Bridging sustainable game management into land use policy: From principles to practice

Sustainability of land use is a guiding paradigm for natural resource policy in the 21st century and should also be pursued in wildlife management. We have bridged the theoretical sustainability framework with practical policy implementation by defining a certification scheme whereby landowners implement game management systems that are aligned with sustainability standards and audited by accredited bodies. Oversight is provided by a governance committee, comprising scientists, public officers, and certification body representatives, ensuring adaptability to evolving societal attitudes and regulatory changes. Using the Delphi method with a panel of 78 experts we defined key sustainability criteria for sustainable game management following a criterion of consensus. The agreed criteria were structured around three dimensions: game population, habitat, and socio-economic aspects, forming a coherent framework. The seven most important criteria for defining a certification system focused on maintaining or improving: 1) game population abundance, distribution, structure, and behavior compatible with conservation; 2) natural genetic characteristics of game populations; 3) diversity and conservation status of native game species; 4) diversity of native non-game species; 5) conservation status and diversity of habitats; 6) socio-economic functions and conditions of the activity; and 7) customer satisfaction. We discuss how the label derived from this certification could serve as an identity brand with positive effects on the recreational hunting market, but also that the promotion of this system requires the commitment of policy makers as well as the valuing of hunters against other options less respectful of the natural environment.