A ban on trophy hunting would harm, not help, conservation | Letter
Prof Amy Dickman, Prof Adam Hart, Dr Dan Challender and Dr Dilys Roe say trophy hunting benefits lions and many other species by conserving more land in Africa than national parks do
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.
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