@Rigpa10@TonyTozser@LucifersTweetz and it also is a population management technique that has proven to work, has been used for a very long time, and is taught in college level wildlife management courses. you don't have to agree with it to understand its benefit.
@Rigpa10@TonyTozser@LucifersTweetz dude๐ญ i don't like the system we've created either. i wish the government cared enough about conservation to fund it themselves, but they don't, so this is just one way conservation gets funded is what im trying to tell you.
@Rigpa10@TonyTozser@LucifersTweetz ecosystems historically change, this is true, but humans are speeding up that change at an incredible rate. it's our duty then to attempt to manage what ecosystems we can to preserve the natural processes that havent yet been destroyed
@Rigpa10@TonyTozser@LucifersTweetz there are agencies that cull animals to control populations. hunting is a specific form of population control that also brings in a ton of money for wildlife conservation. it's our duty to manage natures ecosystems because we're currently destroying them beyond repair
@real_scopehead@Rigpa10@TonyTozser@LucifersTweetz an overabundance of elk would lead to less food for that population because it would exceed the natural carrying capacity, which harms overall fitness in a population. you would see an increase in predators, sure, but a population cant survive past carrying capacity.
@Rigpa10@TonyTozser@LucifersTweetz also, if a species becomes overpopulated and dominates an area like you say, they risk starvation and disease. additionally, there's less habitat overall for other species in the area, and those species may be necessary to maintaining the ecosystem processes of an area
@Rigpa10@TonyTozser@LucifersTweetz hunters are one of the biggest contributors to conservation funds nationwide. there's an 11% excise tax on all sporting guns, ammunition, and archery equipment. that money goes to state agencies to fund conservation and research into these populations.