On July 14, 2020, over fifty community leaders from southern Africa issued an open letter to UK celebrities, urging them to reconsider their opposition to hunting in Africa. The leaders emphasized that while such campaigns may have good intentions, they risk undermining local human rights and conservation successes.
They highlighted that sustainable, regulated hunting provides up to 90% of the economic incentives for conservation in their regions, supporting both wildlife protection and community livelihoods. Without this income, communities could lose interest in conservation, leading to increased poaching and habitat loss.
The letter also detailed the daily challenges of human-wildlife conflict and stressed the importance of community-based conservation that respects local voices and needs. The leaders called for inclusive dialogue with international stakeholders to find balanced, effective solutions to conservation.
