This study reviews the UK’s proposed Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill and argues that effective conservation policy must be evidence-based and mindful of unintended consequences. Researchers analyzed 21 years of data on trophy imports from CITES-listed species and found that the UK imported around 3,500 trophies representing about 2,550 individual animals. Most came from countries with stable or growing populations of these species. Crucially, legal trophy hunting was not identified as a major threat to any of the 73 species imported, and it actually benefits conservation for at least 20 of them. The study criticizes the UK Government’s impact assessment for overlooking the economic benefits trophy hunting provides to local communities—benefits that encourage conservation on the ground. The authors recommend more balanced and targeted regulations rather than outright bans, stressing that well-managed trophy hunting can support species protection and sustainable development goals.
