Management tools for reconciling bird hunting and biodiversity

Abstract

Previous work-packages have reviewed socio-economic aspects of hunting (WP 1), potential benefits for conservation of biodiversity (WP 2) and problems for biodiversity (WP 3).

In recent years, much social pressure has developed against hunting. The historical practice of banning hunting save for the aristocracy often changed in young European democracies to a free-for-all in which game species (especially deer) and predators were extirpated over large areas (WP 1). In Britain and other European countries, the aristocracy had also protected raptors for use in falconry (Cooper 1979), yet later predation on game and livestock motivated extirpation of raptors, often supported by bounty payments (Newton 1979). Reaction to these "tragedies of the commons" (Hardin 1968) and to the original privileged status of hunting, accompanied by anthropomorphic and romantic views of "nature" in urbanised societies (Wilson 1984, Taylor 1986), have resulted in antipathetic attitudes to hunting.

This work-package considers the required optimisation process and management tools. It first examines the threats in more detail, drawing on new data and previous work-packages to assess which problems appear most serious. The second part presents and reviews the value of current and possible future tools for management. These are management tools not only for solving predation problems in the field, but also sociological and economic tools for optimising use of human resources for conservation through sustainable use. In order to maintain contact with the context, the work-package moves in each section from the general view to the detail. It closes with recommendations.