Event 2: Conservation Social Work (presented by Josphat Ngonyo of ANAW)

Mr. Ngonyo spoke about the activities of his organization, Africa Network for Animal Welfare. Some of the issues he cited include: how human population increases enhance resource competition which in turn exacerbates human-wildlife conflicts over land use issues; poaching, snaring, and illegal bush meat trading; use of animals in educational experiments and research; spread of rabies through stray dogs; and long-distance transport of animals for zoos. Some of the matters dealt with in his organization are similar to those in the United States, such as the conflict of settlement and food production versus wildlife habitat, and the complex issue of genetic manipulation of species through hormone injections and crossbreeding.

Desnaring a Zebra

ANAW is very concerned with lobbying and legislation changes, such as increased penalties for illegal ivory trading. The hope is that by sensitizing judges to the issues, tougher laws will be put on the books, which will lead to stronger enforcement measures. Mr. Ngonyo hopes that through media sensitization workshops, school education, and other means of advocacy animal welfare issues will become a priority in Parliament. Partly due to the efforts on behalf of his organization, a series of anti-bullfighting laws were passed. Another mission of ANAW is to empower local communities through education, interaction and involvement in animal welfare solutions. The ultimate goal is to have community representatives present in decision making bodies regarding matters like revenue allocations from wildlife hunts and tourism, determination of quarters for sport hunts, and other important resolutions that impact humans, wildlife, and land use practices. He spoke of creating bridges between local and distant cultures, local livelihoods and market economies, man and nature, and present and future generations.

I would have been very interested to know about his views on American CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feed Operations) and the extensive use of GMOs in our crop production. Also, a presentation on one of the communities he’s worked with that includes specific strategies to connect with the people and teach them about wildlife conservation and alternative sources of income to poaching. Some of the methods he mentioned were true but somewhat vague, like strengthening communities, better disease management, increased access to water and food, improving understanding of modern conservation, and better financial management. A question (asked by me!) regarding sport hunting versus photo tourism raised some questions regarding financial streams and how national policies impact conservation efforts. Mr. Ngonyo explained that while sport hunting makes money from selling licenses to individuals, photo tourism is more lucrative to the local economy due to the greater mass of people involved and the greater utilization of services such as airlines and hotels.