Vote FOR Hunting as Conservation

Here is your chance to vote FOR hunting in a national opinion poll and public debate! Currently, the votes are 70% FOR and 30% against.

Click here to GO VOTE! Look for the “Cast Your Vote” tab.

Intelligence Squared is a noted radio show that provides a classic debate forum on controversial topics. Tonight’s topic is the role of hunting in management and conservation of wildlife.

Here are the details of the debate:

Whether in America’s state game lands or the African bush, hunting has become one of the most hotly debated issues in the media and online. Internationally, the killing of Cecil the lion triggered a firestorm of criticism over trophy hunting rules and regulations. Central to the debate here in the U.S. is the white-tailed deer. Its overpopulation has caused millions of dollars in property damage, over browsing in forests, and the spread of Lyme disease. Many believe that regulated hunting can be an effective way to manage healthy populations of deer and other wildlife. And with the funds raised from legal hunting—the purchase of permits in Africa, licenses and taxes here in the U.S.—hunters have contributed significantly to conservation efforts on both public and private lands. But hunting’s critics question whether big game revenues really benefit local communities and whether hunting could ever be a humane way to maintain equilibrium and habitats. Is hunting wrong? Or are hunters conservationists?

Here are the position statements:

FOR THE MOTION

• Revenues from hunting fund conservation efforts, both within the U.S. and abroad, going toward wildlife refuge programs and preserving national, state, and private lands.
• Regulated hunting helps maintain healthy animal populations, preventing overcrowding, resource depletion and the spread of disease.
• The sport of hunting promotes active engagement with nature and ensures humans are invested in preserving wildlife and lands.
• Regulatory agencies and industries created around hunting are critical to combating poaching and illegal depletion of animal populations.

AGAINST THE MOTION

• Hunting alters the natural composition of animal herds and, even when population sizes are maintained, negatively impacts their long-term survival.
• The global market around trophy hunting is often corrupt and funds raised from hunters are often misappropriated.
• Domestic and international regulatory agencies that oversee hunters are often pressured to set quotas based on industry demands rather than animal wellbeing.
• Endangered animals are already at risk of extinction by poachers and natural predators; legalized hunting exacerbates the problem.