Abstract:
Trophy hunting is a controversial activity which takes place in a contested socio-economic and
natural-wildlife environment. The contestations revolve around issues of development, conservation, sustainability,
ownership and distribution of resources. An investigation of stakeholders’ perceptions on these issues, within the
developmental agenda of Zimbabwe, is the main aim of the study. Through a series of stakeholder interviews it is
concluded that whilst local people prioritize the making of economic gains from their environmental resources,
government officials and the National Parks authority are more concerned with environmental protection and
sustainability. The game farmer or concession holder’s priorities are mainly sustainability and profit and the
clients’ primary objective is to derive satisfaction from hunting down a worthy trophy. In practice, the differences
and similarities in environmental perceptions of stakeholders in the Tuli Safari Circle affect decision making
realities in light of economic, developmental and sustainability issues. Whilst common perceptions a cross
stakeholders could lead to effective policy making and achieve sustainability, balancing the diverse interests of the
various stakeholders to the satisfaction of all remains a difficult objective.