strategy
Conserving wild animals through hunting
Synonyms:
Culling for wildlife conservationManaging numbers of wild fauna populations
Context:
Unrestriced hunting and poor wildlife management has clearly led to the substantial reduction in numbers and species of animals. However, when hunting is properly managed in balance with nature, hunting effectively conserves wildlife habitat and species. Hunting generates vital income for conservation, for example from hunting license and excise tax revenues. Such income supports the maintenance of natural habitat to maintain a wild animal population (that without hunting revenues may not survive). Regulated hunting or culling also keep animal numbers from increasing above the carrying capacity of the land, that otherwise would lead to the natural starvation and death of numerous animals. Implementation:
Through license revenues, excise taxes and other sources of income such as duck stamps, USA huntsmen contribute over 1 billion dollars to wildlife conservation efforts each year. A further 300 million dollars are contributed each year through private donations. Their support over the years has contributed in significant measure to the increases in the following wild animal numbers in the USA: about half a million white tailed deer in 1900 to about 18 million today; about 100,000 wild turkey the early 1900s to about 4.5 million today; about 12,000 pronghorn antelope 50 years ago to more than one million. Counter Claim:
There is no foundation to hunt wild animals in modern societies for the sake of food or fur (clothing) since these basic requirements are all abundantly provided for in modern society. Hunting for sport (enjoyment) alone, whether in abundant or needy societies, is ethically and morally wrong. Need the hunted animal suffer great stress and pain, and die finally for our enjoyment? Though regulated hunting helps conserve animal numbers and natural habitat, those habitats may become artificial by continuous stocking of new numbers of animals to be hunted, and by the alteration of the habitat to facilitate hunting and/or to increase the numbers of animals to be hunted (at the expense of non-hunted animal species and the vegetation character). Remaining wildlife habitats and species and their numbers should be and could be conserved without needing to rely upon hunting. Hunting then, should only be allowed under a humane "culling programme" to control over-numbered wild animal populations that would otherwise cause unacceptable environmental degradation. Broader:
HuntingConserving wildlifeCulling animal numbersMaintaining wild fauna and flora populations Constrained by:
Protesting hunting of animals Facilitated by:
Hunting for sportEncouraging huntingImproving enforcement against game poachingMonitoring hunting of protected and endangered speciesProhibiting hunting of protected and endangered species Values:
HuntedConservationConservative Organizations:
International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the EU Subjects:
Fundamental Sciences → MathematicsZoology → Animals
Geography → Wild
Recreation → Animal sports
Agriculture, Fisheries → Animal husbandry
Sociology → Population
Management → Management
Conservation → Conservation
Type Classification:
D: Detailed strategies Related UN Sustainable Development Goals:
