Managing our Wildlife Heritage is an excellent publication that explains how we can really save wildlife and not just pretend to love animals, as some do.
if you are you concerned about wildlife and conservation issues but would like to understand the issues clearly, as I most certainly do, then this book, ‘Managing our Wildlife Heritage’, is an excellent place to start.
This book might be written with Africa’s wildlife in mind but the basic principles, which are put forward in this book, are universal and can be applied to saving wildlife anywhere on the planet. In addition, as the developed world is now trying to force its own wildlife philosophies, which are often heavily tainted by misconceptions and a lack of understanding, onto the continent of Africa, it would be beneficial for all of us to know what our governments are trying to do and whether they are right or wrong. In this book, the author has laid out the principles of wildlife management in a very succinct and clear manner so that anyone, with an open mind, can begin to understand this important topic. Indeed, as the author states:
“Readers will discover that they don’t have to be rocket scientists to understand wildlife management. All they have to be is objective and prepared to apply the common sense with which we are all born.”
So, with that quote by the author in mind, I thought that I would start this review by talking about the author first. I have done this, at the risk of making this review lengthy, because I believe that understanding Ron Thomson’s background is absolutely vital to a true appreciation of the value of this book.
Table of Contents
About tHE aUTHOR
Ron Thomson is not some recent graduate from a western university with a degree in ‘underwater basket weaving’ but a true conservationist with nearly 50 years of real experience in hands-on wildlife management and conservation. In 1959, aged 20, he joined the Department of National Parks, of the then Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland which, in 1963, became the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). He served in this department for 24 years rising from the rank of Cadet Game Ranger to the Provincial Game Warden-in-charge of Hwange National Park1, one of Africa’s biggest and most prestigious game reserves. He qualified at the University of Rhodesia as an ecologist and served as a member of the British Institute of Biology, and as a Chartered Biologist for the European Union, for some 25 years before his retirement. As stated in the About the Author section of this book; ‘Ron Thomson is a died-in-the-wool national parks man.’
Now that we have some insight into the background of the author, let’s now take a look at the book itself.
This book is only 116 pages long which is a good length as it will allow almost any reader to quickly gain a good understanding of wildlife management without having to wade through some huge scientific volume or university text book that would, in all probability, lose most readers. The amount of information that the author has included in this book is impressive and the ease with which he conveys that information demonstrates a deep and clear understanding of the issues. Ron Thomson is passionate about wildlife and this readily comes through in his writing and his direct manner of addressing each topic.
So let’s take a look at the book, chapter by chapter, where I have included a quick precise of some of the major points of this book and the chapters in which they can be found, but I would commend all concerned persons to obtain a copy of this book and read it for yourself.
Prologue
In the prologue, the author lays out some of the historical background to the conservation debate, which helps to set the stage for the discussion to follow. He also talks about the difference between first order and second order thinking which is of critical importance to the conservation debate as first order thinking, which is closed minded, has been the order of the day on both sides of the debate. As the author later argues, second order thinking, or thinking outside the square, is what is required in order to save the biodiversity of Africa.
Chapter 1 – The Architecture of Wildlife Management
This chapter is an explanation of the major international players in the wildlife management debate. It includes a description of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and it’s franchises, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), the World Conservation Strategy (WCS) and how the various green organisations fit, or in many cases don’t fit, into the whole conservation debate. I found this chapter provides an excellent foundation for an understanding of who is who, and who is doing what for wildlife. This chapter is a good place to start in working out who we should be supporting and who we should be ignoring if we truly wish to contribute to the conservation of our wild places and animals.
Chapter 2 – How the Natural World Functions
This chapter is an excellent and succinct introduction to the natural world and how it functions. Included are many definitions that are vital to the wildlife management debate. Reading these definitions, it quickly becomes clear that many people, organisations and the media, misuse and confuse some of these points on a daily basis, yet understanding them clearly, is vital to success of the wildlife management debate.
One of the key points of this chapter, and indeed of the entire conservation debate, is the clear description of the wildlife management priorities that must be followed if we are to save the natural world. Too many people and organisations just focus on animals, when discussing conservation, and this is a dangerous bias that has led many people, organisations and even governments to make bad and damaging decisions in regards to wildlife.
Allow me to briefly summarise these priorities that the author lays out in clear terms and anyone, who is involved in the wildlife debate, needs to read this chapter before stepping back into the debate. Animals are just one part of the conservation equation and as all animal life is totally dependent upon plant life, plants are of a greater priority in the conservation equation. Further, as all plants are totally dependent upon the soil, soil is of a greater priority to both animal and plants. If animal populations are allowed to become excessive, then the plants will be overgrazed and the soil becomes exposed. When the soil is exposed it can be carried off by winds or floods preventing the plants from regenerating and then the environment is irreparably damaged and a virtual desert will be the end result. This is not theory and the author discusses several cases where this has happened and is still happening even as you read this.
Chapter 3 – The Principles and Practices of Wildlife Management
This chapter introduces the concepts of safe and unsafe animal populations and the manner in which we need to deal with each type of population. The author clearly states that we must preserve unsafe populations and, at the same time, manage safe populations. The author goes on to talk about the misuse of the word ‘endangered’, which is so commonly misused by the media, green and animal rights groups, and the danger that this presents for the management of those species which have been wrongly categorized and, at the same time, the management of other species that are truly endangered. For the whole conservation machine to work correctly and effectively, people need to understand and use all of the conservation terminology correctly. To do otherwise is to introduce confusion and uncertainty, which is a major reason that some conservation programs are in trouble today. This chapter also, clearly, makes the distinction between species and populations and the fallacy of declaring a species endangered when only some populations of that species are actually endangered. The African elephant is a clear example of this misuse of terms and this misuse is contributing to the difficulties in the effective management of this species.
Chapter 4 – Animal Rights-ism – The Biggest Danger to Africa’s Wildlife
This chapter talks about animal rights issue and the danger this belief system presents for Africa’s wildlife, although it is clear that this danger extends to animal populations the world over. This chapter talks about the entire animal rights issue, including their dubious methods of fund raising and the questionable end use of the many millions of dollars raised, the intimidation, the vandalism and the terrorist activities that these organisations support in order to force their beliefs onto the rest of the world.
However, the truly alarming fact that this book brings out about the animal rights cause, is that because it is totally focussed on the animals, and ignores the management priorities that are outlined in Chapter 2, the end result, if ever the world adopted the entire animal rights agenda, would be catastrophic for the natural world and biodiversity. The animal rights movement, because it ignores and even denies the wildlife management priorities, actively attacks and obstructs every working and effective conservation organisation and program that conflicts with its own debateable goals. The end result is that conservation and wildlife management programs are threatened, not by poachers or greed or neglect but because of the misguided and unworkable views of the animal rights brigade and their willingness to go to any length to achieve those goals. Animal rights advocates have become the greatest threat to Africa’s wildlife and, indeed, wildlife the world over.
Chapter 5 – Africa’s Human Population Explosion – The Second Biggest Danger to Africa’s Wildlife
The second greatest threat to Africa’s wildlife is the burgeoning human populations especially in the rural areas and the subsequent mass unemployment and the resulting poverty. Today, Africa’s rural populations are doubling every 20 years, which means that the land they live on cannot support this growing number of people and include the existence of wild animals as well. Many people, from the rural areas, are forced to drift to the cities but there is no work there either, so crime has become an imperative, not a choice, for these people and, with their established rural links, that crime includes poaching. No anti-poaching or wildlife conservation policy can work without first addressing the root-cause, which is human over-population and the resultant poverty.
Chapter 6 – Africa’s Commercial Poaching Pandemic
This chapter addresses the commercial poaching pandemic and talks about both the proximate and ultimate causes of that pandemic. The author points out how the current conservation strategy, of worldwide bans on the trade in rhino horn and elephant ivory, only deals with the ultimate cause of poaching (which is the black market) and, at the same time, ignores the proximate causes of the poaching problem. These bans, which have been in force for 26 years in the case of ivory and 40 years in the case of rhino horn, are simply not working. Indeed, you only have to peruse the world news today to see that poaching, and in particular poaching of rhino horn, is very nearly out of control. The current strategy, which has been pushed so hard by the animal rights and green organisations, because they will not entertain any alternatives that conflict with their own self-interests and questionable beliefs, is wrong.
The proximate causes of poaching, which are the issues that really need to be addressed, include poverty among the rural people living alongside national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, the rapid increases in human rural populations and the subsequent conflict with wild animals over food supplies and safety, the forced relocation of the local peoples from their traditional lands to make way for national parks and reserves and also their involuntary alienation from the wildlife management process. The author demonstrates a clear understanding of the plight of rural Africans and the negative impact that their current situation has on the management of wildlife.
The author also discusses the bush meat poaching issue as a major, and growing, component of the poaching pandemic. Poaching for bush meat is now widespread across all of Africa and threatens to overtake the poaching of horn and ivory as the greatest poaching threat to African wildlife and one that is totally immune to worldwide trading bans. To combat the bush meat poaching issue it is imperative that the proximate causes of poaching are addressed and addressed soon. Again, the only measures that can combat this problem are contrary to the animal rights dogma and so these measures have been ignored by those organisations and, sadly, also ignored by most of the media.
After reading this chapter, it seems clear to me that the world needs a new approach to saving Africa’s wildlife, and wildlife everywhere, because what is being done, to date, is simply not working. In addition, the world needs to stop listening to the animal rights and green organisations and return the responsibility for determining wildlife management policy to those organisations that have realistic and workable plans on how to save wildlife. The responsibility, for setting wildlife policy and management plans, should sit with the respective national parks departments, who have decades of experience that is currently being ignored, and this experience should be supported by the policies and research of credible organisations, like the IUCN. Wildlife management policy should never be set, or modified, by the media, NGOs or self-interest groups.
Chapter 7- The Management of Africa’s National Parks
This chapter discusses how Africa’s national parks, and indeed national parks everywhere, should be managed and by whom. The author puts forward the argument that many of the dictums, that national parks are run by, are wrong and are contributing to the deterioration of biodiversity in many parks. He also talks about a number of catastrophic national park failures and these are examples that we should all be aware of. The author then looks at the current management plan for Kruger National Park and discusses why this plan may not work.
He then talks about Biome Management and suggests that this is the correct and only way to successfully manage a national park and, at the same time, protect the biodiversity of that park. A biome is a faunal and floral complex and, in any national park, there might be a number of biomes and each requires its own management plan. To apply a blanket plan across all of the biomes, as is the case in most national parks today, is to invite loss of biodiversity and degradation of some of the biomes that are not correctly addressed by the plan.
Chapter 8 – A Second Order Management Option that can Save Africa’s National Parks and Africa’s Wildlife for Posterity
In this chapter the author suggests that the running of national parks requires second order thinking rather than the first order thinking that has overseen the running of parks, to this day, and which has resulted in loss of biodiversity and, in some extreme cases, massive damage and change to the biomes within the parks. The rigid and unimaginative policies, that have been the backbone of national parks management, the world over, needs to step aside for more enlightened and flexible thinking – second order thinking.
The author also suggests that the overall management, of national parks, needs to be undertaken by qualified persons with sharp and well-honed business skills. Scientists and ecologists are essential to the running of a national park but they should not be in line management rolls. Remember, this is an area that the author has extensive experience in, so his comments are definitely noteworthy.
The author also lays out his idea for effective management of a hypothetical national park. He talks about the management hierarchy of this park and how he would involved the neighbouring rural peoples to ensure that they benefitted, and therefore supported, the national park and how this would end the poaching threat to that park. He also talks about how the animal populations, within the park, would be managed to the maximum benefit for the park and for the resulting tourist opportunities. This model for a working and effective park, is something that every student of conservation should read and consider. There is a lot of valuable food for thought in this chapter and it ties together many of the problem listed in previous chapters.
Chapter 9 – Proposed Prohibitions
In this chapter, the author examines many of the proposed prohibitions that are being put forward by some specific interest groups, most notably the animal rights brigade. Each of these proposed prohibitions are examined and evaluated and comments for, and against, such prohibitions is offered.
In this chapter he discusses the proposals to:
- Ban hunting,
- Ban canned hunting,
- Ban hunting with hounds,
- Ban the wildlife industry, and
- Ban the animal liberation movement.
The author clearly and in all cases, objectively, examines each of these proposals and puts forward arguments for and against. The arguments he puts forward are clear and definitely worth reading and, regardless of which side of the conservation debate you are on, you should read this chapter.
One very interesting point, that the author raises, is that hunting is a legal and legitimate pursuit and that it is curious that vilification of hunters is not outlawed by the authorities that allow hunting. It is now, in most parts of the world, illegal to denigrate or abuse a person based upon their religious or sexual preferences, so surely it should also be illegal to do so based upon their lifestyle or sporting choices?
Chapter 10 – Final Footnotes
In the final footnotes, the author talks about putting monetary value on wildlife as well as encouraging actual and ’emotional’ ownership of wildlife. One of the major reasons that African wildlife has suffered so terribly, at the hands of man, is that rural Africans do not have either actual or emotional ownership of that wildlife. The author suggests that, until rural Africans have, at the least, emotional ownership of wildlife and the land on which that wildlife depends, then conservation efforts will fail. Therefore, any conservation plan that does not include the local people cannot succeed and that is the problem with the philosophy of most national parks and most conservation plans, to date. It is also a serious problem with the animal liberation approach to conservation, which seeks to divorce people from both actual and emotional ownership of wildlife, from the environment itself and from the conservation plans and policies that are needed to ensure the continuance of biodiversity. The animal liberation view, of separating all humans from the wild places, is definitely a recipe for failure.
In summary, if you really care for Africa’s wildlife, and indeed wildlife everywhere, then you NEED to buy and READ this book. The media and the animal rights groups are both looking for profits through peddling sensationalism and encouraging runaway emotions. Neither of these groups ares beyond manipulating, distorting or even manufacturing their reports to achieve this. We all need a better understand of the entire wildlife management/conservation issue so we can correctly understand and interpret the information that the media and the NGOs are pushing onto us to ensure that we donate our money where it will really work and not just provide jobs for people who would undo our world, and the natural world in the process, while they get rich. This book is an excellent place to start our self-education on the road to genuinely contributing to the salvation of the biodiversity of Africa and the biodiversity of the rest of the world.
Managing Our Wildlife Heritage by Ron Thomson
ISBN 0-620-37140-4,
Published by Magron Publishers, PO Box 733, Hartbeesport, 0216, South Africa, Tel/Fax +27-12-2530521, and email: magron@ripplesoft.co.za.
Copies of this book can be purchased from this website (click here to go to the Classifieds section) at $AUD20 each or you can purchase directly from: http://www.ronthomsonshuntingbooks.co.za/
Notes:
- Hwange National Park was, until recently, home to the ‘not so famous’ Cecil the lion and the incident of his demise was the source of great controversy spurred on by many deliberately dishonest reports by the animal liberation movement.
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