SAHGCA Conservation Policy

The human oriented nature of the SAHGCA conservation charter and conservation policy confirms the fact that the association sees conservation to have a “human face”.  The association, therefore, manages it’s conservation activities within that context.

The two principal thrusts of SAHGCA’s conservation policy highlight the human oriented elements of conservation, namely that:

1. conservation is the responsible, wise and sustainable use of renewable natural resources, and that;
2. SAHGCA’s conservation focus should be on indigenous fauna and flora.

Both thrusts clearly indicate human initiated and managed activities focussing on the realistic conservation of our natural and wildlife heritage.

With the first principle, SAHGCA understands that:

1. it shares the common responsibility for the management of sustainable use with all other sectors;
2. conservation inherently implies equity in sharing all the advantages of sustainable use, and;
3. the responsible practice of hunting is a key building block of conservation
4. as an integral part of responsible and sustainable use.

With the second principle, SAHGCA understands that:

1. conservation cannot be concentrated on threatened and endangered species alone;
2. conservation must be focused on populations of species, and;
3. conservation activities must begin with habitat as the most important component thereof.

In order for hunting to maintain a position of relevance in conservation, hunting has to address and make a contribution to alleviate at least some of the more relevant socio-economic and socio-¬political issues perceived to be related to hunting as such, and to the hunting industry as a whole. In this context the following more important conservation related issues around which conservation activities are focussed are identified as:

1. Effecting biodiversity conservation through sustainable use;
2. Effecting equity in benefit sharing accrued through hunting;
3. Effecting appropriate and relevant skills transfer and training (appropriate guides and hospitality training), and;
4. Effecting transformation in the hunting industry.