The precarious position of wildlife conservation funding in the United States

Bibliographic Data

ID15327178
AuthorsMark Duda (0009-0007-5536-8303, corresponding author), Mark Damian Duda (Responsive Management, Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA), Tom Beppler (Responsive Management, Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA), Douglas Austen (American Fisheries Society), Douglas J Austen (American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland, USA), John F Organ (0000-0002-0959-0639, Scientist Emeritus, U.S. Geological Survey, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units, Reston, Virginia, USA)
Year2021
Volume27
Issue2
Pages164-172
Publication date2021-05-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueHuman Dimensions of Wildlife (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1087-1209 • E-ISSN: 1533-158X
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10871209.2021.1904307
OpenAlexW3158701594
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited2

The Pittman-Robertson Act was established in 1937 to fund state-based wildlife conservation through an existing excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition. Because these items were purchased mostly by hunters at the time, they were the user group primarily funding wildlife conservation. Subsequent amendments to Pittman-Robertson expanded the taxable items to include pistols, revolvers, and archery equipment, effectively broadening the pool of conservation funding contributors to include non-hunters. The continuing trends of declining hunting participation, increasing handgun sales for non-hunting purposes, and increasing sport shooting and target archery independent of hunting, mean that non-hunters are contributing a disproportionately greater amount to Pittman-Robertson funding than hunters, and therefore contributing more to wildlife conservation. The evolving sources of revenue to Pittman-Robertson pose several threats to this historically important source of conservation funding. Addressing them may require new funding coalitions and outreach describing the conservation benefits and outcomes of Pittman-Robertson funding

Business · Economic growth · Economics · Endangered species · Environmental planning · Geography · Habitat · Natural resource economics · Outreach · Political science · Position (finance · Recreation · Revenue · Wildlife · Wildlife conservation · Wildlife management · Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management · Economic and Environmental Valuation · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation · Ecology · Finance

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