www.silverguide.site –

The reason that trophy hunting bans have repeatedly stalled in parliament (Letters, 26 April) is because they are misinformed, hypocritical, ignore the rights and welfare of local communities, and would harm, not help, conservation.

Campaigners should decide if bans are about morality or conservation. If the former, the UK should ban domestic trophy hunting of red deer, for example, but this has never been suggested. If it is about conservation, ministers should recognise that trophy hunting is not a key threat to lions or any other species. Indeed, it benefits lions and other species by conserving more land in Africa than national parks do. Biodiversity is far more threatened by habitat loss, which bans are likely to amplify by reducing income for protected areas. Hunting areas are usually not viable for photo-tourism, which brings its own issues of environmental impact.

Bans have been strongly opposed by representatives from countries such as Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe, which have a far better conservation record than the UK. They have called out proposed import bans as racist and colonial, undermining both conservation and livelihoods.

It seems as if those pushing bans either don’t understand the facts of this issue or ignore them. Neither is good for advancing what the British public surely wants: evidence-based, equitable and effective conservation policies.
Prof Amy Dickman
University of Oxford
Prof Adam Hart
University of Gloucestershire
Dr Dan Challender
University of Oxford
Dr Dilys Roe
IUCN Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group

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