Wildlife is not livestock — Aucamp’s dangerous plan to turn conservation into agriculture
Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp wants South Africa’s wildlife ranching industry transferred to his department. Behind the rhetoric of economic growth and sustainable use lies a potentially far-reaching attempt to redefine wildlife as an agricultural commodity, raising serious constitutional, ecological and ethical questions.
Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp has proposed a potentially dangerous plan to transfer the regulation of South Africa's wildlife ranching industry from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment to his own department. He argues that game farming is an agricultural commodity, suggesting that this change could shift regulatory authority towards animal production and commercial utilisation.
However, wildlife conservation experts argue that this is a flawed approach, as wildlife and livestock are fundamentally different entities with distinct values and objectives.
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