Zebra steaks to protect wildlife and benefit indigenous communities?
Lately Kenyan conservationists have been expressing views on utilization of wildlife. Here are some personal views, based on factual experiences and expressed as objectively as one can subjectively be! I used to be 100 percent for consumptive use of wildlife and now I am 100% against. The reality of wildlife conservation in Kenya changed my view. Here's why. The definition of “Consumptive Use of Wildlife” broadly means generating revenue from wildlife by “consuming” it, through big game hunting, cropping for meat, hides or other products, or capturing animals alive for sale. I am the son of a hunter and I am an Economist. I did my thesis in the early 90s on “Sustainable Development and Environment Conservation: Wildlife as a Renewable Resource in Kenya”. In my thesis I argued - and proved! - that consumptive use of wildlife was the best tool to guarantee long term protection of Africa’s wildlife. As a desk economist it made perfect sense: associate an economic value to
