March 2009 President message
This month, we have published a special edition of the ASJ, the political voice of the SSAA, on recreational hunting and its place within Australia. The research piece provides a snapshot of the history of sustainable hunting and the way hunters were and continue to be at the forefront of conservation well before it became ‘fashionable’ to mainstream society.
In this ‘plastic-wrapped’ and sensitive world, where our meat is sourced, prepared and packaged for us by retailers and we do little more than drive to the local supermarket to buy our groceries, it is the hunter who still understands the relationship between the environment and ourselves. Those uninitiated with hunting often scorn the thought of harvesting a wild rabbit, deer or duck for the family dinner table, yet, they are happy to have others grow and ‘process’ their food for them. Hunters, on the other hand, know where their meat has come from and what it took to obtain it; they have educated themselves about the animal and its habitat.
Hunters, too, lobby for the better and ‘wiser’ use of land. They cull pest animals and manage other species - something that has aided native animal populations much more than the ‘protectionist’ or ‘lockout’ viewpoint of people who do not support hunting or are not aware of its benefits.
Hunting and its place in society has always been questioned by minority groups with extreme animal rights views. Unfortunately, these groups don’t respect the science of game management that would safeguard sustainable populations of game species and protect other animals from predation and overpopulation. These minority groups prefer to push their extreme ideologies onto the ordinary citizen and mainstream animal welfare organisations. These groups demand a change in lifestyle and thinking that only suits their extreme beliefs. Such a position puts many animals at risk of having no value, which does little to protect an animal’s future. An animal with no value in today’s society is not treated as a resource and is destined to be mismanaged.
Hunters have a very proud history of maintaining sustainable populations of game species that they wish to utilise, as well as protecting other species from exotic animals. This has been demonstrated by the success of many wetland rescue and restoration projects undertaken by hunters and the joint pest animal control projects between state agencies and hunters on public lands. Conservation hunting is a valuable pest management strategy where many thousands of volunteer hunters can get involved. The sheer size of this available resource should not be underestimated in terms of its potential impact on feral animals and its economic cost savings to society.
Unfortunately, this resource is not being used or valued enough by governments and there is a real need for a more coordinated approach across the nation. Some states are beginning to adopt new policies to use the hunter resource, but there is still much work to be done and some issues to be reviewed. Most successful pest control programs attempt to use as many pest management strategies as they can within budget constraints because there is no single method of pest control that works on every pest animal. The use of low-cost volunteer conservation hunters, who freely offer their time and services, is one way to assure the success of a program, as well as resulting in additional social, environmental and economic benefits.
If your copy of Australian Shooter did not come with the ‘Hunting in Perspective’ ASJ click here to download a copy.
Bob Green
SSAA National President
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