Hunting Under Threat From Climate Change

Why does the environment matter? We've all had the conversation. The excruciatingly frustrating argument with someone who doesn't see the value of the environment, and looks at you like you've just stripped naked and started hugging a tree (my actual nakedness and proximity to woodland was purely coincidental). Unless you've got a background in environmental matters it can be tricky to articulate anything beyond 'it looks nice' and 'we really should be looking after it, shouldn't we?' (to be fair, I was getting dressed and removing the bark from my hair at the time).

Anyway! I hope we can help you avoid similar situations with a series of articles, on a wide range of subjects, exemplifying the aesthetic, social and economic value of our natural environment and how human actions can, and have, had a negative effect. In short, it's an opportunity to wildly pontificate, finger wag and look down upon the polluting masses from our biodegradable soap boxes (made from sustainably grown timber of course...).

Hunting?

So, let the learning begin! I'm going to start with a subject that's controversial at the best of times; hunting! Hunters may not be the top of the list when it comes to wildlife preservation, but, assuming they act responsibly, their vested interest in protecting wildlife can secure some seriously needed conservation investment! In fact, about a month ago a group of 20 hunting and fishing groups lobbied the US government regarding the damage climate change could cause their industry.

A valuable industry

In a 2007 report the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) estimated that hunting, fishing and wildlife watching provides 2.6 million jobs and generates $108 billion for the US economy. There is a direct link between the recreational use of wildlife and financial gains (they have to buy their guns, licenses and funny hats from somewhere) but this is utterly dependent on the health of the ecosystem (for those of you with a more scientific leaning, these human benefits from natural environments are known as ecosystem services).

Climate Problems

Although only one of many causes of environmental damage, climate change can be devastating to wildlife. Some mid-range predictions anticipate we could lose up to 37% of all wild species by 2050⁽¹⁾. It's impossible to know exactly how wildlife populations will be effected; there are simply too many factors⁽²⁾, but disease, the movement of competing species and disruption to life cycles (especially for plants, amphibians and reptiles who are all extremely temperature sensitive) will be amongst the most serious problems.

The chief concern amongst hunting organisations, however, is the movement of migration routes; if game fowl stop travelling south as the north gets warmer, there'll be a lot of angry (and poor) lodge owners. This is particularly problematic when habitats are already fragmented; less mobile species have no way of moving to a new home as favourable climate zones shift.

In short, the recreational use of wildlife is alarmingly valuable and this entire industry is under threat from climate change. Alone this could be financially devastating, but this is only one aspect of the economic damage caused; when we consider the benefits of wildlife to agriculture, medicine, media etc the combined losses could be huge!

Of course the situation becomes far more serious when you rely on hunting for food...

⁽¹⁾ Thomas, C.D. et al. (2004) Extinction risk from climate change. Nature 427: 145-148.

⁽²⁾Walther, G.R. et al. (2002) Ecological responses to recent climate change. Nature 416: 389–395

Published - Tue 20th Oct 2009 09:19:13