With population growth and pressure on pasture, wildlife fails to compete as a land use. Wildlife in communal lands outside of protected areas will not survive purely for aesthetic reasons but because it can yield a competitive or complementary yield per square kilometre. An ivory ban will reduce the value from wildlife per square kilometre and make domestic livestock production more competitive. Wildlife already labours under the economic handicap of being a common property whilst livestock is private property. Private livestock can deliver income and economic security directly to the individual.
Common property tends to deliver benefits to the group.
The value of wildlife is not a static thing as apart from meat and hide their is also the potential for hunting and photographic safaris. Whatever ones personal views about sport hunting it is a very conservative activity because low numbers of animals are taken at a high price in international currency. Further, sport hunting can be well monitored and controlled. The value of this is hard to estimate. These resources allow the district to finance their own management , pay compensation for elephant caused crop damage and ensure capital can be replaced and pay direct benefits to the community.