After running out of time for further consideration in the UK House of Lords last year, a bill that would prohibit hunting trophy imports of all CITES-listed species was reproposed. The bill had a second reading and vote in the House of Commons last Friday. Although relatively few Members of Parliament (out of the 650 total) attended, most supported the ban based on their unfounded opinions that trophy hunting is harmful to conservation.
Leading up to the vote, on March 18, the IUCN Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group hosted an event in Parliament aimed at providing the truth about trophy hunting and explaining how it benefits conservation. Several southern African countries also sent large delegations to UK to lobby against trophy import bans. Nevertheless, the bill passed the House of Commons, as expected, and will move to the House of Lords. SCI will continue to work with its partners to fight against import bans around the world, including in the UK.
UK Trophy Ban Advances to the House of Lords
