Zambia Wildlife Authority Elephant Policy...

Elephant management strategies
The strategies recognize the elephant’s economic potential at local and national levels in terms of creation of employment and income generation, through consumptive and non-consumptive uses. It should be noted therefore, that in this context, elephants have an incomparable economic potential than all the other species of wildlife currently being utilized in Zambia (save for the black rhino). It also has the potential to out compete several other land use options, given a level playing field.

In order for Government to realize maximum economic potential from the elephant, it is critical that species protection through effective management and cooperation with local communities are enhanced. This requires a succinct policy and subsidiary legislation to support management strategies. This initiative, therefore, constitutes the first effort to develop specific guidelines on how elephant will be managed in Zambia and is being issued for four main reasons as follows:
That the Government of the Republic of Zambia considers elephant as an economic asset in terms of non-consumptive and consumptive tourism, but has not been given due prominence in the past so that it can compete with other land use options; Proper management of the species is critical so that it realizes its full potential to generate significant income for the nation and local community in particular; Proper ivory management system will enable government to dispose of the ivory stockpile to raise forex for the nation and income for ZAWA and local communities who often lose their crops to elephants; As a keystone species in the environment and critical to the maintenance of biodiversity

The summation of the above issues and problems have raised national debate and present new challenges that must be addressed continuously.