Wise use and Conservation.

Abstract

The harvesting of a species reduces population density to levels below that found on the same area in the absence of shooting. However, hunting can provide the incentive for managing a species which can raise population density, even after shooting, to higher levels than found were it unshot and unmanaged. This situation can be described as Wise Use. It not only provides a sustainable harvest but also benefits the species concerned.
Habitat management for game can also benefit other species. In the face of agricultural intensification and habitat loss, an interest in game can help preserve and even enhance the existing conservation value of an area and also provide the incentive for the creation of new areas. As such the Wise Use of a game species can also be beneficial to the wider environment.
To achieve Wise Use it is necessary for hunters to be able to harvest the species and also to manage its habitat. Ensuring the right to continue shooting is in the hands of legislators and they should recognise the benefits of Wise Use. The ability to manage a species depends on hunters being able to influence land-management. Where hunter and landowner are the same person this is straightforward. Where this is not the case, it may be necessary to provide a framework whereby hunters can effectively contribute to the management of the land.
Legislation to prevent shooting may produce small and short-term increases in population density but will not solve the underlying problems of habitat loss and degradation. Encouraging Wise Use, using hunting as an incentive for habitat management provides a method of ensuring the long-term health and survival of not just game but many other wildlife species.