By Staff Reporter
More than 26 community trusts from across Botswana have issued a joint statement urging government to release the 2026 wildlife utilisation quota as planned, in a rare show of unity from rural communities that live alongside wildlife daily.
The statement, released on 23 December 2025 under the Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) framework, follows a legal case in which the Elephant Protection Society (EPS) launched court action against the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) over the draft 2026 elephant quota.
Representing communities from Ngamiland, the Okavango Delta, Chobe, Nata and other wildlife-rich regions, the trusts say sustainable utilisation is not an abstract policy debate but a practical necessity for people who carry the costs of conservation.
“Our communities are not observers of conservation,” the statement reads. “We are the frontline custodians and the people most directly affected by both the benefits and the burdens of wildlife.”
Conservation’s Hidden Costs
For decades, rural households have absorbed the social and economic impacts of wildlife—crop destruction, livestock predation, damaged property, threats to human safety, and restrictions on land use. According to the trusts, these impacts are persistent and financially devastating, yet rarely reflected in public debate.
The communities argue that regulated, evidence-based sustainable utilisation has helped convert wildlife presence into tangible benefits such as employment, scholarships, community infrastructure and social welfare support, while also reducing retaliatory killings by improving tolerance toward wildlife.
Criticism of Unmandated Advocacy
The trusts also express serious concern about organisations and individuals who publicly claim to represent “community voices” without consulting recognised community trusts or governance structures.
They warn that issuing statements, campaigns or legal actions without lawful community mandates amounts to misrepresentation and risks spreading misleading or false narratives about community positions on conservation.
Court Action Raises Concern
Addressing the ongoing dispute directly, the trusts say the Elephant Protection Society’s decision to take the matter to court against DWNP should have been handled differently.
Working alongside NCONGO, they argue that the issue would have been better addressed through dialogue and partnership with government rather than litigation.
“Collaboration and consultation remain central to effective conservation,” the statement notes, adding that legal confrontation risks sidelining the very communities that live with wildlife.
Call to Government
Despite the controversy, the communities reaffirm their commitment to conservation, coexistence and sustainable development. They maintain that sustainable utilisation is a key pillar of Botswana’s long-term conservation success.
In a direct appeal, the trusts call on government to release the 2026 wildlife quota, committing to use it responsibly and in full compliance with national legislation and CITES regulations.
Signed by 26 community trusts countrywide, the statement underscores a growing insistence from rural Botswana that conservation decisions must be shaped not only by courtrooms and advocacy campaigns, but by the lived realities of those who share land with wildlife.