AWF Statement on the Ongoing Southern Africa Drought and its Impact on Wildlife Management

Southern Africa is currently enduring one of the most severe droughts in a century, a crisis that continues to devastate livelihoods, economies, and ecosystems across the region. The intensifying El Niño weather patterns and extreme heat remind us of the interconnectedness of our global climate system and the urgent need for coordinated action.

This year, Southern Africa has been severely impacted by record-breaking temperatures, with some regions experiencing their hottest years on record. Prolonged drought conditions have led to millions facing acute food shortages, pushing governments to make difficult decisions to protect their populations.

Namibia, one of the hardest-hit countries, has been pushed to the brink of a humanitarian and environmental disaster due to a persistent lack of rainfall. The agricultural sector, which sustains over 70% of the rural population, is facing unprecedented challenges, leading the Namibian government to announce the culling of 723 wild animals to provide meat to those affected by the drought. While culling is one of the legal management strategies adopted by the government, it is a decision of last resort, rooted in the need to manage situations where the population of a species may exceed the ability of a conservation area to maintain the population.

However, this situation highlights the broader and more complex challenges facing conservation in Africa today. The root causes driving such decisions, including poverty, climate change, and land-use challenges, must be tackled to prevent similar scenarios in the future. Addressing these issues is crucial for the survival of wildlife and the well-being of the people who depend on these ecosystems. 

The pressures of poverty, climate change, and land use are forcing governments to make difficult choices that may not always favor wildlife. The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) recognizes that conservation is no longer solely about protecting wildlife or bettering protected areas management; it has become an economic, political, and social issue that must be addressed holistically.

At the African Wildlife Foundation, we are grounded in the fundamental belief that people must value wildlife and wildlands to make choices– conservational, cultural, economic, and political—to sustain them. When they do, they will prioritize pathways for development that enable wildlife and people to coexist and thrive. 

This requires landscape approaches that take protected areas as part of the larger economic, social, and political ecosystem. Ultimately, conservation will fail Africa if it separates people’s aspirations from wildlife management, imposes solutions on communities that prioritize the needs of wildlife over the needs of people's families or identities, and holds its ground with game-ranger guns.

We have seen that when communities are part of designing solutions and they see conservation as relevant to their futures, it will succeed. It is the best path to achieving the ambitious goal of protecting 30% of our land and oceans by 2030, known as the "30 by 30" initiative. Examples like Manyara Ranch in northern Tanzania, where local communities are now the guardians of wildlife, and Rwanda, where conservation has become a significant contributor to the national economy, demonstrate that when people are empowered to manage and control their resources, they become strong advocates for conservation.

These approaches are critical as we move forward. The decisions made by governments in Africa, under pressure from various socio-economic and environmental factors, must consider the long-term sustainability of both human and wildlife populations. We call for new conservation tools, approaches, and strategies to address these root causes and ensure that conservation in Africa supports wildlife and the people who live alongside it.

The global community must recognize that the future of conservation in Africa depends on addressing complex and interrelated challenges. We can create a future where both people and wildlife thrive by focusing on the root causes—poverty, climate change, and land use planning—and ensuring that Africans lead and benefit from conservation efforts.