Re-thinking the Application of Sustainable Use Policies for African Elephants in a Changed World

The document examines the application of sustainable use (SU) policies for African elephants, distinguishing between consumptive use (CU)—such as ivory trade and trophy hunting—and non-consumptive use, such as photographic tourism. It argues that while CU has seen some success in Southern Africa, it is largely undermined by corruption, poor governance, and a 'partial global trade ban' that creates market confusion and encourages poaching. The author contends that the closure of major ivory markets in the US and China, combined with the inability of CITES to approve new trade, makes a permanent global ivory trade ban the most viable path. The paper recommends that African governments transition to public-private protected area management organisations (PPPAMOs) and photographic tourism, while using 'conservation hunting' only as a temporary stop-gap. Ultimately, it calls for a global biodiversity tax to compensate African states for the opportunity costs of these restrictions.

• The current 'partial global trade ban' on ivory is counterproductive because it sends confusing signals to markets, encourages speculative demand, and allows poached ivory to be laundered through legal domestic markets and Appendix II country sales.
• Consumptive use (CU) policies, specifically trophy hunting, have provided significant socio-economic benefits in Southern Africa, including funding for government wildlife agencies and community-based natural resources management (CBNRM) programmes.
• Corruption and poor governance make the effective management of a legal ivory trade unfeasible, as illegal ivory can be easily laundered into legal markets by criminal syndicates and corrupt officials.
• The closure of major domestic ivory markets in the US, China, Hong Kong, and the EU significantly limits the ability of Southern African countries to sell legal ivory, even if CITES were to allow it.
• Public-private protected area management organisations (PPPAMOs) are proposed as a more effective alternative to national wildlife agencies in corrupt environments, as they can reduce corruption and improve human security at the local level.
• Photographic tourism is often unable to scale to marginal areas or ecologically critical biomes in Central and West Africa due to high capital costs, low profit margins, and a lack of aesthetic appeal or security.
• The author suggests a biological sustainability objective for the next decade focused on 'holding the line' against poaching and boundary infringement in specific large ecosystems, such as the TRIDOM area and the Maasai Mara/Serengeti.
• Trophy hunting may remain a necessary 'stop-gap' solution to prevent the conversion of wilderness areas to agriculture in countries where tourism is not yet viable.
• A global 'biodiversity tax' is recommended to fund the transition to non-consumptive land use and compensate African governments for the opportunity costs of restricting mining, oil, and forestry in elephant habitats.

APA

Orr, T. (2016). Re-thinking the Application of Sustainable Use Policies for African Elephants in a Changed World. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Occasional-Paper-241.pdf

Chicago

Orr, Thomas. Re-thinking the Application of Sustainable Use Policies for African Elephants in a Changed World. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2016. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Occasional-Paper-241.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Orr |first1=Thomas |title=Re-thinking the Application of Sustainable Use Policies for African Elephants in a Changed World |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=August 2016 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Occasional-Paper-241.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{orr2016rethinking, author = {Orr, Thomas}, title = {{Re-thinking the Application of Sustainable Use Policies for African Elephants in a Changed World}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2016}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Occasional-Paper-241.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }