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Banning the import of hunting trophies to the UK could harm African conservation efforts, a thinktank has warned.
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), a pro-free market thinktank, said the policy is “illiberal, harmful to conservation efforts, and detrimental to local communities in source countries”.
A bill to ban bringing hunting trophies into the UK was brought by a Conservative MP under the last government, and Labour’s manifesto also pledged to ban it.
Dr Francis Vorhies, author of the Elephant In The Room paper and founder of the African Wildlife Economy Institute in South Africa, argued that safari hunters bringing animal parts back to the UK can help conservation.
The paper also says a ban would be at odds with the UK’s membership of the World Trade Organization (WTO) as it would introduce a trade barrier.
He writes: “Trophy hunting, when properly regulated, can generate revenue for conservation, create economic incentives for habitat protection, support target species and their habitats, and contribute to local livelihoods.
“The bill demonstrates a growing consensus in parliament to move away from trade liberalisation.”
Dr Vorhies told Sky News: “The UK unilaterally banning imports are basically undermining a very well-established international framework to decide about trade and trade measures with respect to endangered species.
“Now, interestingly enough, the new proposal under the Labour platform doesn’t mention endangered species… the old Conservative platform did talk about endangered species.
“And so now the assumption seems to be that all trophies, or all hunted trophies…
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