Unravelling discourses about the management of a migratory declining game species: the case of European Turtle-dove (Streptopelia turtur)

Abstract

Key policy highlights

We analysed the discourses among Spanish hunters and governmental agencies about hunting regulations and the hunting moratorium of European Turtle-dove (Streptopelia turtur). Three distinct discourses emerged: one denies hunting’s role in the species population decline and considers the moratorium unnecessary; another supports the moratorium but highlights the need for global strategies; the third disputes the population decline, attributing the moratorium purely to environmentalists’ pressures and false data.

Despite these differences, there is a consensus on the need for a global conservation strategy incorporating agriculture, habitat, and hunting management along with transboundary coordination. This consensus could form the basis for future conservation plans.

Some discourses suggest policymakers and hunting regulations are influenced by environmentalist pressures, potentially causing hunters’ resistance to accept such measures if they feel unrepresented by administrative officers, or even leading to implementation failure. Greater stakeholder integration in generating research-based knowledge can enhance acceptance of decision legitimacy.