African Wildlife Conservation 101

Wildlife conservation in Africa is very important because Africa is home to so many amazing animals. It has a large number of national parks and reserves which have been set up in order to protect the natural habitats of lots of amazing wildlife from any harm. 

African Wildlife Conservation 101

African wildlife faces a lot of threats and pressure. These include damage to natural habitats, different economic activities putting pressure on the animals, and conflicts with farmers. 

There are several different conservation models set up in order to protect African wildlife. In 1872, Yellowstone became the first national park on the continent and there have been so many more since. 

This article will explore the different wildlife conservation techniques used in Africa. Read on for more information! 

Challenges To African Wildlife 

Human Influence 

Humans have a huge impact on the endangered species in Africa as well as the other wildlife. Often humans poach wildlife for trade.

As well as this, often the wildlife in Africa attacks peoples livestock which leads to hunting to prevent this. Humans and animals are often not in harmony, meaning the wildlife face many problems. 

As human populations develop and grow in Africa, infrastructure also grows, posing more of a threat to Africa’s endangered animals and habitats. 

Trade 

The illegal trade of wildlife also poses a huge problem to endangered species. There are lots of anti-poaching initiatives in place to try and prevent this, but this needs to be tackled in order for it to be more successful. 

Rhino horns are very in demand which causes rhinos to be hunted. It is important that this problem is tackled to stop the danger to these animals. Things like rhino horns are traded for traditional medicines. 

It is becoming more commonly known that these products are causing harm to the African ecosystems and are acquired illegally, but this knowledge should continue to be spread.

Protected Areas 

Protected areas are one very effective way in which Africa conserves its wildlife. There are different types of areas across Africa that are protected in order to conserve the wildlife(see also: Meadowlands Conservation And Wildlife Area: Details And Location). 

Nature Reserves 

Nature reserves are one way that the wildlife in Africa is protected. This is a protected area that is left untouched in order to protect the wildlife.

In these areas, human visitation is hugely controlled to ensure that the animals remain protected. These areas are often used for scientific research. 

National Parks 

There are also a lot of different national parks in Africa. These are large areas that are natural to the country and they are set aside in order to protect ecosystems from damage. 

In these national parks you are able to go and visit to see some of the amazing sites. They are also used for education and scientific reasons.

Species Management Areas 

These areas are set aside in order to highlight the fact that they need regular interventions from outside forces to ensure that the habitat is maintained.

These are not the only types of protected areas that exist in Africa, however they are good examples of the way in which Africa is considering the conservation of their wildlife by protecting important (see also: 5 Important Wildlife Conservation Schemes India Are Using Right Now)habitats and ensuring that ecosystems are protected and flourishing.

Lots of people think that the efforts that are put into national parks and forests should be increased because of the important work that they do for the areas.

However, there is a lack of funding from the government in this area which causes an issue for some of these conservation efforts. 

African Wildlife Conservation 101

Private Reserves

As government funding in Africa is not providing the country with everything they need in terms of wildlife conservation, (see also: Everything You Need To Know About The Fish And Wildlife Act Of 1980)there are lots of private reserves that are set up to help this matter even more. 

You will find some of these types of reserves in countries like Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, as well as South Africa. 

These private territories are usually fenced off and owned by a landowner. They will section of his land and build different infrastructures within the reserves.

These reserves can have a variety of different things in them including lodges for tourists and different attractions. In return, these tourists will pay a fee that will help the reserve to pay for the protection of the animals. 

This poses its own problems, however, as it can be a bit problematic if the reserve is not treating the animals correctly. These will often be shut down. 

In Southern Africa, some private reserves buy and sell animals. There are many rules surrounding this and they have the opportunity to buy a species from other countries for their reserve. The individual countries’ laws of each country decide the rules on this.

Conservancies 

In Africa, conservancies are another way in which wildlife is conserved. This is another way in which areas are protected in Africa.

There are 80 conservancies in Namibia. The government only kept the rule of a few national parks in Namibia and the rest of these areas were given to the local communities to run. 

Local communities became in charge of wildlife management and hunting. This puts the protection of certain species in the hands of the local communities who can choose their business model.

This can come in the form of hunting and eco-tourism. All of these are based on the CBNRM model. This stands for Community Based Natural Resources Management.

Conservancies And Hunting 

Some conservancies rely on hunting in order to bring in enough money to run the project. The type of wildlife on the territory will determine whether they are legally allowed to hunt in this way.

They will have to ensure that there are animal population counts following hunting to ensure that none of the animals are being over hunted. 

In these conservancies, the villagers are in charge of bringing in the hunters. They will deal with the companies who bring in travel agencies and attract tourists. The local communities will provide the catering that is necessary for this to work.

Conservancies And Eco-Tourism 

Some conservancies don’t rely on hunting to bring in their revenue, instead relying on eco-tourism.

They will work to bring in as many tourists as possible by building lodges and tourist attractions. You will need to bring a lot more tourists in to make as much money from this as you would from the hunting.

In these conservancies in Africa, local products are often used in order to help the local economy. It is much easier for certain areas to generate revenue in this way as some areas find it easier to grow and produce due to the climate. 

Locals sell their products to the lodges in order to make some money from the onlookers. This also brings in more tourists as visiting the conservancies are more attractive to tourists.

Final Thoughts 

There are lots of dangers posed to African wildlife. African governments, authorities and private companies are trying their best to conserve their precious wildlife, but lots more needs to be done to ensure that their endangered species are protected.

Conservancies, national parks and species management areas are some examples of the ways that Africa is coping with the threats to their wildlife(see also: 10 Easy Ways You Can Help To Support Wildlife).

Olivia Kepner