The Difference Between Conservation And Preservation

Or, how hunting works to foster healthy wildlife populations, despite its image as a bloodsport

One of the most surprising things about animal conservation is how few people understand how it works. As we enter a time in which one side of the political spectrum is attempting to realize mass sell-offs of public lands—the places where wildlife lives—while the other is challenging the foundational tenants of conservation with anti-hunting ballot measures, it seems like a simple, clear explanation has become necessary. Here’s my attempt to create just that.

One of the problems here is that the Internet lacks concise, definitive definitions that set the two terms apart. Let me attempt that:

• Conservation is the carefully managed use of natural resources with the purpose of protecting them through a sustainable funding model.

• Preservation is the practice of protecting natural resources at all costs.

When it works as intended, conservation pays for …