conference | wrsa activities
with so many delegates, some
of whom are established wildlife
ranchers whilst others attended the
WRSA conference for the first time,”
he said.
In a message from the Minister
of Environmental Affairs, Nomvula
Mkonoyane, presented by her
Chief Advisor Dr T Moeme, she
emphasised that the wildlife sector
is crucial in ensuring sustainable
development for the future of our
nation. In the keynote address,
Dr Mathews Phosa paid tribute
to the private wildlife sector’s
collaboration with rural communities
towards leaving a lasting wildlife
legacy for the future.
Economic constraints
Theo Vorster, a well-known financial
advisor and analyst, pointed out
that South Africa could not keep
up with global economic growth.
For the country to improve on its
position, it needs to move away from
a captured state to a constitutional
democracy where many of our
social ills will disappear. Vorster
cautioned game ranchers against
taking risks in the current volatile
environment.
Johan Rabie, an established
game farmer, shared statistics about
foreign hunters that indicate South
Africa as their preferred hunting
destination, mainly because of the
variety of high-quality game the
country offers. He advised game
farmers to benchmark their activities
carefully against current demands
and trends to remain profitable.
Disease prevention and control
among wildlife remain a crucial
game management priority for
ranchers. Dr Johan Steyl, a
veterinary pathologist from the
Faculty of Veterinary Science at
Onderstepoort, explained the
importance of biosecurity measures
on game farms.Effect of climate change on
wildlife sector
Prof. Hannes Rautenbach, Dean
of the Faculty of Natural Sciences
at Akademia, addressed the effect
of global warming on wildlife
ranching, which he said might be
more resistant to climate change.
He reiterated that much more
research was essential to identify
vulnerability to climate change and
stressed the importance of historical
data. Rautenbach advised game
ranchers to erect weather stations
for collecting and measuring
weather data that can provide
valuable information in our response
to climate change.
Prof. Peet van der Merwe of
North West University reported on
research undertaken in collaborationwith WRSA into land-use options.
The results showed that game
breeding and hunting were the
most popular and viable land-use
options, followed by mixed farming,
ecotourism and meat production.Transformation and land
expropriation
Christo van der Rheede, deputy
executive officer of AgriSA, and Dan
Kriek, president of AgriSA, provided
insight into transformation and land
expropriation respectively. Van der
Rheede urged game farmers to
work with the agricultural sector
towards achieving transformation.
It is estimated that the world
population will reach nine billion
people by 2050 and it will be
farmers that would be expected to
provide food for everyone. Kriek
encouraged the wildlife industry
to demonstrate the value they are
adding to the economy, employment
opportunities, and promoting the
country as a tourism destination.Marketing SA as preferred
hunting destination
Norman Adami, a successful wildlife
rancher, and Wiaan van der Linde,
a wildlife rancher and hunting
outfitter, gave their perspectives
on promoting SA as a preferred
destination against the odds of
international social stigma and
ignorance towards hunting. The
sector needs the SA government’s
involvement to market the country
as a preferred hunting destination. Q+LJKSUR¿OHVSHDNHUVDGGUHVVHGLPSRUWDQWFXUUHQWDIIDLUV
that provided essential insight and a fresh perspective
into the impact that national and global economic trends
have on the South African wildlife sector.For more information, visit http://www.wrsa.co.za