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Socioeconomic conditions shape wildlife values and acceptance of trophy hunting.

The Claim

Socioeconomic status influences whether people view wildlife as having intrinsic value or utilitarian value, which affects whether trophy hunting can function as a conservation tool.

Verified by Lenz ·

The Short Version

Socioeconomic conditions meaningfully shape wildlife values and attitudes toward trophy hunting, which can affect its social legitimacy and conservation viability. However, those attitudes do not by themselves establish conservation success; ecological management, governance, enforcement, and the distribution of economic benefits remain essential determinants.

Caveats

  • The evidence is largely correlational and does not show that socioeconomic status alone causes particular wildlife values.
  • Social acceptance can affect conservation viability, but it does not prove that trophy hunting produces positive ecological outcomes.
  • Mutualist or care-oriented wildlife values overlap with, but are not identical to, belief in wildlife’s intrinsic value.

The Receipts

  1. Public perceptions of trophy hunting are pragmatic, not dogmatic

    pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

  2. The changing sociocultural context of wildlife conservation

    pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

  3. The values of wildlife revisited

    ecologyandsociety.org

  4. Conservation or the Moral High Ground: Siding with Bentham or Kant

    conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

  5. Community Perceptions and Socio-Demographic Influence on Trophy Hunting in Rungwa Game Reserve, Tanzania

    doi.org

  6. Social values and biodiversity conservation in a dynamic world

    doi.org

  7. Socio-demographic factors influence the attitudes of local residents towards trophy hunting activities in the Kilombero Valley, Tanzania

    onlinelibrary.wiley.com

  8. Attitudes of local communities to wildlife conservation and non ...

    sciencedirect.com

  9. Bullets, Breeding, and Biodiversity: An analysis of trophy hunting in South Africa's green wildlife economy

    doi.org

  10. Assessing the potential for a levy-based system to replace revenue from trophy hunting in South Africa

    doi.org

+ 41 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

ConservationSocioeconomic StatusTrophy HuntingWildlife Value Orientations

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