(Un)fair chase? Governing “conservation killing” in Africa and Europe

Abstract

The killing of animals purportedly for conservation generates trade-offs between species conservation and animal protection. Using an Integrative Governance framework, we explain the relationships between these interlinked biodiversity and animal governance systems regarding such “conservation killing” within and between the African and European Unions. Misaligned discourses and institutions, and conflicting power dynamics between actors limit relationships. However, integration has grown moderately, particularly in the EU, due to actors’ shared interest in (“native”) wildlife health and welfare, and through the paradigm of One Health, which stresses the interconnection of animal, environmental and human health. Nevertheless, sustainable conservation practices must also meet societal ethical expectations. Conservation killing falls short in this regard, despite recent growing attention to animal welfare. We suggest greater integration between the governance systems is unlikely to ameliorate this as both are grounded in capitalist anthropocentric structures, which reduce animals to commodities. Transformative governance, instead, entails including animals as actors whose interests warrant protection in order to promote just conservation practices.