Who owns SA’s wildlife? Hunting quotas and the quiet rewriting of our biodiversity compact
Are we watching the transfer of a common biodiversity heritage into a private wildlife economy, one trophy, one regulation and one policy decision at a time?
South Africa's wildlife ownership and governance are undergoing a significant transformation, one that is being carried out incrementally and without much public announcement. Dr Bool Smuts, a leopard researcher and founder of the Landmark Foundation, has observed this changing policy landscape. The government has recently set quotas for the export of elephant, rhinoceros, and leopard hunting trophies for 2026 and 2027.
However, the leopard quota was released just three days after a draft National Leopard Conservation Strategy and Action Plan was released for public comment. This raises questions about the true intentions behind these policies and whether wildlife is being converted into a private commercial asset for the benefit of a few privileged individuals and foreign trophy hunters.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
