“In a civilized and cultivated country, wild animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen.”
As a more recent convert to bird watching, and as a consequence of those who “baptized” me, I had inherited some views that, upon reflection, were not entirely my own. Our recent visit to Llyn Padrig, a floating fen preserved for hunting, gave me ample time to challenge these views. While standing in the midst of the drizzle and haze, listening to the game keeper discuss the wildfowl shooting schedule, it seemed easy to consider a welling rage towards the thought of bird shot and flesh.
Llyn Padrig presents a difficult dilemma for the passionate conservationist; the concept of conservation for the purpose of sustaining our ability to destroy. In this case, if it weren’t for the reserve’s value as a waterfowl shooting area, I doubt that the rare quaking bog would have been protected. More than likely it would have been converted to grazing land much like the rest of the area around it.
The reality is that without it’s designation as a prime shooting spot, and it’s management by the local estate for just this reason, this salvaged plot of wetland would not exist. As harsh as this sounds, this type of sacrificial conservation has proven to be a particularly effective way of preserving endangered natural areas throughout history.
Take Białowieża Forest as an example, straddling both Poland and Belarus, it is the last stand of the European Primeval Forest in existence. It owes its survival to being designated as a hunting reserve by the various monarchies and governments that ruled the area over the past 500 years. While initially set up to preserve the populations of European Bison and other large game for sport, all other flora and fauna of the primeval forest ecosystem by association were preserved as well.
In North America, one of the most successful wetland conservation groups is Ducks Unlimited, aiding in the conservation of approximately 118,423,660 acres (2014 figures), nearly twice the area of the UK, through agreements and land acquisition/retention. While retaining the rights of their members to hunt waterfowl on their owned and associated lands, they secure a great deal of funding and influence towards their continued preservation.
It does seem like a catch-22; shoot to save. But in many cases it works because it acknowledges the fact that humans are still part of ecosystems, as animals who prey upon other animals, rather than vilifying and segregating ourselves from the natural world.
Please don’t get me wrong, I do not support the idea of shooting simply for sport and pleasure in death. I do support shooting and hunting for providing a more environmentally sustainable way of harvesting food concurrently with its indirect benefits towards conservation.
To that end, it is something to remember that “the needs of the many out-weigh the needs of the few”, and that the sacrifice of a small proportion of individuals justifies the long term preservation of not just a single species, but an entire habitat and all the life encompassed within.
Murmurations over Mires 