Habitat loss caused by land-use change remains the greatest threat to biodiversity. As global food demand grows, sustainable wildlife harvests can help reduce pressure to convert additional land for agriculture.

A recent study from the United States found that wild ungulates and feral pigs harvested during the 2024–2025 hunting season provided a quantity of meat that would otherwise require approximately 6,700–10,000 km² of land annually if produced through domestic cattle farming.

While wild meat cannot replace conventional agriculture, the authors conclude that sustainable wildlife harvests can contribute to reducing land-use pressure, support habitat conservation and provide a low-impact source of protein.

Integrating wild food systems into conservation and land-use policies could therefore offer additional benefits for biodiversity and society.

Although focused on the United States, applying this methodology to the European context will most likely result in similar conclusions, as wild game harvest also provides significant amount of game meat to European citizens, e.g., see FACE’s report on ungulate harvest.

Link to study: https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/advance-article/doi/10.1093/biosci/biag084/8707932