Adopting a utilitarian approach to culling wild animals for conservation in National Parks

As human populations increase and become wealthier, the demand for red meat will increase. Much of this increased demand will be supplied through the traditional livestock supply chains; however, there are alternative commodities that can be used to meet some of the demand. Game meat harvested from wildlife is a growing commodity in the developed world, valued for its nutritional qualities and taste. However, there are some perverse management actions whereby wildlife, culled for conservation purposes (usually because they are deemed to be overabundant within National Parks and Protected Areas), are often not utilized as either human or pet food. In this Perspective, I highlight how the products from these culled animals in NPs are used, or not, and discuss some innovative ways in which the products are, or could be, brought into the economic and livelihood system (i.e., utilitarian conservation). These include bringing products from culled animals into the human and pet food supply chains.