Abstract
Currently, the majority of land used in South Africa for wildlife by the private sector has been converted from livestock farms to game farms and covers more land than state-owned provincial and national parks conservation areas combined. One animal that stands out above most wildlife regarding its popularity is the lion. From a private land owners’ point of view, lions are amongst the most sought after animals for photographic safaris and trophy hunting, leading to the increase of lion breeding and populations on private land to the point where the private sector is responsible for managing the largest portion of the lion population in South Africa. Therefore, the aim of this research is to determine the economic significance of lion breeding within the South African wildlife industry. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 21 breeders in South Africa. The results revealed that lion breeders contribute R500 million (US$ 42 million) annually to the South African economy. The contribution of this research is twofold. Firstly, it was the first time such research has been conducted amongst lion breeders, and secondly, it points to the economic significance of lion breeding regarding the amount spend by breeders as well as number of jobs maintained by this breeders. Key words: Consumptive and non-consumptive wildlife tourism, economic significance, ecotourism, lion breeding, wildlife tourism.
Highlights
The wildlife industry in South Africa is currently conducted on a large scale with an estimated 9000 wildlife properties covering an area of approximately 18 million hectares, which is 2.2 times greater than the stateprotected area network of the country (Van Hoven, 2005; Els, 2017)
What makes South Africa‟s wildlife industry unique in the world is that wildlife can be privately owned (Du Plessis, 1997)
The majority of today's land used for wildlife by the private sector in South Africa, has been converted from livestock and crop farms due to reasons such as wildlife developed an economic value, wherein the 1900s to 1960s that was no or very little value; it became more economically viable to keep and use wildlife for commercial purposes than livestock (Cloete et al, 2015); in the 1990s, the demand for an African safari experience expanded rapidly, and tourism started to flourish (Scriven and Eloff, 2003)
Summary
The wildlife industry in South Africa is currently conducted on a large scale with an estimated 9000 wildlife properties covering an area of approximately 18 million hectares, which is 2.2 times greater than the stateprotected area network of the country (Van Hoven, 2005; Els, 2017). What makes South Africa‟s wildlife industry unique in the world is that wildlife can be privately owned (Du Plessis, 1997). The majority of today's land used for wildlife by the private sector in South Africa, has been converted from livestock and crop farms due to reasons such as wildlife developed an economic value, wherein the 1900s to 1960s that was no or very little value; it became more economically viable to keep and use wildlife for commercial purposes than livestock (Cloete et al, 2015); in the 1990s, the demand for an African safari experience expanded rapidly, and tourism started to flourish (Scriven and Eloff, 2003). The wildlife industry has expanded, and today, the wildlife industry in South Africa provides consumable activities, such as recreational hunting, trophy hunting, biltong and wildlife meat production as well as non-consumable activities, namely breeding of wildlife and ecotourism (game viewing, walking safaris, and photographic safaris)
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