The contribution of wildlife to the economies of Sub Saharan Africa
To what extent does wildlife contribute to the economies of Sub Saharan Africa, through tourism, legal trade and legal hunting ?
Abstract
Helpdesk reports provide digests of research findings and lesson learning.
The question for this report:
- To what extent does wildlife contribute to the economies of Sub Saharan Africa, through tourism, legal trade and consumptive use (legal hunting)?
There are numerous studies analysing wildlife watching tourism, however, there is limited data and literature on the overall figures of wildlife watching tourism and its economic impacts, and hence these are difficult to quantify. There is also limited data and evidence on the exact economic contributions of consumptive wildlife tourism in Sub Saharan Africa, such as trophy hunting and legal trade in skins. From the studies found, the contribution of trophy hunting to Sub Saharan countries’ GDPs is small but it may play a significant role in supporting conservation efforts. Despite limitations in measuring the economic value, tourism is a principal export for many African countries and a significant source of foreign exchange. Although the economic importance of tourism in Africa and the continent’s share of the worldwide tourism market are relatively modest, tourism numbers and expenditure has been increasing steadily there over the last 20 years. Wildlife watching tourism is one of the main tourism products for Africa and as such a key contributor to the continent’s socio-economic development.
Citation
Price, R.A. (2017). The contribution of wildlife to the economies of Sub Saharan Africa. K4D Helpdesk Report. Brighton, UK: Institute of Development Studies.
Links