Safari Club International Foundation is excited to be hosting the 18th African Wildlife Consultative Forum (AWCF) this year in Botswana, celebrating the country’s recent community-based reform and reopening of tourist hunting. The AWCF has been SCIF’s flagship event in Africa for two decades, making us the leader on sustainable use conservation issues. The meeting occurs annually in Africa, and provides a unique opportunity for senior government officials, professional hunting associations, community-based support organizations, international policy experts and wildlife biologists from across southern and eastern Africa to meet and promote sustainable use of Africa’s abundant wildlife resources.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uses the AWCF as an opportunity to discuss permitting and importation issues with the people that are doing the on-the-ground work for wildlife conservation in Africa. Topics at last year’s meeting included bontebok conservation and the status of lion trophy imports. The relationships with African range states developed at AWCF over the past 18 years have helped make SCIF a leader in the sustainable use community at CITES and other international regulatory bodies. The AWCF group recently sent letters in opposition to anti-hunting initiatives in California and in the United Kingdom.
Despite unprecedented challenges to planning this year, SCIF is moving forward with an AWCF agenda focused on recovery for the hunting industry and wildlife economy. We need your help to maintain our leading role in sustainable use and conservation in Africa. Learn more about how you can support SCIF’s conservation efforts in Africa here or about the AWCF here.
