More than a hundred scientists have declared that they back hunting, saying the evidence is in favour of its conservation benefits.
In a letter published in Science magazine, the group of scientists responded to recent calls on the UK government to ban the import of trophies from hunting.
They said that, if trophy hunting were to be banned, “huge areas of land will be converted to other uses and cease to be a habitat” for iconic species across the globe.
They say they are in favour of well-regulated trophy hunting in accordance with IUCN guidelines.
One of the signatories was quoted as saying, “Rather than have a knee-jerk emotional response, conservation action should be based on evidence.
“In areas where you don’t have trophy hunting and tourism, you don’t have an economic reason to maintain wildlife.
“You’ll end up with more snaring, hunting, killing, conflicts… and those will be more damaging to the population.
“That’s the scientific basis and why trophy hunting can be a benefit – because it acts as a buffer against these much larger threats.”
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