So says a new study by researchers at Cornell published in this month's issue of Wildlife Management. Like any study they came up with a name and an acronym for what they were studying, they were looking at PEBs or "pro environmental behaviours".
Warning: Photos, images, or text, may be disturbing to some and could possibly contain subject matter that is unsettling to others. It is entirely possible that in viewing this diary you might be see real images or video of animals killing or being killed. You've been warned.
Above bonasa umbellus known in W Central Massachusetts as a "paatrij" or partridge in English. Partridge are a favored game species for their taste and also their flight habit. The breast meat is white because of the musculature involved with short distance flight, and the species will wait until one is almost upon them before taking flight in any direction often flying through low bushes and trees making for a difficult shot. Image from bio web uw lax
The study was seeking to better understand comparative involvement in conservation between participatory users of wildlife and those who mostly observe. The researchers found similar amounts of involvement and motivation between the two groups and to an even greater degree where the two groups overlapped (bird watching hunters).
The comparisons were made to other outdoor recreationists. Hikers, bikers, etc.
I too noticed a relative uninterest in flora and fauna amongst my fellow climbers during the many years I spent climbing in the mountains and crags of the western US. Mostly we were interested in getting to the base of a route and getting off and back to a campsite. In fairness much of wildlife at National Parks is unmanaged and more often habituated pests than a wild part of nature.
For the purposes of the study people were categorized as Hunters, Birdwatchers, Outdoor recreationists, or non outdoor recreationists, based upon what their self reported favorite activity was. The respondents were rural residents of upstate New York.
Make of it what you will the report was an interesting read for me.
Again the url. Are wildlife recreationists Conservationists?