# Hunting Export Quotas

- Link: https://dearsouthafrica.co.za/hunting-export-quotas/
- Published: 2026-02-24T11:51:27+02:00
- Author: dearSA

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![The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), under Minister
Willem Abraham Stephanus Aucamp, has published a notice of intention to set and 
allocate the 2026 and 2027 CITES export quotas for elephant, black rhinoceros, and
leopard hunting trophies.](https://cdn.dearsouthafrica.co.za/wp-content/uploads/
2026/02/24141748/Hunting-trophy-quotas-header.jpg "Hunting trophy quotas header")

![DEAR-SOUTH-AfFRICA](https://cdn.dearsouthafrica.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/
02/08135845/DEAR-SOUTH-AfFRICA.png "DEAR-SOUTH-AfFRICA")

### Total submissions 5586

    - No I do not support the quotas 4037
    - Yes I do 1172
    - Not fully 377

### The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), under Minister Aucamp, published a notice of intention to set and allocate the 2026 and 2027 CITES export quotas for elephant, black rhinoceros, and leopard hunting trophies.

The proposed annual quotas for both 2026 and 2027 are as follows:

    - _Elephant:_ A quota of 300 tusks, derived from no more than 150 individual
      elephants. The DFFE states the national wild population is approximately 43,681
      and growing at 5.5% annually, making an offtake of 0.35% to 0.7% sustainable.
    - _Black Rhinoceros:_ A quota of 12 hunting trophies (allocated as 3 D.b. bicornis,
      8 D.b. minor, and 1 D.b. michaeli ). The DFFE notes this complies with CITES
      resolutions allowing an export of up to 0.5% of the population of each subspecies
      to incentivise habitat protection and remove surplus males.
    - _Leopard:_ A quota of 11 leopard hunting trophies. These are limited to 11
      specific designated zones across KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and the
      North West. Hunting is restricted to male leopards 7 years of age or older
      in areas with stable or increasing populations.

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[ view a report, statements, documents and videos](https://dearsouthafrica.co.za/hunting-export-quotas/summary)

## 󠀁[ view comments from other participants before you have a say](https://dearsouthafrica.co.za/hunting-export-quotas/comments)󠁿

**Do you support the proposed Hunting Export Quotas as published by the Minister?**

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D-icon-40x40-1.png "D-icon-40x40")

### _Perspectives: What is the debate?_

_The Core Debate: Conservation vs. Ethics_
 The proposed quotas highlight a deep
and ongoing national dispute regarding how South Africa manages, values, and protects
its wildlife.

[The "Sustainable Use" Argument](https://dearsouthafrica.co.za/hunting-export-quotas/#1770131112026-5a70eb21-10f1e827-9a03)

Proponents of the quotas argue that South Africa’s conservation success relies heavily
on the private wildlife model. By giving high-value species like elephants, rhinos,
and leopards an economic value through strictly regulated trophy hunting, private
landowners and reserves are financially incentivised to conserve vast tracts of 
natural habitat and tolerate dangerous game. The substantial revenue generated from
these hunts is cited as a critical funding source for anti-poaching units, habitat
management, and rural community development. Without this financial incentive, proponents
warn that these animals become costly liabilities, risking habitat loss as land 
is converted to agriculture or livestock farming.

[The "Non-Consumptive" and Ethical Argument](https://dearsouthafrica.co.za/hunting-export-quotas/#1770131112043-0e75ef86-4b6ce827-9a03)

Opponents argue that killing sentient, vulnerable, or critically endangered animals
for sport is ethically unjustifiable and contradicts South Africa’s global image
as a premier eco-tourism destination. Critics frequently challenge the economic 
claims of the hunting industry, pointing to studies suggesting that only a fraction
of hunting revenues actually reaches local communities or grassroots conservation
efforts. Furthermore, animal welfare and conservation NGOs argue that targeting 
prime males disrupts genetic diversity and complex social structures. They advocate
for non-consumptive alternatives, such as photographic safaris, which they argue
generate more sustainable, long-term economic benefits without the ecological and
moral costs of trophy hunting.

[The Governance and Science Dispute](https://dearsouthafrica.co.za/hunting-export-quotas/#1770131281853-5866958a-b51ce827-9a03)

Adding to the complexity is a recent history of fierce legal battles. Quotas for
these specific species were largely stalled between 2022 and 2025 due to court challenges
from animal welfare groups, who argued that the Department lacked up-to-date scientific
data (Non-Detriment Findings) and proper public consultation to justify the numbers.
Conversely, the hunting and wildlife ranching industry has actively sued the government
over these same delays, arguing that the prolonged absence of quotas has crippled
vital conservation funding and rural livelihoods.

[What Supporters Say](https://dearsouthafrica.co.za/hunting-export-quotas/#1770892117175-dfc38055-c838e827-9a03)

    - _Conservation Funding:_ Trophy hunting generates significant, vital revenue
      that is directly reinvested into anti-poaching operations, habitat maintenance,
      and wildlife ranching programmes.
    - _Habitat Protection:_ Allowing a financial return on dangerous game incentivises
      private landowners to keep their land wild and populated with these species,
      rather than converting it to agriculture or commercial developments.
    - _Population Management:_ Targeted hunting acts as a population management 
      tool, particularly for elephants whose growing numbers can devastate local
      ecosystems and biodiversity if left unchecked.
    - _Removing Surplus Males:_ Harvesting older, surplus male rhinos or leopards
      can boost population growth rates by reducing competition and territorial 
      killings of younger, breeding males.
    - _Strict Regulation:_ The quotas are heavily regulated, science-based, and 
      comply with strict international CITES frameworks.

[What Opponents Say](https://dearsouthafrica.co.za/hunting-export-quotas/#1770892117205-3c7c32e1-ce3de827-9a03)

    - _Conservation Status:_ Leopards are listed as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red
      List, and black rhinos remain critically endangered globally; permitting hunting
      of these species sends a contradictory message regarding their conservation.
    - _Eco-Tourism Alternatives:_ South Africa’s wildlife is worth more alive than
      dead. Photographic safaris and eco-tourism generate more sustainable, long-
      term employment and revenue than the extractive trophy hunting industry.
    - _Cruelty and Ethics:_ Trophy hunting is an outdated, cruel practice driven
      by ego rather than genuine, modern conservation needs.
    - _Enforcement Flaws:_ The mechanisms for monitoring hunts in the field (such
      as ensuring a leopard is strictly a male over 7 years old) are incredibly 
      difficult to enforce, leading to potential abuses of the quota system.
    - _Ecosystem Disruption:_ Removing dominant males can cause chaos within social
      structures, leading to infanticide (especially in leopards) and an increase
      in human-wildlife conflict.

[ View more info](https://dearsouthafrica.co.za/hunting-export-quotas/summary)

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