Table 6. Mean predicted returns on investment from trophy hunting under three lion hunting scenarios, percentages of hunting blocks in which trophy hunting operations are predicted to be financially viable, and the minimum area in which trophy hunting is predicted to be viable (excluding some areas in each country that were excluded from the analyses).
Country (sample size and % of hunting blocks in the country for which analysis was done)/lion hunting scenario | Mean % return on investment ± SD | % of hunting areas viable | Area in which hunting is viable (excluding areas for which data were unavailable) (km2) |
Mozambique (n = 12, 33.2%) | |||
Current lion off-takes | −7.16±29.7 | 7.7 | 2,120 |
Recommended off-takes | −7.97±20.1 | 7.7 | 2,120 |
Zero off-take | −11.2±19.8 | 0 | 0 |
Namibia (n = 41, 34.7%) a | |||
Current lion off-takes | 29.4±90.1 | 33.3 | 13,142 |
Recommended off-takes | 24.4±80.0 | 33.3 | 13,142 |
Zero off-take | 22.3±79.3 | 33.3 | 13,142 |
Tanzania (n = 138, 78.5%) | |||
Current lion off-takes | 37.4±34.9 | 81.2 | 146,165 |
Recommended off-takes | 33.1±30.8 | 79.7 | 141,960 |
Zero off-take | 28.8±30.8 | 68.1 | 102,337 |
Zambia (n = 30, 85.1%) b | |||
Current lion off-takes | −2.79±32.4 | 33.3 | 33,429 |
Recommended off-takes | −3.69±30.5 | 33.3 | 33,429 |
Zero off-take | −5.82±27.3 | 23.3 | 23,149 |
Zimbabwe (n = 36, 43.7%) c | |||
Current lion off-takes | 14.4±21.5 | 55.6 | 14,612 |
Recommended off-takes | 12.2±20.5 | 50.0 | 11,812 |
Zero off-take | 11.3±20.6 | 47.2 | 11,302 |
Most of the remainder of Namibia's hunting areas are privately owned and do not support lion populations.
Including all game management areas (some of which may not actually support hunting in practise), excluding the unknown (but relatively small) area of game ranches in which hunting is practised.
The remainder of Zimbabwe's hunting areas comprise CAMPFIRE areas (of which lions are hunted in approximately 6,800 km2), and private ranches (most of which do not support lions, except for conservancies, which are included in the above-analysis).