, a professor of wildlife conservation and director of WildCRU at the University of Oxford, said, while trophy hunting may be “contentious”, it is not a key threat to any species, including elephants, and that “revenue from legal hunting helps maintain large areas of wildlife habitat and can be very important for local people”.“Botswana – the leading country in the world for large mammal conservation – has a thriving elephant population, and both the government and local communities need to see financial benefits from that presence,” she told Al Jazeera.

The controversy reflects the ongoing challenge of balancing conservation efforts with the needs of local communities and economic interests in Botswana and other African nations with trophy-hunting quotas.

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