Angola to Reopen Legal Hunting

[FIELD ETHOS]

Angola to Reopen Legal Hunting | Field Ethos

By Chad Adams The Dallas Safari Club, in partnership with Conservation Force, made a big announcement at the…

fieldethos.com

By Chad Adams

The Dallas Safari Club, in partnership with Conservation Force, made a big announcement at the recent DSC Summer Expo — Angola is set to reopen legal, regulated hunting. The two hunter-led conservation organizations signed a memorandum of understanding with Angolan counterparts, forming the basis of cooperation to build back Angola’s hunting industry.

“This is a door reopening,” said Rob McCanna, Chief Executive Officer, Dallas Safari Club and DSC Foundation. “A door to wild country, to real adventure, and to conservation that actually works.”

More than a geographic reopening, Angola’s decision to reopen hunting, and how they’re going about it, represents a potential major shift. The country has clearly positioned itself to move toward strategic, science-based sustainable use as the guiding principle driving conservation efforts.

“Angola is not following a script written by activists or donor-driven agendas,” McCanna said. “This is Angola’s decision. The Angolan people are standing up for science and recognizing that hunting is the surest way to conserve wildlife.”

Restoring A Safari Paradise​

Once a premier African hunting destination, decades of war delivered devastating effects on wildlife, leaving wildlife populations severely unmanaged and vulnerable, according to DSC. Now, with hunter-led conservation leading the way, Angola positions itself to foster better natural resource governance, habitat restoration, and to reintroduce regulated hunting as a tool for conservation and community development.

McCanna called for the hunting community and conservation stakeholders to support Angola in building a premier hunting framework once again. To kick off that support, DSC auctioned off a 14-day plains game hunt, along with a five-day blue marlin fishing adventure. The auctions, along with other fundraising events, raised approximately $3.5 million to support the DSC mission.

“I would like to thank Conservation Force for the intense technical assistance they started to guide Angolan authorities in implementing the Hunting Regulations with the support of DSC, and we are determined to overcome the immense challenges ahead of us, conscious of the outstanding value that well-regulated hunting can bring to wildlife conservation and communities’ livelihoods,” said Dr. Simao Zau, Director of the National Institute of Forestry Development (IDF), Angola.

 

[Safari1]

I think that Mike Chase with Elephants Without Borders (EWB) got his foot in the door early and convinced the authorities to declare that entire Luiana / Mavinga region a National Park.

This needs to be overturned and the old Coutada’s restored so conservation can move forward.