Recreational hunting -- especially hunting of charismatic species for their trophies -- raises ethical and moral concerns
Flinders University
Recreational
hunting -- especially hunting of charismatic species for their trophies --
raises ethical and moral concerns. Yet recreational hunting is frequently
suggested as a way to conserve nature and support local people's livelihoods.
In a new article
published in the journal One
Earth, scientists from the University of Helsinki in Finland and Flinders
University in Australia have reviewed more than 1,000 studies on recreational
hunting -- the first such attempt to summarize the scientific literature examining
the biodiversity and social effects of recreational hunting globally.
Co-lead author
University of Helsinki Associate Professor Enrico Di Minin says while it might
seem counterintuitive, there is evidence to suggest some recreational hunting
can deliver environmental and social benefits.
University of
Helsinki colleague and co-lead author Dr Hayley Clements says more analysis is
needed to understand how and why recreational hunting can work for good, and
those areas where it can be detrimental.
Flinders
University Professor Corey Bradshaw says it's a paradox that goes to the heart
of the pros and cons of recreational hunting.
"We determined the geographic spread and diversity of species hunted around the globe, and investigated and summarized the main topics surrounding recreational hunting to consider both the positive and negative implications of recreational hunting for nature conservation and the livelihoods and well-being of people" says Professor Bradshaw, who leads Flinders' Global Ecology Lab.
"On the one
hand, recreational hunting can reduce the number of individual animals in a
population, whereas on the other, diverting land from agricultural or other
types of development to priority hunting areas can in fact benefit entire
ecosystems," he says.
Hunting research
has focused mainly on the behaviour and population dynamics of large mammals in
North America, Europe and Africa.
Dr Clements says
evidence is still lacking, however, to answer the pressing questions of why
hunting contributes to sustainable conservation of biodiversity in some places
and not others.
"Two-thirds
of the hunting research is focussed on mammals. Red deer, white-tailed deer,
wild boar, moose and lion are the most well-studied. Of these species, only the
lion is of conservation concern, with many recommendations on how hunting can
be made sustainable through quotas or seasonal limits," says Dr Clements.
"Far less
research has tried to examine the broader impacts of hunting on ecosystem
integrity and function, and how it affects the livelihoods of local people, or
to document local people's perceptions about hunting," she continues.
For example,
approximately 1,394,000 km2 of
land is dedicated for trophy hunting in sub-Saharan Africa, yet there is little
research on how effective these areas are in conserving ecosystems, and how
local communities benefit from hunting.
Associate
Professor Di Minin, who leads the Helsinki Lab of Interdisciplinary
Conservation Science contends future research should focus on the contribution
of recreational hunting towards meeting both biodiversity and social
objectives.
"We have
outlined a research agenda to assess the role of recreational hunting in
diverse social-ecological systems, and to consider local people's values and
needs.
The need for
such evidence is urgent given declining numbers of recreational hunters in some
regions and increasing opposition to trophy hunting in others," says
Associate Professor Di Minin.
"We should
also expand research beyond charismatic and common species to assess the impact
of recreational hunting on threatened and less charismatic species," he
concludes