Hunting is changing: How Baden-Württemberg unites wildlife and nature conservation

Hunting is changing: How Baden-Württemberg unites wildlife and nature conservation

The discussion about hunting in Baden-Württemberg is reaching new dimensions. There are currently around 51,000 hunters in this country who go into the forest for more than just hunting reasons. As tagesschau.de reports, interest in hunting licenses is growing, especially thanks to awareness of nature conservation and climate change. The image of the hunter has changed; Today they see themselves as guardians of the balance between game and forest.

But hunting is also under critical observation. It is repeatedly criticized that it is outdated and that not every hunter has sufficient skills to take responsibility for the wild animal population. A current driven hunt in Waldkirch, in which 140 hunters plan to kill 40 animals, raises the question of whether this is how overpopulation should be dealt with in our time. A look at innovative solutions could be helpful here.

Hunting as part of nature conservation

Alexander Held, hunter and forest scientist, emphasizes in his remarks that hunting not only has an economic aspect, but also makes a decisive contribution to nature conservation. The Hunting and Wildlife Management Act (JWMG) in Baden-Württemberg aims to harmonize social, economic and ecological interests with wild animal populations. It is becoming increasingly common for wild animals such as badgers, raccoons and foxes to be found in urban areas, where populations are often ten times higher than in rural forests.

In order to defuse conflicts between people and wild animals, urban hunters like Frank Beutelspacher take action by setting up traps and taking deterrent measures. In Stuttgart in particular, the Dachsburg is causing major damage, which shows that the interaction between nature and people does not always run smoothly.

Dispute over hunting-free zones

Another hot topic in the debate is the expansion of hunting-free zones, which can be observed in the Black Forest National Park, where hunting has no longer been permitted since 2019. Wildlife managers report that there is no overpopulation in this zone, but this is of little reassurance to local residents. They fear damage that could be caused by the growing animal population. They discover that trees in the national park grow back even without hunting, while at the same time the forest is changing.

The animal rights organization PETA also joins the discussion and argues that the goals of hunting cannot be reconciled with nature conservation. She advocates castration as an alternative method to regulate wildlife populations. Coordinated measures and the dissemination of information are therefore required in order to shape the relationship between people and nature.

In conclusion, it can be said that hunting in Baden-Württemberg remains a complex issue. The balance between tradition and modern nature conservation demands is difficult to find. It will be exciting to see how the legal and social environment for hunting and dealing with wild animals develops in the coming years.