A study by an international team of researchers, including experts from Stellenbosch University, has found that documented outcomes of trophy hunting for conservation and local well-being in Africa are generally positive.

Published in Conservation Letters on September 9, the study reviewed 89 scientific articles assessing trophy hunting across 13 sub-Saharan African countries. The review examined wildlife populations, habitats, and community well-being metrics, including income, employment, and food security.

Dr Hayley Clements, the Oppenheimer-Jamma Research Chair in African Wildlife Economies at Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Sustainability Transitions and lead author of the study, noted that trophy hunting remains a contentious strategy.

“Twenty-three sub-Saharan African countries permit it, and there is mounting pressure in Europe and elsewhere in the Global North to ban imports of hunting trophies altogether,” Clements says. “Yet public debates about trophy hunting are often driven by ethics and assumptions rather than evidence.”

She explains that debate often frames the practice as an unqualified good or evil, whereas evidence shows the reality is context-specific.

Positive results for land and livelihoods

The review found that 65% of documented outcomes were positive for conservation and local well-being, 26% were negative, and 9% were ambiguous.

Habitat protection showed the clearest benefit, with trophy hunting associated with increased land under conservation in 92% of cases. Revenue gives private landholders and communities an incentive to conserve wildlife habitats rather than convert land for agriculture or livestock. Positive outcomes for income, employment, and food security were recorded in at least 85% of cases.

However, impacts on hunted species were more mixed. While populations of hunted species were more often stable or growing than declining, other measures – such as age and sex ratios – were more often negatively affected, and impacts on animal movement were mixed.

The researchers highlighted that data remains uneven, with few studies measuring overall ecosystem conditions or non-economic well-being indicators such as culture and governance.

Impact of local governance and revenue control

Outcomes were positive in more than 80% of cases where local communities or private landowners held wildlife rights and received direct revenues, a pattern evident in Namibia and South Africa.

Conversely, where state authorities retained control over communal land and shared only partial revenues – as in parts of Tanzania and Zambia – outcomes proved more mixed.

Researchers noted that these differences demonstrate the importance of governance, specifically who holds decision-making power and receives financial benefits.

Implications for international policy

The findings directly address ongoing policy debates in Europe, including import suspensions in France, proposed legislation in the UK, and lobbying within the European Parliament for an EU-wide import ban.

Researchers argue that blanket import bans represent a blunt tool that risks eliminating revenues supporting local livelihoods and habitat conservation. Instead, they advocate for a standards-based approach where importing nations require evidence of conservation contributions, equitable revenue distribution, and science-based quota management.

They add that hunting-funded conservation areas help maintain natural habitats, supporting international targets to protect 30% of land by 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework while easing pressure on state budgets.

*The study was conducted by researchers from the universities of Stellenbosch, Florida, British Columbia, and Helsinki, with support from the Kone Foundation, Oppenheimer Generations Research and Conservation, the Benjamin Raymond Oppenheimer Trust, Jamma Conservation and Communities, and the European Union.

Source: Clements, H. et al. 2026. “Outcomes of trophy hunting for people and nature in sub-Saharan Africa”. Conservation Letters. Volume 19, Issue 5.

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