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By Zig Mackintosh Biogeography, the study of species distribution patterns across space and time, is seldom discussed in African conservation. Yet it provides perhaps the most compelling context for understanding why safari hunting concessions matter to conservation, and why, if safari hunting is eliminated, the risks to biodiversity would be
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Key Takeaways: * CITES was set up to regulate the trade in wildlife products, not prohibit it. * There are 184 country members (Parties) who can vote on issues. Observers (NGOs) cannot vote, but they do influence policies. * The public at large has come to support a non-use wildlife paradigm, mainly as
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Boda bodas are motorbike taxis ubiquitous across East Africa, particularly dominant in Uganda. The term originated from drivers who shouted "border, border" at potential customers along the Uganda-Kenya border during political instability in the 1970s. Originally, bicycle-based smuggling operations at border crossings transitioned to motorcycles in the 1990s
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With Dick Fourie The Chete Safari Area is a vast, rugged, undeveloped wilderness on the Zimbabwean shoreline of Lake Kariba. Covering 108,100 hectares between the Senkwe and Muenda rivers, it forms part of the lower Zambezi–Kariba ecosystem. It occupies a critical ecological position within a broader mosaic of
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By Hank's Voice IFAW, PETA, NhRP, HWA, CBTH, HSUS, HSI, BFF, AWI, AWA… an alphabet soup of acronyms of animal rights and anti-humanity organizations that are relentlessly involved in actions that are anti-conservation. They persistently force-feed their conniving concoctions to an unknowing drama-hungry public, whom they hope to
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Managing 4,500 square kilometers of wilderness, the Lugenda Wildlife Reserve faces unique challenges, including limited tourism revenue, unstable regional conditions, and the presence of over 5,000 community members living within its boundaries. The Lugenda Foundation was established in June 2023 as a fully compliant Mozambican entity serving as
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By Zig Mackintosh When we think of wildlife conservation, we often envision vast national parks, multimillion-dollar budgets, and international organizations with large teams of researchers. However, some of the most powerful conservation stories are written by small-time operators working with limited resources, big hearts, and an unshakeable belief in their
Anti-Poaching in Action
In European capitals, policymakers debate the ethics of hunting in Africa while animal rights activists condemn any form of wildlife utilization. Yet walk into any upscale restaurant in Paris, Berlin, or Vienna, and you'll find venison, wild boar, and game birds prominently featured on the menu. Visit a
By Prof Brian Child Key Takeaways: * Wildlife has been miscast as a public good. * The governance regimes for wild resources no longer match their economic characteristics. * Treating wild species as public goods results in an inequitable allocation of costs and benefits. * Benefits are global, but costs are local. * Rhino owners
By Dr Daniel Stiles Captive big cat collections from around the world, among the poaching threats now facing big cats, are being hoovered up by one mega-zoo in India that calls itself Vantara – ‘Star of the Forest’ in Hindi. Looking only at five big cat species that are held both
In the northwestern waters of Lake Victoria, 84 islands tell a story of paradise vanishing. These are the Ssese Islands in Uganda, Africa, where 66,000 people reside at the intersection of economic development and environmental distress. The largest island, Bugala, stretches over 40 kilometers. For generations, the Baganda people
The Phalaborwa Natural Heritage Foundation (PNHF) is a non-profit organization based in Phalaborwa, South Africa, situated on the border of the Kruger National Park. Phalaborwa is uniquely positioned as the only town with a gate into Kruger National Park within its town limits. PNHF focuses on assisting nature reserves with
By Zig Mackintosh In a sea of environmental organizations, green movements and snake-oil salesmen, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) stands out as the most credible and principled. However. The IUCN World Conservation Congress was held in Abu Dhabi in October 2025. Nearly 10,000 participants from 189
Wildlife needs three things to survive: food, water, and protection. The Lugenda Wildlife Reserve (LUWIRE) within the Niassa Special Reserve in Northern Mozambique, Africa, had plenty of the first two but lacked the third. When Derek Littleton arrived in the area, the first thing he did was establish a small
The Phalaborwa Natural Heritage Foundation (PNHF) is based in the town of Phalaborwa on the border of the Kruger National Park in South Africa. The non-profit was started in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and initially, it focused on assisting with snare removals from live animals. As it grew, it
Key Takeaways: * Wildlife in the savannas of Northern Cameroon is being decimated. * The region is facing a myriad of threats from pastoralists to poachers. * Hunting concessions comprise about 70% of the massive Bénoué Complex (23,394 km² in extent). * The financial burden of protecting wildlife falls almost entirely on hunting
By Zig Mackintosh Key Takeaways: * African Conservation is caught in the crossfire of competing worldviews. * Western values center around preservation. * Animal rights groups believe that animals are sentient beings that deserve rights comparable to those of humans. * The “conservation through utilization” principle advocates assigning economic value to wildlife. * Rural African
Along the eastern shores of Lake Albert in western Uganda's Hoima District lies a wilderness area you've probably never heard of. The Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve stands as the only ecologically intact savannah along a 200-kilometer stretch of lakeshore. Established initially as a controlled hunting area in
By Dr Daniel Stiles In Volume 61 of Patrol, a staff writer published ‘The Inevitable Cascade: From Wildlife to Cattle to Camels, Comparing the Desertification of Arabia and East Africa’. I would agree with every word in the title except for the word ‘inevitable’. I once called the camel “a