Consumptive Wildlife Tourism in Southern Africa: Implications for Sustainability

This chapter provides an overview of consumptive wildlife tourism in East and Southern Africa. It also sheds light on the current controversy regarding utilitarian and ontological perspectives revolving around the trophy hunting industry. The chapter also explains the concept of trophy hunting as a commercial industry generating revenues for conservation. To generate a broader understanding of trophy hunting, we give a history of its development in the East and Southern African region and an account of trophy hunting in critical hunting hotspots. We show the rationale for the industry and the possibilities for reconciling the controversy. Our analysis found the controversy in the hunting industry as needing better knowledge about each side of the debate. Under proper management, trophy hunting, conservation, and rationality of ethics are possible if the balance between the interests of pro-hunter and anti-hunters is harmonized. Lastly, implications for sustainability are discussed considering perspectives among stakeholders and the public.