Leading scientists have warned that world conservation is being undermined by celebrity power after suffering death threats and abuse in a hostile dispute over trophy hunting.
Groups such as the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting and Born Free are putting pressure on the British and American governments to ban trophy hunting, backed by many well-known names, many of the public and more than 150 MPs across the political spectrum.
Many of them have signed an open letter calling for a ban, which scientists say contains misleading information.
Several scientists have told the Guardian that poor political decision-making and abuse directed at them is fueled by what they describe as ‘myths driven by emotion and morality that ignore critical facts’.
They also warn that well-meaning but ill-informed campaigns on the emotional issue run the risk of endangering millions of hectares of wildlife and Africa’s livelihoods.
Although poorly regulated trophy hunting has historically had a negative impact on some game populations, there is strong evidence, including from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), that for many endangered species such as the black rhino, white rhino, lion and remarkable, well-regulated trophy hunting led to population growth and reduced major threats. Conservationists say that when habitats are managed for hunting, it can protect many other endangered species that live in the same area.
In 2019, 133 leading scientists and community representatives warned in a letter to the journal Science that banning hunting without implementing viable alternatives to protect habitat and generate income for local communities would jeopardize biodiversity.
The scientists involved say it has led to a spate of abuses, including by campaign groups and celebrities against hunting. Dr Amy Dickman, a lion conservationist at Oxford University who received funding from both pro- and anti-hunting groups, was the first author of the Science letter and said she had received numerous verbal attacks.
The actor and campaigner for animal welfare, Peter Egan call her a ‘very limited scientist’, while others accused her of being a “paid mouthpiece” for hunting or calling her a “monster” and “a twisted sadistic bitch.” Dickman claims another said they would like to see her face ripped off by lions.
She was also asked to leave a meeting in parliament of politicians, activists and the media organized by the campaign to ban the trophy hunt. She is not alone: other signatories of the letter reported similar abuse.
The scientists say that such attacks prevent people from pointing out misleading information.
Adam Hart, professor of scientific communication at the University of Gloucestershire, said: ‘Many conservation scientists are afraid to get involved in this debate because it is so toxic. I’ve already called people a shill for the hunting industry, which is an absolute nonsense. We get personal barriers to our professional integrity just because we try to involve people in science and to limit the loss of game that will come if trophy hunting is banned. ”
Questions and answers
What are the biggest threats to biodiversity?
In May 2019, the most comprehensive study of life on earth ever undertaken was launched by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The report is composed of more than 1,500 academic papers and reports from indigenous groups. The overall message is that the world’s people support systems, on which people depend, are in trouble. Solutions are possible, but they require urgent, transformative action, because policies so far have not been able to stem the tide of human extinction. The authors hope that the mega-report will guide policymakers and generate public discussion on biodiversity (including wildlife, food crops, livestock and ecosystems) in the same way that the climate debate is shaped by reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The report also examines five key drivers of unprecedented biodiversity and ecosystem change over the past 50 years and identifies them as: changes in land and sea use; direct exploitation of organisms; climate change; pollution; and invasion of alien species.
Free born in the US and the UK Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting both say that trophy hunting does not support conservation.
Dickman said: ‘The story of the fighters, which suggests that trophy hunting drives species to extinction and to ban it, would make it better – is false. I am not aware of any species where the current trophy hunt is the primary threat to their perseverance. The biggest threats are predominantly habitat loss, poaching, prey loss and conflict with humans – all of which will be exacerbated if land used for trophy hunting is converted to agriculture or settlement.
She added: “I can sympathize with how these images of grinning hunters turn people’s stomachs – they do the same with me – but the kind of killings we see in areas where game has no economic value are even worse.”
Many red list species and their habitats are judged by the IUCN to be somewhat supported by trophy hunting, including the giant elk, black rhino, white rhino, African elephant and smaller kudu. A UN report found that trophy hunting preserves millions of hectares of wildlife in sub-Saharan Africa.
Kenya’s 1977 hunting ban was followed by 70-88% declines in some game species examined, including the warthog, lesser kudu, Thomson’s gazelle, elk, oryx and impala, while livestock increased significantly. Tanzania lost anti-poaching units and millions of acres of hunting grounds after the importation of elephant trophy hunting in the US was banned.
More than a million people have signed a 2020 petition submitted to Downing Street banning the import of trophy hunting, and the outcome of a government consultation is pending.
In July, more than 50 African community leaders, claiming to represent the views of millions of people in southern Africa, signed an open letter criticizing British celebrities for using their influence to ban trophy hunting – with the took Ricky Gervais, Joanna Lumley, Peter Egan, Ed Sheeran, Dame Judi Dench and Piers Morgan.
They called on them “to stop undermining our globally recognized conservation efforts and our basic human right to make sustainable use of the natural resources on which our livelihoods depend on our communities.”
They added: “The implementation of worldviews and value systems from afar, reinforced by your powerful, influential voices, leads to disastrous policies that undermine our rights and success of conservation.”
Dickman agrees: “I find it strange that people listen more to actors and comedians than to trained conservation scientists, or, more importantly, to local stakeholders.”
Born Free’s head of policy, Dr Mark Jones, said: ‘Trophy hunting is an emotional issue. Nevertheless, Born Free does not announce any abuse well. ”
He added: ‘We dispute the claims made by proponents of trophy hunting that it provides significant conservation and community benefits, or that it contributes positively to the sustainable use of wildlife. Trophy hunting is a cruel relic of a colonial era that leads to intense animal suffering and disruption of game populations, while contributing little or nothing to local economies or nature conservation. It is also damaged by corruption and greed. ”
The Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting does not respond to requests for comment.