Wildlife and conservation farming

THE LOSS of biodiversity due to environmental damage and climate change is for real.

One of the sensitive issues we have to deal with in relation to biodiversity is: should we leave things in their natural (wildlife) state or do some interventions like keeping animals and breed them in captivity?

The first option seems to be the more romantic, but reality tells us that this has its limits in ensuring their survival in the wild.

 Profit motive

The second option seems to be more realistic.

As shown by the success made in wildlife farming, the number of stock of rare and endangered species has increased. This applies both to plants and animals.

Even in ecology and conservation, the profit motive still seems to be the most viable way of producing the intended results.

Wildlife farming as defined refers to the raising of nondomesticated animal and plant species in an agricultural setting to produce whole living animals (to keep as pets) and commodities, such as food, medicine, and industrial raw materials like fiber and leather.

Traditional views about wildlife farming and ranching often include images of large game species being raised for hunting.

However, wildlife farmers today are raising everything from buffalo to baitfish to butterflies. These animals may be native (found naturally in the area) or exotic (introduced from another area).

Farmers raise wildlife for a variety of products, services like tourism, and markets.

Some of these include meat and other products (such as fur, milk and eggs), and stock for zoos, hunting preserves, private collectors, research programs and restocking of natural populations.

Commercial wildlife farming, or the breeding of wild species for sale legally, has been promoted as one strategy for solving the problem of wildlife poaching.

Although wildlife farming has only recently become popular in tropical countries like the Philippines, conservationists say it is a solution to satisfy consumer demand while relieving hunting pressure on animals and collecting of plants from the wild.

While wildlife farming has been practiced in the country for decades now, it is only of late that there is a growing number of “agripreneurs” who have ventured into wildlife and conservation farming.

Opportunities

One major factor for this development is the continuing loss of biodiversity and the need for conservation.

This opened up money-making opportunities for agripreneurs.

Ostrich, though not endemic to the country, was introduced as a farm business enterprise by an agripreneur in Cagayan de Oro City as early as 1996. Today, there are more people who have copied the model and the population of ostrich have multiplied.

Birds, both endemics and introduced species, for decades now have been bred and farmed that supply the thousands of pet shops all over the country.

These were started by hobbyists and enthusiasts who later discovered that good profits can be earned “farming” these birds.

There is a company that breeds monkeys and exports these to pharmaceutical companies that use these for testing drugs that are used later to human applications.

Truly, there is money in “monkey business.”

Philippine crocodile, which was once listed as one of the endangered species, now number several thousands.

Thanks to pioneering efforts of a few agripreneurs that found money in farming crocodiles.

It was reported that in one of these farms alone, crocodiles bred and grown number by the thousands.

The waling-waling orchid and many more wildlife plant species may have found near extinction if there were no agripreneurs who found a way to “domesticate” these under farm conditions.

Of late, I have seen some agripreneurs who have ventured into breeding wild pigs because they can easily be grown organically.

Lechon from these pigs are reputed to be the best, including our own native black pigs that may also have descended from the wild pigs.

Conservation

These and many more examples of wildlife farming, here and abroad, show that it is one way to effectively conserve our wild animals and plant species.

As explained by Director Theresa Mundita Lim of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau, “crocodile farming was introduced to prevent the further decline of the crocodile population in the wild. With importers of crocodile skin buying from crocodile farms that offer them good quality skin, hunting in the wild will eventually stop.”

It was reported that international trade for crocodile skins alone amounts to $200 million annually and global demand for items made from the crocodile skin is still growing.

From this example alone, we can extrapolate that the market for wildlife species that are currently being farmed can run to several hundred billions of dollars every year.

There is good money for those agripreneurs who will venture into wildlife farming. As one agripreneur puts it, “going into crocodile farming is not just about making profit. It is also about wildlife conservation.”

An article from Forest News published by the Center for International Forestry Research sums it all.

“Wildlife farming is potentially an attractive ‘solution’ to reduce the illegal use of protected wild plants and animals. Controlled farming and cultivation have the potential to supply markets sustainably—whether in the form of teak plantations for wood furniture, cane-rat farms for local consumption, tiger farms for traditional medicine, game ranches for food and sport hunting or plant cultivation for pharmaceutical markets. In addition to reducing pressures on wild resources, wildlife farming has the potential to enhance rural livelihoods and increase food access.”

(The article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines or MAP.  The author is a member of the MAP EMERGE (Educated Marginalized Entrepreneurs Resource GEneration) Committee and the MAP Agribusiness and Countryside Development Committee, the Program Manager for MAP’s Farm Business Schools Program and the President of the Foundations for People Development. Feedback at [email protected] and [email protected].  For previous articles, please visit map.org.ph.)