The Bubye Valley Conservancy is one of the most ambitious private-sector initiatives for wildlife conservation in Africa today. It is an extremely efficient game sanctuary with a comprehensive management plan, which includes detailed research projects. It also provides a land-use model not only for Zimbabwe but the whole of Africa and beyond.
But it is reliant on sport hunting for its survival.
If the sport hunting of lion is effectively banned through the listing of the species on the US endangered species list, then the whole enterprise will be hamstrung with dire consequences not only for the lion population but also for all the resident wildlife species.
This is the story of the Bubye Valley Conservancy.