The minister of Environment and Tourism Wynter Mmolotsi has defended the country’s approach to wildlife conservation, arguing that protecting elephants must also deliver economic benefits to rural communities, following a backlash over the killing of elephants for the country’s 60th independence anniversary celebrations.
In a statement titled Diamond Jubilee: A Reflection on Botswana’s Conservation Story, Mmolotsi said the country’s conservation record must be measured not only by wildlife numbers but also by its ability to protect people living alongside animals.
The government authorised the killing of over twenty elephants to provide meat for independence celebrations on September 30, prompting criticism from conservationists and former president Ian Khama. Critics warned that the decision risked undermining Botswana’s international conservation reputation.
However, Mmolotsi said Botswana was home to more than 140,000 elephants, among the world’s largest populations, but acknowledged the mounting costs of human-wildlife conflict. ‘From 2021 to 2025, 48 people lost their lives and 79 were injured in encounters with wild animals,’ he said, adding that communities had suffered substantial crop and livestock losses and damage to homes, fences, boreholes and vital infrastructure.
‘For rural families, this issue is not just a conservation debate; it shapes their daily reality,’ Mmolotsi said.
The minister argued that destroying crops could trigger food shortages and lost income, while damage to a borehole could disrupt an entire community. He also noted that compensation could not replace a lost life, particularly when the deceased was a family’s sole breadwinner.
In 2025, hunting quotas generated over P67 million for local communities, financing water projects, education bursaries, food assistance, sanitation and job creation, according to the statement. ‘We support the view that communities should receive direct benefits from wildlife, as long as it’s lawful and sustainable,’ Mmolotsi said.
He also rejected suggestions that the government’s wildlife programmes amounted to an effort to eliminate elephants, arguing that Botswana sought to maintain healthy populations while protecting livelihoods and ecosystems. ‘Wildlife conservation must deliver meaningful benefits to the communities that live alongside wildlife,’ the minister’s position effectively underscores.
Whether regulated hunting can sustainably balance those competing interests remains contested, particularly after the independence cull reignited criticism of the government’s handling of its wildlife heritage. Mmolotsi said Botswana would continue protecting biodiversity while empowering rural residents, insisting that conservation must safeguard ‘human lives, livelihoods, and wildlife.’