Quota utilization and trophy quality in three hunting areas in Uganda

Abstract

Trophy hunting is an important conservation tool, regulating wildlife populations and generating income to support conservation. However, if not well managed it can reduce populations and increase extinction risk of the hunted species. In Uganda, trophy hunting program has been implemented for the last 17 years based on an annual wildlife quota. However, since its inception in Uganda, there has not been any analysis of quota utilisation and trends of trophy quality hunted overtime that is needed to evaluate potential impacts on the targeted species and to ensure that the sport hunting program is sustainable. This study examined the wildlife quota utilisation and annual trophy quality for selected animal species in three hunting blocks of Karenga community wildlife area, Pian-Upe wildlife reserve and Nshara area collaborative wildlife management areas. Data on animals hunted and their respective trophy size measurements were collected for the period 2012-2022. Results show that there was a significantly lower utilization compared to prescribed quotas for dik-dik in Pian-Upe and Karenga, waterbuck in Pian-Upe and Nshara, impala, zebra, African buffalo, bushbuck, and eland in Nshara, oribi in Karenga, and bohor reedbuck in Pian-Upe. Over the years, there has been a significant decrease in trophy quality in four species; dik-dik in PianUpe, and waterbuck, topi, and impala in Nshara. On the contrary, there was a significant increase in Eland trophy in Pian-Upe. All the trophies hunted in the 2012-2022 period met the required SCI minimum trophy standard, except for African buffalo in Karenga and Nshara. In Nshara area, the low quota utilization could be due to prescribed quotas that maybe relatively higher compared to the local animal populations. On the other hand, Karenga, with its wilderness appeal, likely contributes to greater hunting success by providing a challenging and rewarding hunting experience. The declining trophy size and significantly lower quota utilization for the dik-dik suggest a decline in the larger and mature individuals, possibly due to illegal hunting. The lower African buffalo trophy quality could be attributed to hunting of individuals with broken and worn-out horns from mating competition fights. The declining trophy quality for some of the animals calls for effective monitoring of sport hunting to ensure sustainability of the program. There is also a need for detailed populations and demographic studies for all the animals in order to have a more informed quota setting that would not compromise the long-term survival of wildlife in the conservation areas.