The Contribution of Wildlife to the Economies of Sub Saharan Africa

Abstract

There are numerous studies analysing wildlife watching tourism, however, there is limited data and literature on the overall figures of wildlife watching tourism and its economic impacts, and hence these are difficult to quantify. There is also limited data and evidence on the exact economic contributions of consumptive wildlife tourism in Sub Saharan Africa, such as trophy hunting and legal trade in skins. From the studies found, the contribution of trophy hunting to Sub Saharan countries’ GDPs is small but it may play a significant role in supporting conservation efforts.