North-West University tourism researcher says bushmeat poaching is depleting wildlife populations and threatening South Africa’s tourism economy,
South Africa’s thriving wildlife tourism industry is under growing threat from bushmeat poaching, with experts warning that the continued loss of wildlife could have devastating consequences for conservation, rural livelihoods and the country’s reputation as a premier safari destination.
This is according to Professor Peet van der Merwe of the Tourism Research in Economics, Environs and Society (TREES) research unit at North-West University (NWU), who said illegal bushmeat hunting is quietly stripping parks, reserves and farmlands of wildlife that attracts millions of visitors each year.
“Protecting wildlife is not only a conservation responsibility; it is an investment in tourism, rural livelihoods and the country’s international reputation. If the wildlife disappears, the tourists – and the opportunities they create – may follow,” Van der Merwe warned.
The warning comes amid increasing reports of wildlife being caught in wire snares and hunted with packs of dogs across South Africa’s conservation areas. According to conservation organisations, snaring remains one of the most widespread forms of poaching in the country.
