Focus On The Trail Because We Focus On The Gear
If you are willing to come into this article with an open mind you will be able to learn some of the underlying social and economic factors that allow Trophy Hunting to be beneficial for animal and land conservation.
I’m going to break down the key factors that threaten our wildlife in developing parts of the world, especially Africa, and even tie back the value of hunting (general recreation) to North America.
People see value in shooting certain animals and they can pay in excess of $100,000 USD for a single animal.
Point A - Animals need land to survive, they have to feed, drink and need enough territorial range to breed.
Point B - People want the land to make money and what they consider surviving.
Now, if we change a land-use (aka the economics) it will change to the next best land use because of point B.
In the classical case of Africa, if we remove a land use that creates economic value, in this case, Trophy Hunting, then the land use defaults for the next best option because of point B.
So in the case above, if we take away Trophy Hunting in Africa, the land will be replaced by agriculture. Resultantly, there is no value for the wild animals and they will be destroyed or set into unprotected areas.
But can’t the government protect those animals with National Parks?
Typically no, because they don’t have the money. It costs a lot to run National Parks.
But can’t agriculture protect those animals?
No, there is no value for agriculture to do so, especially when the animals compete with their economic pursuits.
But you can just let the animals go and surely that is better than hunting them?
No, agriculture and poachers will endeavor to destroy them for their own economic gain.
Figure Source: International Journal of Biodiversity
Poaching is pretty much war because two sides are fighting over the animals. Poachers versus non-poachers.
War is expensive.
Unless something is worth protecting then it is not economical to go to war.
Trophy Hunting creates value for the wild animals and in short, they become worth defending. For example, game farms establish costly protection such as
high fences and security guards.
Without value, no one can afford to go to war.
But if you are shooting the numbers out, how does that help? The numbers are not shot out because the game farms need animals to continue their business.
Moreover, they need surplus stock, so the breeding of these animals is economically driven. Alternatively, if there is no game farms the herd numbers are threatened because land use and poaching threaten them.
But this is stupid, you have to kill animals in order to help them?
In an economic sense, yes.
Can’t you just put them in National Parks?
National Parks are expensive and hard to manage from poachers, as an example.
Social Impacts In Developing Nations
It is going to be difficult for many people reading this to understand the social situation in developing nations is driven greatly by their economic means.
Unfortunately, this is where most of the controversy has arisen, in developing nations. People are desperate:
In the peer-reviewed article "Trophy Hunting, Conservation, and Rural Development in Zimbabwe: Issues, Options, and Implications":
“We conclude that trophy hunting still plays an important role in wildlife conservation in developing economies where conservation financing is limited due to fiscal constraints.”
This is a very simplistic break down of this complex and intertwined problem. People are always going to think this is a murderous tool or not even a tool at all.
That is fine, we are never going to stop their emotions from making important environmental or conservational decisions.
Like anything, there are always going to be management issues with implementing systems and, of course, abuse of the said system.
But if we look at hunting in general as another recreation, I hope people can see how it can positively impact the outdoors through economical means just like it does in North America.
Hunting is just another string in the bow of a true outdoorsman's fight to protect it.
Victor K. Muposhi, Edson Gandiwa, Paul Bartels and Stanley M. Makuza. (2016) Trophy Hunting, Conservation, and Rural Development in Zimbabwe: Issues, Options, and Implications. In International Journal of Biodiversity.
S. P. Mahoney. (2009) “Recreational hunting and sustainable wildlife use in North America,”. In Recreational Hunting, Conservation and Rural Livelihoods: Science and Practice.