Government through the Ministry of Environment and Tourism has once again defended its elephant hunting quota amid continued scrutiny and calls for reduction by conservation bodies.
Botswana’s Draft Hunting Quota for 2026 has proposed the number of elephants to be hunted from 410 to 430, and this reflects an increase of 20 elephants.
The country’s elephant hunting policy has come under renewed scrutiny following the release of a November Elephant Hunting Report by conservation group Elephant Without Borders (EWB), which recommends a reduction in the country’s annual elephant trophy hunting quota to 0.2 percent of the national elephant population as a precautionary measure to ensure long-term sustainability.
The report, based on aerial survey data, raises concerns about population uncertainty and the potential risk of overharvesting, prompting renewed debate over how elephant populations are assessed and how sustainable hunting quotas should be determined.
Responding to the concerns, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Boatametse Modukanele, cited a 2022 Southern African elephant population survey which estimates Botswana’s elephant population at approximately 130,000. He noted that the majority of these elephants are concentrated in Ngamiland and the Makgadikgadi regions.
“This means Botswana holds more than 50 percent of Southern Africa’s elephant population,” Modukanele said, adding that Southern Africa itself hosts the largest share of the world’s elephant population.
He further explained that Botswana is allocated a hunting quota of 400 elephants annually through the Southern African Initiative for Transfrontier Conservation Areas (SAITIS), but emphasized that the quota is rarely fully utilised. In 2024, although a quota of 400 elephants was approved, only 195 were successfully hunted. Similarly, in 2025, out of an approved quota of 410, only 210 elephants were harvested.
“The allocation of a quota does not mean the quota is fully reached,” Modukanele said, arguing that actual off-take levels remain well below permitted limits.
Director of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Moemi Batshabang, provided historical context, noting that Botswana adopted an Elephant Management Plan as far back as 1991. At the time, the country aimed to maintain a population of about 50,000 elephants, which was considered manageable while allowing for environmental protection.
“Along the Chobe River in 1991, there was abundant large fauna, but today much of that vegetation has been cleared due to pressure from elephants,” Batshabang said, highlighting the ecological challenges of a growing elephant population.
He reiterated that the current trifold increase of population has prompted chances of higher human and wildlife conflict.
Batshabang also outlined the structure of elephant hunting in Botswana, which includes citizen raffled quotas and community trust quotas, agricultural quota and special elephant quota, with community trusts holding the majority of about two thirds of all the quotas.
From a scientific perspective, Batshabang argued that a sustainable hunting quota according to research could be as high as 0.5 percent of the elephant population, translating to roughly 700 elephants annually. However, he noted that Botswana has deliberately kept its quota lower, at around 0.3 percent, with actual hunting levels averaging closer to 0.18 to 0.15 percent in practice.
Modukanele further revealed that community trusts earned approximately P88 million from hunting in 2025, funds which he said are reinvested into local development and infrastructure in wildlife-affected communities.
As the debate closed both officials maintained that Botswana’s elephant hunting framework remains conservative, science-based, and beneficial to both conservation and community livelihoods, with sustainability at the forefront.
