UoG wildlife expert contributes to new book highlighting value of animals in shaping the planet

University of Gloucestershire wildlife expert and researcher Professor Adam Hart explores the highly controversial topic of trophy hunting in a new book reassessing the value of animals in human societies and economic systems.

Following on from his own award-winning co-authored book, Trophy Hunting, Professor Hart (pictured above) is among the contributors to The Economics of Non-Human Animals: Revaluing Life for a Liveable Planet edited by Italian economist Nicoletta Batini, a former Research Advisor to the Bank of England.

From early hunting and domestication to their roles in agriculture, science, transportation, wars, and entertainment, animals have shaped our world. Today, their contributions span from providing food and energy to supporting ecosystem services such as pollination and pest control. 

Nicoletta Batini’s new academic work honours animals’ lives and positive contributions to the world, and calls for a comprehensive reassessment of their full worth: economically, ecologically, and ethically.

In his chapter, Animals for Trophy Hunting, Professor Hart critically examines the conditions under which trophy hunting – where animals are hunted and parts, like horns or tusks, are displayed as trophies – can contribute to biodiversity protection and rural livelihoods, while also highlighting the risks of ecological degradation and ethical backlash.

Professor Hart, Professor of Conservation Ecology at the University, writes in his chapter: “Trophy hunting, when poorly regulated, can undermine conservation goals and public trust.

“Yet under the right conditions, it has the potential to support biodiversity, fund habitat protection, and empower local communities.”