Trophy Hunting: To Ban Or Not To Ban? Legal Pathways For Zimbabwe In The Aftermath Of Cecil The Lion

Abstract

This article examines the legal framework and tools for achieving sustainable
trophy hunting in Zimbabwe. Trophy hunting is part of wildlife tourism, in
which wealthy tourists visit Zimbabwe to hunt for a unique, iconic wildlife
with desirable phenotypic characteristics at a very high cost. The trophy
hunting system was developed to achieve the tripartite objectives of conserving
wildlife; providing local communities with economic opportunities and
income; and incentivizing local communities to support environmental
conservation initiatives. This article, however, highlights the blurred lines
between the purported sustainable trophy hunting and its unsustainable
implementation which now resembles “legal poaching.” This dichotomy was
heightened by the killing of Cecil the Lion, a tourism icon in Zimbabwe when
it was not listed under the quota system for trophy hunting. The wellintentioned legal frameworks on sustainable trophy hunting in Zimbabwe
are weakened by broad exceptions that render them toothless to achieve the
intended tripartite sustainability objectives. As demonstrated in this article,
these tripartite objectives can be fulfilled by effective enforcement mechanisms
that do not currently exist. Proposals are recommended to promote these
objectives through reformation of the existing legal frameworks. The option
to ban trophy hunting is examined through a socioeconomic analysis in
Zimbabwe to determine whether it would be possible to support a complete
ban. Zimbabwe’s current socioeconomic realities confirm that banning trophy
hunting would be unlikely as doing so would devastate the tripartite objectives.
Undertaking effective and sustainable policies is the more effective path for
Zimbabwe at this time.