wildlife economy
Unfortunately, people are often bad at recognising
this and end up locked in struggles over fairness even
as the pie starts to shrink as a consequence of this
conflict. Sensible entrepreneurs in the wildlife industry
should try to avoid this trap and explore opportunities for
growing the pie while at least partly addressing fairness
concerns. In other words, sensible entrepreneurs in
the wildlife industry should focus on balancing both the
short-term objective of seeking to profit from existing
legitimate market opportunities as well as keeping an
eye on the socio-political movements and trends that will
ultimately determine long-term consumer demand as
well as what is politically possible and supported.- Equity concerns, which
are typically more aligned with
recognisable political movements,
relate to fair distribution of the
proverbial pie, as well as fairness
in the means of production. For the
wildlife industry, some might argue
that equity would also entail fair
treatment, not only of other people,
but of other animals. - Finally, sustainability is
concerned with ensuring that
sufficient pie may also be enjoyed
by future generations. In the realm of
wildlife management, sustainability
means avoiding overexploitation
of the land and its soil, water,
vegetation and wildlife, to maintain
ecosystem resilience and ensure
that future levels of productive
capacity remain adequate. These
concerns for fairness – to other
people, animals, future generations
of people, and nature in general –
underpin most political movements
relating to wildlife.
It should be obvious that economic
efficiency and fairness are somehow
linked. It is generally easier to
address issues of fairness when the
proverbial economic pie is growing.