Helping to keep the 'Campfire' going
Zimbabwe's unique grass-roots approach to wildlife
management finds a stage in, of all places, Hollywood
By James A. Swan, Ph.D.One outstanding event that seeks to get some positive ink for shooting sports is the Hollywood Celebrity Shoot, which just completed its sixth annual shoot at the Triple-B Shooting Sports Park in South El Monte, Calif.
Bigger than ever, more than 600 people turned out for the two-day competition, which benefited St. Jude's Children's Hospital and plans to expanding its program to serve children around the globe.
Produced by the seemingly tireless efforts of Sanford Abrams and John Laughlin, some of the nearly 100 actors, writers, directors, producers and musicians present included Louise and Irlene Mandrell, Frank Stallone, Marshall and Lindy Teague, Anne Lockhart, Michael Gregory, Charles Napier, and Olympic gold medalist Kim Rhode.
| “ | The communities involved see the value of the animals, and in turn they turn out in force to help curb poachers. ” | |
| — Ed Kadzombe, on the wildlife management program CAMPFIRE |
Sponsors and shooters came from 27 states and five foreign countries. And the man who came the farthest, Ed Kadzombe, also provided the biggest donation — a 14-day African safari.
Kadzombe is the chairman of the Zimbabwe Wildlife Advisory Council.
"We wanted to invite people to come to Zimbabwe, see the wildlife, hunt them if you wish, and see how we are managing this resource for the good of all," Kadzombe told me as we sat under a colorful tent, surrounded by photos of lions, leopards, elephants, hand-woven baskets and other artifacts including statues of black rhinos, who are sacred animals to the people of Zimbabwe.
"In addition," he said, "we felt a medical center that is now reaching out to help children all around the world, was very worthy of our support."
The value of the safari donated by E.K. Safaris and the Zimbabwe Wildlife Advisory Council was at least $15,000. And as an extra-added attraction, the winning bidder will share lunch or dinner as the guest of the vice president of Zimbabwe.
In this era when politically correct pundits challenge how hunting could have anything to do with conservation, the cold facts about hunting in Africa tell the real story.
For example, you may have heard various eco-groups trying to grab the headlines about how African elephants are endangered. That depends on where you are talking about. In l980, Zimbabwe had 40,000 elephants. Today, after 22 years of carefully regulated hunting, they have 88,000 pachyderms. How can this be so?
Kadzombe laid out the facts:
Tourism is a $25 million-a-year business in Zimbabwe. The eco-tourists may outnumber the hunters, but the hunters outspend them, $15 million to $10 million. When eco-tourists come in, they whisk around in a jeep for a couple days, wine and dine, and leave. Hunters stay longer, pay trophy fees and guides, and the meat from animals killed goes to local villages, along with skins and bones that can be used for clothing and arts and crafts.
"The communities involved see the value of the animals, and in turn they turn out in force to help curb poachers," Kadzombe explained.
The primary reason why elephants and some other species of wild animals are declining in some countries, is that poaching runs rampant because people need money and there is no way to police the bush.
Hunting fees are returned to the local communities and to wildlife management programs, thus perpetuating the resource. In additional, outfitters not only hire local people as guides and support crew for the safaris, they donate part of their profits as well for local communities and conservation enforcement. The program that oversees hunting in Zimbabwe is called "Campfire."
Grass roots approach to wildlife management
Zimbabwe's unique grass-roots approach to wildlife management is called CAMPFIRE (Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources; http://www.campfire-zimbabwe.org/).
Typically, CAMPFIRE begins when a rural community's elected Rural District Council, asks the government's wildlife department to grant them the legal authority to manage the local wildlife resources, and demonstrates it has the capacity to do so.
Since 1975, Zimbabwe has allowed private property holders to claim ownership of wildlife on their land and to benefit from its use.
Under CAMPFIRE, people living on impoverished communal lands, which represent 42 percent of the citizenship, claim the same right of proprietorship.
Conceptually, CAMPFIRE includes all natural resources, but its focus has been wildlife management in communal areas, particularly those adjacent to national parks, where people and animals compete for scarce resources.
CAMPFIRE offers people an alternative to destructive uses of the land by making wildlife a valuable resource. Wildlife, in fact, is the most economically and ecologically sound land use in much of Zimbabwe.
Most communities sell photographic or hunting concessions to tour operators — under rules and hunting quotas established in consultation with the wildlife department. Others choose to hunt or crop animal populations themselves, and many are looking at other resources, such as forest products.
Since its official inception in 1989, more than a quarter of a million people have been involved in managing wildlife through CAMPFIRE. It has been so successful that South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Mozambique and Botswana are now developing programs similar to Zimbabwe, sometimes using relocated Zimbabwe animals, including elephants.
Kadzombe said that it costs $5,000 to $6,000 to relocate one elephant from its herds to nearby countries that tried to save elephants by stopping hunting and have paid the price with escalating poaching.
Kadzombe was especially proud of how hunters have supported the conservation of black rhinos, which are a national heritage treasure to Zimbabwe.
For the last 20 years Zimbabwe has been capturing and exporting black rhinos for captive breeding in zoos. This protects animals from poachers, and preserves the gene pool. In exchange for the adult animals, some of the offspring are returned to Zimbabwe to shore up the gene pool in the wild animals.
Local politics
You are no doubt aware that Zimbabwe has been caught up in a struggle over land ownership for the last two years. President Robert Mugabe has told white farmers to leave the land. About 40 percent left voluntarily and others have been evicted. The seizure of white-owned farms affects about 350,000 workers, as well as the food supply of the region.
Attorney Leo Grizzaffi of Torrance, Calif., who works with the Zimbabwe Wildlife Advisory Council and EK Safaris, says the land redistribution controversy has not had any negative effect on hunters visiting Zimbabwe.
The police consider protecting tourism a very high priority. Some of the farms and concessions have been effect by the redistribution, but outfitters simply route their safaris to other places.
The bottom line is that in such a turbulent time, hunting in Zimbabwe may well be one of the most stabilizing forces in the country.
The sequel?
The Zimbabwe Wildlife Conservation Advisory Council was a very visible sponsor at this year's Hollywood Celebrity Shoot, but hardly the only one.
More than 140 sponsors were involved in pulling off this program, which was expanded to two days to accommodate the more than 300 patron shooters.
Next year, who knows how much bigger it will be?
There was talk that a delegation from Mars plans to offer a hunt next year — maybe a safari tracking wicked aliens guided by Sigourney Weaver — but then you know how stories get going in Hollywood.
For more information on, visit its Web site at www.hollywoodcelebrityshoot.com.
James Swan is the author of the book "In Defense of Hunting."
To purchase a copy visit his website.
