For the first time, this book addresses many of the issues that are fundamental to an understanding of the real role of recreational hunting in conservation and rural development. It examines the key issues, asks the difficult questions, and seeks to present the answers to guide policy.

Recreational hunting has long been a controversial issue. Is it a threat to biodiversity or can it be a tool for conservation, giving value to species and habitats that might otherwise be lost? Are the moral objections to hunting for pleasure well founded? Does recreational hunting support rural livelihoods in developing countries, or are these benefits exaggerated by proponents?

This book explores these debates about recreational hunting thoroughly, with respect to its history, scale, biodiversity impacts, and social context. It discusses recreational hunting in both the developed and the developing world and brings together different perspectives on issues of science, ethics, livelihoods, policy, and governance. The contributors analyze the major challenges that recreational hunting faces and consider how the practice may evolve in the future.

This volume will be of interest to policy-makers, researchers, and practitioners who are concerned with the interface between recreational hunting and conservation.