Botswana’s Raised Elephant Hunting Quota Stokes Conservation Alarm — What’s at Stake?

Botswana's decision to raise its annual trophy-hunting quota for elephants has renewed a heated international debate over how best to manage the world’s largest remaining elephant population. Conservationists warn the increase risks long-term harm to elephant societies and could worsen human-wildlife conflict, while the government says regulated hunting produces revenue that supports conservation and rural communities.

Background

Botswana, a largely arid nation of about 2.3 million people, is home to more than 130,000 elephants — roughly one-third of Africa’s elephants. Across Africa there are about 415,000 of the world’s approximately 460,000 elephants, with the remainder in Asia.

In 2014 Botswana imposed a complete ban on trophy hunting, but the ban was reversed in 2019 after authorities said rising elephant numbers threatened farmers’ livelihoods. That same year the government lifted a five-year moratorium on elephant hunting, and it now sets annual quotas for more than a dozen species.

The New Quota And Official Rationale

A preliminary government draft indicates the trophy-hunting quota for 2026 has been raised to 430 elephants, up from 410 in 2025. The government argues that regulated hunting helps control large animal populations that increasingly come into conflict with people and that revenue from licences supports conservation and community projects. Environment Minister Wynter Mmolotsi said Botswana earned more than $4 million from hunting-license sales in 2024, compared with $2.7 million in 2023; licences can cost up to $10,000 depending on the species.

Why Conservationists Are Concerned

Critics say the quota increase risks damaging the social structure and long-term viability of elephant populations. Will Travers, cofounder and executive president of the wildlife charity Born Free, warned that trophy hunters disproportionately target mature males with the largest tusks — the older "elders" who carry vital knowledge and influence herd behaviour. Removing these individuals can have outsized biological and social consequences.

"These long-lived ‘elders’ are repositories of vital survival knowledge within elephant society… They are targets for poachers and trophy hunters, adding even more pressure on this tiny demographic," Will Travers told Al Jazeera.

Amy Dickman, professor of wildlife conservation and director of WildCRU at the University of Oxford, said that while trophy hunting is "contentious," legal hunting revenue can help preserve large wildlife areas and deliver benefits to local people — an argument the government uses to justify its policy.

Human-Wildlife Conflict

Authorities cite increased encounters between elephants and people as a primary reason for controlled hunts. Climate change, habitat loss from logging and agricultural expansion are pushing elephants into farmland and settlements, where they can trample crops, eat stored grain and damage homes, fences and water infrastructure.

Oaitse Nawa, founder of the Botswana-based Elephant Protection Society (EPS), said the permitted number of hunted elephants is "too high" and urged a rethink. He also warned that removing animals can change herd behaviour and sometimes exacerbate conflict.

"When people go to the fields or search for their cattle they may come across breeding herds, and that’s where problems begin," Nawa told Al Jazeera. "The elephants may run up and down, destroying crops as they flee for their lives."

Alternatives And Community Solutions

Conservationists and local campaigners advocate community-based approaches: training residents to live alongside wildlife, improving early-warning and deterrent systems, and creating direct economic incentives to conserve elephants. Nawa suggests linking water boreholes to tourism — concentrating elephants and visitors around managed sites so communities can earn revenue from viewing rather than from killing.

"We can have boreholes and tourism facilities around those boreholes, whereby the community can benefit directly from the funds," Nawa said, citing local examples where tourism infrastructure draws visitors to observe elephants at close range.

International Reaction

The issue has drawn global attention. Botswana’s former president Mokgweetsi Masisi criticized Germany for proposing a ban on imports of elephant parts and told critics to "try living among elephants," describing the population surge as a "plague." Several countries — including Australia, Belgium, Canada and the Netherlands — have imposed restrictions on the import of parts from endangered species.

Al Jazeera contacted Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks and the Ministry of Environment for comment but received no reply.

What’s Next

The draft quota for 2026 and continued debate underscore a wider dilemma faced by elephant-range states: balancing biological conservation, human safety and livelihoods. As discussions continue, experts urge transparent science-based decision-making and greater investment in community-led, non-lethal measures that allow people and elephants to coexist.