SACRAMENTO SAFARI CLUB
A Chapter of Safari Club International
10 THESES OF SCI FOUNDATION
Here are the 10 theses of SCI Foundation:
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The environment matters. It was here before humans, it is what allows humans to flourish, it will be what remains after humankind. It is worth protecting.
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Environmental needs and economic needs do not need compete against each other. There are ways to align interests.
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People misunderstand where conservation rights sit, when we are stewards of a system but we use that same system. A species has the right to not go extinct (the Endangered Species Act helps to guarantee that), but that right does not guarantee every individual within a species will live forever. Individuals come and go. Sustainable-use conservation is a model to use individuals in a way that helps ensure the species as a whole is better off long-term.
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Conservation of plants, animals, and their ecosystems are deeply scientific in nature, and produce quantifiable data to researchers who dedicate their lives to reading it. As such, scientists and scientific data should be the primary driver influencing action and decision making regarding wild lands and animals. NOT political gain and NOT emotional outburst.
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Misguided bans against the importation of legally harvested wildlife are baseless and pose legitimate threats to maintaining rural communities, wildlife populations, and the large tracts of land that are otherwise utilized as hunting grounds.
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The more humans receive from biological resources, the more they will care about protecting them. Food, water, shelter, hunting, fishing, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, money, air to breath….so many examples of many things that tie modern humans back to our roots in nature. The stronger this tie remains, and the broader its demographic reach, the better off our wildlife and wildlands will be. We can and should enjoy the outdoors together. For example, if one person is strictly a “meat hunter” and another strictly a “trophy hunter” recognize that both of your interests are beneficial for the future of wildlife as a whole, finding ways to support each other instead of finding ways to fight against each other will help ensure you get to continue enjoying nature the way you like to. This also applies to the backcountry backpacker that doesn't hunt, and the hunters that like to venture to the backcountry. Supporting each other's use of the land ensures more support for the land you love.
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While it can be beneficial to understand how biodiversity can be tools for human use, there is value in recognizing a greater truth: Plants, animals, and their ecosystems make up this world. We share this world with them.
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It's imperative that local voices be respected with regards to wildlife management decisions in North America and abroad. Especially abroad, it's a dangerous trend to see western governments telling African and Asian countries how their wildlife is going to be utilized.
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Hunters and hunting play a constructive role in natural resource conservation.
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Playing a role in supporting, encouraging, educating, and in other ways progressing the work of conservation does not need to be expensive, complicated, or controversial. It simply takes initiative. Make an impact where you’re able to and in what capacity you’re able to, as a collective whole we all make the difference together.