Latest news with #UK-based
Time Business News
16 minutes ago
- Business
- Time Business News
The Importance of SEO in the UK
In today's competitive UK market, having a website isn't enough it needs to be visible. That's where Help-247 SEO comes in, offering strategic solutions to boost your online presence. Search engines like Google are the first stop for most customers. If your business isn't ranking, you're missing out on valuable traffic and trust. Help-247 understands the unique challenges UK businesses face and delivers SEO strategies that actually work. Whether you're a startup in Manchester or a boutique in London, SEO can help you stand out. This guide explores why search engine optimization is essential and how Help-247 can help you grow organically. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the art and science of making your website more visible on platforms like Google. It involves optimizing your content, structure, and technical setup so search engines can understand and rank your site effectively. For UK businesses, SEO is more than just a marketing buzzword it's a strategic necessity. With most consumers starting their buying journey online, appearing on the first page of search results can make or break your brand's visibility. That's where help-247 SEO comes in. The team at Help-247 specializes in crafting tailored SEO strategies for UK-based businesses, helping them climb search rankings and attract quality traffic. Their approach focuses on both on-page and off-page optimization, ensuring your site is not only discoverable but also trustworthy. SEO matters because it builds organic traffic visitors who find you naturally, without paid ads. These users are often more engaged and likely to convert. Plus, SEO helps establish credibility. If your site ranks well, users are more likely to trust your brand. In the UK market, competition is fierce. Whether you're a local service provider or an ecommerce store, SEO gives you the edge to stand out. It's not just about keywords it's about creating a seamless experience that search engines and users love. In the UK's fast-paced digital economy, visibility is everything. Whether you're a local bakery in Bristol or a tech startup in London, your online presence directly impacts your bottom line. That's why help-247 SEO has become a vital tool for businesses looking to stay competitive. Consumers today rely heavily on search engines to find products, services, and reviews. If your business doesn't appear in those results, it's as if you don't exist. SEO ensures your website ranks where it matters on the first page of Google so potential customers can find you before they find your competitors. But it's not just about traffic. SEO builds trust. UK users are savvy; they associate top-ranking websites with credibility and professionalism. By optimizing your site with help-247 SEO, you're not just improving visibility you're enhancing your brand's reputation. Another reason UK businesses can't afford to ignore SEO is the shift toward mobile and local search. People are searching for near me services more than ever. Without proper local SEO, you're missing out on high-intent customers ready to buy. Moreover, SEO is cost-effective. Unlike paid ads, which stop delivering once your budget runs out, SEO continues to drive traffic over time. It's a long-term investment with compounding returns. Help-247 understands the UK market's nuances from regional search behavior to local competition. Their SEO strategies are designed to help businesses not only survive but thrive in this digital-first era. Local SEO is the secret weapon for UK businesses that want to dominate their immediate market. Whether you're a plumber in Sheffield or a florist in Cardiff, showing up in local search results can dramatically increase foot traffic and phone calls. Help-247 SEO specializes in local optimization strategies tailored to UK search behavior. Their approach ensures your business appears in near me searches, Google Maps listings, and local directories right where your customers are looking. One key element of local SEO is optimizing your Google Business Profile. This includes adding accurate business information, uploading photos, collecting reviews, and posting regular updates. Help-247 helps businesses fine-tune these profiles to improve visibility and engagement. Another powerful tactic is building local citations mentions of your business name, address, and phone number on trusted UK platforms like Yell, Scoot, and FreeIndex. These citations boost your credibility and help search engines verify your location. Local SEO also involves creating location-specific landing pages. For example, a London-based service provider should have a page targeting SEO services in London with relevant content and keywords. Help-247 ensures these pages are optimized for both users and search engines. Mobile optimization is crucial too. Most local searches happen on smartphones, so your site must load quickly and display properly on smaller screens. Help-247's technical SEO audits cover these essentials to keep your site competitive. Building a successful SEO strategy in the UK requires more than just stuffing keywords into your content. It's about understanding how UK audiences search, what they expect from websites, and how to meet those expectations consistently. That's where help-247 SEO shines offering tailored strategies that align with local search behavior and business goals. A strong UK SEO strategy starts with keyword research. Help-247 identifies high-intent keywords like SEO services UK or local SEO UK that match what your target audience is actually typing into Google. These keywords are then mapped to relevant pages, ensuring your site speaks the language of your customers. Next comes on-page optimization. This includes crafting compelling meta titles and descriptions, using headers strategically, and integrating keywords naturally into your content. Help-247 ensures your site structure is clean, your URLs are readable, and your internal linking guides users intuitively. Technical SEO is another pillar. Fast-loading pages, mobile responsiveness, and secure HTTPS protocols are non-negotiable. Help-247 conducts thorough audits to fix crawl errors, improve site speed, and enhance user experience factors that directly influence your Google rankings. Then there's off-page SEO, which focuses on building authority. Help-247 helps you earn backlinks from reputable UK sources, boosting your domain credibility. They also guide you in leveraging social media and local directories to expand your digital footprint. Understanding how Google ranks websites is essential for any UK business aiming to grow online. While the core algorithm is global, there are specific nuances in the UK market that help-247 SEO takes into account when crafting high-performing strategies. One of the most important ranking factors is mobile-first design. With the majority of UK users browsing on smartphones, Google prioritizes websites that load quickly and display well on mobile devices. Help-247 ensures your site is responsive and optimized for all screen sizes. Content relevance and freshness also play a major role. Google rewards websites that consistently publish useful, up-to-date content tailored to user intent. For UK businesses, this means creating location-specific blogs, service pages, and FAQs that answer real customer questions. Domain authority is another key factor. It's influenced by the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to your site. Help-247 focuses on earning links from reputable UK sources like local news outlets, directories, and industry blogs to boost your credibility. Site security matters too. Google favors websites with HTTPS encryption, which protects user data and builds trust. Help-247 includes SSL setup and security audits as part of their technical SEO services. Starting a business in the UK is exciting but without visibility, even the best products and services can go unnoticed. That's why help-247 SEO offers practical, budget-friendly strategies tailored for startups and small businesses looking to grow online. First, focus on location-based keywords. Instead of generic terms like best bakery, use phrases like best bakery in Leeds or 'affordable SEO services London. These long-tail keywords attract users who are ready to take action and improve your chances of ranking locally. Next, optimize your Google Business Profile. Add accurate business details, upload high-quality photos, and encourage customer reviews. Help-247 helps businesses fine-tune these profiles to boost local visibility and trust. Content creation is another powerful tool. Start a blog that answers common customer questions, shares industry tips, or highlights local events. This builds authority and keeps your site fresh two things Google loves. Help-247 can guide you in crafting content that's both engaging and keyword-rich. Don't forget about technical SEO. Ensure your website loads quickly, works well on mobile devices, and has secure HTTPS encryption. These factors directly impact your rankings and user experience. Help-247's audits help identify and fix issues before they affect performance. In today's digital landscape, SEO is no longer optional it's essential for UK businesses that want to grow, compete, and connect with their audience. From local visibility to long-term brand authority, the benefits of search engine optimization are clear. With help-247 SEO, companies gain access to tailored strategies that align with UK search behavior and deliver measurable results. Whether you're a startup or an established brand, investing in SEO means investing in your future. Help-247 empowers businesses to rise above the noise, attract quality traffic, and build lasting trust online. The sooner you start optimizing, the sooner you start winning. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Business Times
2 hours ago
- Business
- Business Times
Haagen-Dazs maker prices debt for 4.4 billion euros payout to owners
[NEW YORK] Froneri International, the maker of Haagen-Dazs ice cream, is wrapping up commitments for a debt deal to help fund one of the largest shareholder payouts on record, as its private equity co-owner looks to keep its stake in the company for longer. The UK-based manufacturer is close to pricing a 3.9 billion euros junk debt offering, the proceeds of which will fund a roughly 4.4 billion euros (S$6.6 billion) payout to shareholders Nestle and private equity firm PAI Partners. The distribution, known as a dividend recapitalisation, is among the largest so far this year. A hefty US$4.5 billion dividend to the private equity owners of car battery maker Clarios International got funding in January. With such recapitalisations, private equity firms tack on debt to a portfolio company to fund a payout. Sponsors have come to utilise the strategy to return money to investors as typical exits, such as a sale or initial public offering, have slowed. PAI is nearing a transfer of its 50 per cent shareholding to a new fund that would enable the private equity firm to hold onto its stake in Froneri for longer, Bloomberg reported last month. Buyout firms have increasingly turned to continuation vehicles to deal with a backlog of unsold investments as dealmaking has slowed over the past few years. PAI bought UK-based R&R Ice Cream in 2013 and combined that business with part of Nestle's ice cream empire to create Froneri in 2016. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Banks, including Barclays and UBS Group, are close to pricing 2.8 billion euros of loans and 1.1 billion euros of bonds on Wednesday (Jul 16), with expectations the deal will land tighter than initial discussions. The 900 million euros leveraged loan is expected to price at three percentage points over the benchmark rate and at a discount of 99.75 US cents on the US dollar, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. The 1.9 billion euros USD-equivalent term loan is expected to price at 2.5 percentage points over the benchmark and at a discount of 99.75 US cents on the US dollar, said separate sources, all of whom asked not to be identified discussing private information. The euro and US dollar tranches of the bond were set to price to yield about 4.75 per cent and 6.125 per cent, respectively. Representatives for PAI, Nestle and Barclays declined to comment. Representatives for Froneri and UBS did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The debt will be used alongside 540 million euros of cash on the balance sheet to fund the distribution, according to Moody's Ratings. Moody's downgraded Froneri one notch deeper into junk after the company launched the debt offering, citing the addition of the roughly 3.9 billion euros debt 'to fund an extraordinary dividend to shareholders'. The US leveraged loan market recently had its most new launches in a day since January. The US high-yield bond market has also had an influx of borrowers, with June the market's busiest month since September 2021. BLOOMBERG
Rudaw Net
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Syrian army withdraws from Suwayda following deadly clashes
Also in Syria Syrian Druze leader vows to continue battle to 'liberate' Suwayda Israeli military strikes Syrian army headquarters in support of the Druze Israel strikes Damascus during Rudaw live coverage Israel strikes entrance of Syrian military headquarters in Damascus A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Security forces affiliated to the Syrian defence ministry withdrew from the predominantly-Druze city of Suwayda late Wednesday following Israeli attacks and US intervention. The southern province has seen days of deadly clashes between the religious minority and forces affiliated with Damascus. 'The Syrian Arab Army has begun withdrawing from Suwayda, in accordance with an agreement between the Syrian state and the city's religious sheikhs. This follows the completion of the army's pursuit of outlaw groups,' the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported. According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), over 300 people have been killed since fighting erupted between the Druze community and the Bedouin tribes on Sunday. Among the dead are 69 Druze fighters and 40 civilians, including 27 reportedly killed in 'summary executions... by members of the defense and interior ministries.' The monitor also reported the deaths of 165 pro-government fighters, 18 Bedouins, and ten regime security personnel killed in Israeli strikes. The Israeli army hit several government-affiliated sites in Damascus on Wednesday, including an army headquarters. US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented on the tensions, stating that there were ongoing efforts to de-escalate the tensions. US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce told Rudaw's Diyar Kurda during a press briefing on Wednesday that there has been a misunderstanding and that the US is involved in the efforts to end the tensions. 'We've understood that the results have to be… described [and] people there in Syria have to see results, especially regarding the infrastructure. At the same time this is a new, fluid dynamic,' she said. A resident of Suwayda sent a video of her house, describing their fear and violations committed by Damascus-affiliated security forces. 'We have been besieged in Suwayda. We cannot leave Suwayda at all. Suwayda has been completely besieged. We have also been besieged in the house and we have been under mortar attacks in a frightening way for three days, meaning the mortar attacks do not cease and there is gunfire and street fighting. Snippers have been placed in all parts of Suwayda,' she noted. Videos showing security forces disrespecting the Druze community, including shaving their moustaches, went viral in recent days. The Syrian government acknowledged the violations and pledged to hold the perpetrators accountable. Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General, told Rudaw's Sinan Tuncdemir during a press briefing that these videos were 'extremely concerning,' adding that 'we are very much eager to follow up with the government on their call for an investigation and also on their commitment to hold people to account. The videos are shocking and highly, highly disturbing.'
Euronews
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Wellcome Photography Prize 2025: Domestic abuse, climate and health
The Wellcome Photography Prize, which offers image-makers a platform to showcase the impact of science and health on lives around the world, has unveiled this year's winners. 2025's laureates are UK-based artist Sujata Setia; Bangladeshi documentary and street photographer Mithail Afrige Chowdhury; and UK-based electron microscopy specialist and science photographer Steve Gschmeissner. Their works capture powerful stories exploring domestic abuse, climate migration and the hidden dangers of cholesterol. Each awarded a £10,000 prize at a ceremony held at the Francis Crick Institute in London. Check out their winning images: A Thousand Cuts by Sujata Setia (Storytelling Series) Sujata Setia was recognised for A Thousand Cuts, a portrait project developed with survivors of domestic abuse within South Asian communities. 'Each image is a composite of personal testimony, visual symbolism, and traditional craft. Setia worked with the women and with the charity SHEWISE to create portraits that protected anonymity without erasing identity, applying the Indian paper-cutting technique sanjhi to overlay each photograph.' Check out Euronews Culture's video on the A Thousand Cuts project. About the win, Sujata Setia said: 'This is a monumental recognition. A Thousand Cuts being selected for Wellcome Photography Prize affirms that health cannot be separated from the histories that shape it. And that domestic abuse is never a singular event; it leaves a direct, trans-generational imprint on health.' 'As a child who grew up in a home where violence was a daily occurrence, I carry that trauma like another limb,' she added. 'This recognition validates not just my story, but the invisible, intangible, yet deeply scarring legacy of gender-based abuse.' 'Domestic abuse is one of the most widespread global crimes; and yet remains among the least publicly acknowledged health crises. I hope this moment becomes a catalyst for deeper dialogue and scholarship around the interrelation between domestic abuse and health. That is our collective hope.' Urban Travel by Mithail Afrige Chowdhury (Striking Solo Photography) 'A deceptively gentle image of a mother and daughter on a rooftop picnic in Dhaka. With few parks left in the city due to rapid urbanisation, this staged moment, a simple attempt to give a child a taste of nature, becomes an act of resilience.' 'Nearly half of Dhaka's population today are climate migrants, displaced by increasingly extreme weather, and Chowdhury's work highlights the everyday consequences of these shifts: the loss of green space, of childhood rituals, of breath.' About the win, Mithail Afrige Chowdhury said: 'When I got the news, the first thing I did was charge my camera— not to take a photo, but to restart something I thought I'd lost. I won't dwell on personal or professional hardships, but this moment means more than I can say.' Chowdhury added: 'I made this image two years ago, as part of a major project on climate change, urban sustainability, and public health. Then life intervened, and fear slowly pulled me away from the work I loved. But now, I can wake up with an objective. Because someone has my back. And that makes all the difference. Awards can feel technical but this recognition from Wellcome feels deeply human.' Cholesterol in the Liver by Steve Gschmeissner (The Marvels of Scientific and Medical Imaging) Steve Gschmeissner's electron microscopy image Cholesterol in the Liver reveals cholesterol crystals (shown in blue) forming inside lipid-laden liver cells (purple). 'These microscopic shifts, invisible to the naked eye, can have deadly consequences: when cholesterol hardens from liquid to crystal, it damages blood vessels and contributes to heart disease and strokes. Gschmeissner's colourised SEM image transforms this biological process into something visually striking, part data, part artwork. With a career spanning over four decades, and more than 10,000 images published in scientific journals, stamp collections, fashion collaborations, and music albums, his work exemplifies how imaging can bridge science and culture.' About the win, Steve Gschmeissner said: 'When I discovered that Wellcome had reintroduced the Marvels of Scientific and Medical Imaging category, I was delighted to enter such a prestigious competition. I was thrilled to be shortlisted, and winning first prize is undoubtedly one of the highlights of my 50-year career of trying to bring the wonders of the microscopic world to all.' You can find the full list of the finalists for the Storytelling, Striking Solo Photography and The Marvels of Scientific and Medical Imaging here. Wellcome supports discovery research into life, health and wellbeing, and take on three worldwide health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health. The top 25 entries are on display in the Wellcome Photography Prize 2025 exhibition, which is free and open to the public at the Francis Crick Institute, London, running from 17 July to 18 October 2025.
Daily Maverick
6 hours ago
- General
- Daily Maverick
Tackling a tall story — a myopic focus on trophy hunting harms real giraffe conservation
The gentle giraffe faces multiple threats across Africa. Foremost of these are habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, poaching and climate change. Notably absent from the list of existential threats is legal trophy hunting. In response to Daily Maverick's Don Pinnock, a group of non-hunting conservationists explains how giraffe hunting can have positive outcomes for giraffe conservation. The media can contribute positively to the conservation of all giraffe and other species by spotlighting issues that need greater public awareness and support. As government budgets for global conservation spending are cut or spent on other sectors, local and international conservation organisations increasingly rely on public donations to keep working. But when the media spotlight is used to mislead the public regarding the real threats that animals face, it deflects critical awareness and funding away from dealing with them. That would be bad enough. Yet a recent article by Don Pinnock in Daily Maverick goes one step further, by describing a positive force for conservation as a threat. As conservationists working across Africa, we could not let this attack on conservation stand. Instead, we want to highlight the real state of giraffe using the latest scientific information. The article in question sought to popularise a report from Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting (CBTH, deceptively rebranded as Wildlife & Conservation Foundation), a UK-based lobby group that does not contribute to giraffe conservation on the ground. Their report — released to coincide with World Giraffe Day on 21 June — was based on the opinion of Dr Fred Bercovitch and referenced 2023 data from the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES). Discovering the real state of giraffe The State of Giraffe 2025 (SoG25) was also released on World Giraffe Day, spearheaded by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) — the world's only organisation devoted solely to conserving giraffe across their range through actions on the ground. This 31-page publication presents the latest giraffe population and distribution statistics using data from more than a thousand independent sources and the national authorities of giraffe range states. The numbers are broken down according to the newly recognised four giraffe species and their subspecies (note: this new species classification is in the final stage of review by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission's Giraffe & Okapi Specialist Group). The data collection methods for this report are presented, and any shortcomings (eg, lack of data due to civil unrest) are provided in the interest of transparency. Following the IUCN Red List standards, the authors assign a conservation status for each giraffe species. These new assessments provide a much better picture of how each giraffe species is faring in different parts of Africa, which further helps to reveal the real threats posed in each country and the conservation actions that could be taken to address them. The first graph presented in the SoG25 report, and reproduced below, tells a story that is worth unpacking in light of the claims about trophy hunting threats. Of the four giraffe species, only one has shown a general upward trend over the past 30 years — the southern giraffe. Reflecting its growth from 31,700 to 68,837 in that time, the SoG25 authors propose that this species should be listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The biggest populations of this species are found in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe — all of which allow giraffe trophy hunting and are the main exporters of giraffe parts on the CITES database. While the southern giraffe increased, all other giraffe species — which occur in countries that do not allow giraffe hunting — declined at an alarming rate. Recent conservation efforts have reversed or stabilised these trends since 2015. Nonetheless, the reticulated giraffe (found mainly in Kenya) and the northern giraffe (found across East, Central and West Africa) are considered Endangered in the SoG25. The Masai giraffe, evaluated as Vulnerable in the SoG25, is showing signs of a comeback in Tanzania and Kenya, which jointly host most of this species. While Tanzania does not allow giraffe hunting, it is a major hunting destination for other species, and much of its land is conserved under hunting concessions that provide critical giraffe habitat. At a minimum, this assessment shows that legal trophy hunting does not threaten giraffe with extinction. When combining the CITES 2023 data used by Pinnock and the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting with the estimated national giraffe populations in the SoG25, we find that the 17 non-giraffe-hunting range states (including Tanzania) host on average 4,400 giraffe each. Excluding Tanzania — given that hunting is a major activity for other species there — non-hunting range states host on average 2,874 giraffe each. The four giraffe-hunting range states host on average 16,474 giraffe each. Does legal hunting facilitate illegal trade? Getting around these simple statistics takes rhetorical tricks, which Bercovitch uses in CBTH's virtually fact-free report, parroted uncritically by Pinnock. With no way of claiming that legal hunting itself causes giraffe declines (given the opposite is true), Bercovitch resorts to the indirect trade theory: 'Trophy hunting is endangering giraffes in Africa because the shipment of giraffe parts from legal hunting provides an avenue for the shipment of giraffe parts obtained illegally.' To substantiate that statement, he misuses trade data from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. He claims that the data indicate that 400 giraffe trophies were imported to the US annually over a 10-year period, while exporting nations reported only 300 giraffe hunts. Consequently, he says: 'If those two figures are correct and reconciled, that means 25% of the giraffe specimens coming into the US are from illegally killed giraffes.' Anyone who has examined wildlife trade data will expect the number of trophies imported to be different from the number of animals hunted. This is simply because import data is based on individual body parts of the animal, whereas one hunt accounts for the whole animal. A giraffe has over 170 bones in its body, and one of the more common forms of giraffe trophy is 'bone carvings'. The skin and skull are frequently reported separately from the bone carvings, and even 'pieces of skin' and 'tail hair' are reported separately in some cases. One giraffe hunt could therefore easily produce many giraffe trophies, all from legal, regulated hunting activities of southern giraffe. Different parts of a giraffe may also be exported and imported separately (eg, the skull is taken home by the hunter as a trophy, while a bone or leather item from the same giraffe is sold as a curio to another tourist). The CITES trade database is therefore not an accurate assessment of the number of animals harvested, and it cannot be used alone to determine whether the level of trade is sustainable. Population trends over time, as we have shown for giraffe, are more reliable ways of determining the positive or negative impact of trade. Are giraffe only conserved in national parks? Since South Africa is the largest exporter of giraffe body parts and hosts the largest population of southern giraffe, it is the ideal case study to test another false Bercovitch claim: 'Giraffe numbers are increasing only in national parks and protected reserves – places where trophy hunting is banned.' Counting giraffe accurately on private land is more difficult than on state land, since there are approximately 14,000 game ranches and private reserves scattered across South Africa, not all of which have giraffe. The SoG25 southern giraffe estimate is the first that includes a comprehensive survey of privately owned giraffe in South Africa. The details of this survey are further broken down in a scientific paper authored by a team from GCF and the University of Mpumalanga. This study reveals that nearly half (49.4%) of the nation's giraffe occur on private land. While the Kruger National Park hosts the biggest single giraffe population in the country (over 12,000), the paper's authors attribute most of the national growth from 8,000 in the 1970s to nearly 30,000 today to the private sector. Soon after the South African government allowed farmers on private land to own game animals (including giraffe) in 1991, the hunting industry grew, and so did giraffe and other game populations. Private game farmers often use hunting and tourism as complementary sources of income, or choose to focus more on one industry than the other. Whether hunting, tourism or a mixture of these and other activities (eg meat production and livestock) is the better business model to follow will depend on each area's unique circumstances. These include factors such as their location relative to tourist attractions, size of the property and availability of capital and expertise — none of which can be taken into account by Bercovitch's blanket proposal to replace hunting with tourism in all areas. Do rural communities benefit from giraffe hunting? Bercovitch repeats a well-worn myth to support his case that people living in communal areas do not benefit enough from hunting giraffe or other species. Although he does not provide a reference for the statement, 'independent studies suggest as little as 3% of trophy hunting revenue reaches households living near hunting concessions', that figure can be traced back to a 2010 study that used data from hunters in Tanzania, a country that does not allow giraffe hunting. The 3% figure was ripped out of its context, misrepresented and popularised in a report by Economists at Large. It has since been used by anti-hunting lobby groups without a clear explanation of where the figure comes from and what it meant in the original report. Even if presented correctly, it no longer applies to Tanzania (after legal changes that increase community revenues) and has never applied to any other African country. Anyone quoting this figure as though it applies across Africa for all time is misleading the public, and fails to acknowledge that each of the 54 African countries are independent states with their own laws. A more relevant example of southern giraffe hunting on communal lands is north-west Namibia, where communal conservancies host a substantial population of free-roaming giraffe that are subject to a long-term research and monitoring project run by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, GCF. According to SoG25, these conservancies host 16% of the country's Angolan giraffe (a subspecies of southern giraffe), with the neighbouring Etosha National Park hosting 21%. In terms of Namibian giraffe conservation, the conservancies are of similar importance to Etosha, and have been a key part of the growth of Angolan giraffe in range and numbers from 6,690 in 1995 to 13,895 in 2025. Hunting is legal in all communal conservancies, with quotas based on population estimates produced by combining regular game counts with observations by community game guards. Giraffe are on the quota for several conservancies in the northwest for trophy and own use hunting. In Namibia, the hunting revenues generated in a communal conservancy are not paid to the government. The income goes directly to each conservancy based on their respective agreements with registered professional hunting outfitters. The income is then managed by elected committees comprising local community members. Meat from the hunts (including giraffe meat) is distributed to the community immediately after each hunt. Southern Africa is conserving its giraffe through hunting and tourism The evidence and experience from southern Africa that led to the increase of southern giraffe provides a good model for giraffe conservation elsewhere. The national parks are core areas that need to be protected as population strongholds. Once that is achieved, further growth requires incentives for people on private and communal lands beyond national parks to introduce and maintain giraffe populations. Hunting and photographic tourism, either combined or separately, are the two main options for generating income directly from giraffe and other animals on land outside national parks. In southern Africa, both are encouraged and facilitated by national authorities. Achieving the above is easier said than done, as habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, poaching and climate change all threaten the viability of national parks and the giraffe living in them to different degrees. Varying government policies regarding the ownership and use of giraffe further limit the degree to which people living in other African countries can follow the southern African model. Suggestions to ban the legal trade of all giraffe parts from hunting threaten southern giraffe conservation — the only species whose numbers have steadily increased during the past 30 years. The one-size-fits-all policy for giraffe trade in CITES does not match the differing conservation statuses of the giraffe species revealed in SoG25. While the two Endangered and one Vulnerable species require urgent protection from poaching and domestic trade (issues that CITES cannot deal with), there is no reason to undermine southern Africa's successful model for the southern giraffe, which includes legal hunting and international trade. The scientific evidence reveals that countries with stable and growing populations of giraffe (and other wildlife) are those that allow regulated hunting of giraffe, while countries that do not allow hunting have lost most of their giraffe, and remaining populations are in a precarious position. Countries with legal, regulated hunting allow it not because they have healthy and increasing populations of giraffe (and other species), but rather, they have healthy wildlife populations because they allow regulated hunting. While you may not like the idea of a hunter shooting a giraffe, shooting giraffe conservation in the foot — as Pinnock and Bercovitch advocate — is far worse. DM Gail Thomson is with the Namibian Chamber of Environment. This article is co-signed by: Dr Chris Brown, CEO, Namibian Chamber of Environment. Dr Julian Fennessy, Director, Giraffe Conservation Foundation. Dr Jeanetta Selier, Senior Scientist, Biodiversity Research, Assessments and Monitoring, South African National Biodiversity Institute. Angus Middleton, Executive Director, Namibia Nature Foundation. Prof Graham Kerley, Director, Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Nelson Mandela University. Hazel Milne, Programme Coordinator for Sustainable Tourism Certification, Eco Awards Namibia Alliance. David Peddie, Independent Wildlife Conservation Consultant. Dr John Ledger, PhD, Consulting Editor, African Wildlife & Environment magazine. Dr João Almeida, Director/Wildlife Veterinarian, Mozambique Wildlife Alliance. Dr Richard Hoare, Independent Wildlife Veterinarian, IUCN SSC Giraffe & Okapi Specialist Group Member. Colin Nott, Namibia Resource Consultants. Patrick Worms, Senior Fellow, Global Evergreening Alliance. Ruth Moldzio, CEO, Namibia Scientific Society. John Pallett, NEWS (Namibian Environment and Wildlife Society). Theresa Sowry, Southern African Wildlife College. Dr Dilys Roe, Chair, IUCN Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group (SULi). Prof Adam Hart, University of Gloucestershire, IUCN SULi member. Dr Dan Challender, University of Oxford and IUCN SULi member. Prof Brian Child, University of Florida. Dr Shylock Muyengwa, Director, Resource Africa, South Africa. Prof Amy Dickman, University of Oxford, Lion Landscapes and IUCN SULi member. Nick Funda, Chairperson, Game Rangers Association of Africa, GRAA.
