How is Hunting Conservation?

    

Photo by Fredrik Ohlander

 

    Whether you realize it or not, conservation of wildlife is among one of the most important aspects of maintaining all ecosystems. Many people think of different ecosystems as being completely separate from one another, but oftentimes they are interlaced. It is easy to see an insect, a fish, and even a bear and think that they have absolutely nothing to do with each other. The truth, however, is that they are all three intimately related. If you consider what would happen if the insects that young salmon depend on went away, you would quickly realize it would be detrimental to the salmon population. If this caused the salmon population to be reduced, then the bear population would be impacted by the lack of fish to eat. This is why healthy populations of all species are important. Conservation plays an important role in maintaining these populations so that ecosystems can thrive. A great way to generate conservation dollars is hunting.

    While I will admit, it feels counter-intuitive on the surface. I mean, how can hunting animals help do anything besides take from the population? I will start by saying that hunting is a great way to prevent the overpopulation of a species. Overpopulation will make for extremely high competition for food sources that a particular species and the species around them depend on to survive. This culling of the population also allows for the species to live healthier and fuller lives instead of just getting by with the little resources available to them. Another way hunting helps conservation is by pumping money into conservation efforts. One hundred percent of the money from purchasing hunting licenses goes towards wildlife conservation. In fact, by law, that money cannot be used for anything else. This money is one of the things that drives conservation projects and innovations that have helped species become more prosperous today than they were just 100 years ago. Oftentimes, the money generated from hunting plentiful species goes to helping a more endangered species be brought back from the brink of extinction. So, next time someone asks you how killing animals can possibly help conservation, you can reply with these simple facts.



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