Can legalised-hunting help conservation?

[Sully]

With trophy hunting and the discussion around it, its framed as animal welfare vs conservation. This is misleading however. Ethics are a part of both sides, just those that support trophy hunting (who are genuine about conservation) apply a utilitarian approach to it, rather than a more personal analysis of the means to which the ends are achieved. Ethically it's as arbitrary, why is it right to view animals as figures that comprise a population? This is an important question. There is a deeper ethical discussion to be had here which I have my own views on but will diverge from the conversation, but bluntly, emotions vs facts is not the correct paradigm to view this debate by. Not to mention the idea trophy hunting achieves its desired goal is questionable to say the least.

For me, even if trophy hunting worked completely in the way it's intended to, I still wouldn't support it. Culling the human population would also undoubtedly work in curbing the climate crisis, but it wouldn't cross a rational persons mind because it's clearly morally wrong. It's the same thing for me. Reply