Informing Decisions on Trophy Hunting

2023 IUCN Briefing Paper

Trophy hunting is currently the subject of intense debate, with moves at various levels to end or restrict it, including through increased bans or restrictions on carriage or import of trophies. This paper seeks to inform these discussions.

Trophy hunting is hunting of animals with specific desired characteristics (such as large antlers), and overlaps with widely practiced hunting for meat. It is clear that there have been, and continue to be, cases of poorly conducted and poorly regulated hunting. While “Cecil the Lion” is perhaps the most highly publicised controversial case, there are examples of weak governance, corruption, lack of transparency, excessive quotas, illegal hunting, poor monitoring and other problems in a number of countries. This poor practice requires urgent action and reform.