Balancing Waterbird hunting and their Conservation – Towards a Sustainable Harvest

Overview

This is an opportunity to conduct fully funded interdisciplinary research under the Sustainable Transitions Leverhulme Doctoral Training Programme at the University of Essex.

The hunting of ducks, geese, and other waterfowl, has long been part of rural cultures across Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia. Whilst it holds significant cultural, recreational, and economic value, hunting also raises concerns regarding its potential impact on bird populations and wetland ecosystems. The increasing pressures from habitat loss, climate change, and human activity have intensified debates over whether hunting can co-exist sustainably with bird conservation.

Depending on the candidate's interest, this research has the potential to examine the relationship between waterbird hunting practices and bird conservation, exploring whether and how regulated hunting can contribute to the preservation of wetlands and biodiversity. It will explore the role of hunting organizations and hunter behaviours in supporting bird conservation through habitat management and monitoring programs and their past and current relationships with bird conservationists and recreational birdwatchers.

In doing so it will seek to understand the feelings and attachments for birds within these different nature cultures and the arguments about what constitutes socially and ecologically sustainable and acceptable levels of hunting. The relationship between bird conservationists and wildfowlers has historically been mediated by legal and regulatory frameworks, and the research will consider the policies that govern sustainable hunting and conservation.

Interdisciplinary focus

The research will draw upon sociological, historical and ecological studies of waterbird hunting, birdwatching and conservation. It will adopt an interdisciplinary approach, combining

1. semi-structured Interviews with hunters, birdwatchers and conservation officers to understand feelings and attachments to wildfowl and perceptions of sustainability of hunting;
2. policy review analysing existing regulatory frameworks, including bag limits, seasonal restrictions, and conservation partnerships;
3. analysis of ecological data of bird population counts and habitats (e.g. WeBS, GIS). 

Training and support

You will be supported through the Sustainable Transitions training programme which provides initial training in interdisciplinary research methods, training in the secondary discipline within the project area and ongoing training throughout the duration of the programme. All doctoral scholars benefit from the support of Proficio, which entitles you to £2,500 that can be used to purchase training courses either within or external to the University.

Additionally, Sustainable Transitions scholars are entitled to £10,000 that can be used to cover research costs and further training. Scholars are encouraged to audit masters and degree level course where appropriate. You will also have the support of the Sustainable Transitions management team, as well as your own supervisory team.  All Sustainable Transitions scholars will become part of the University of Essex Centre for Environment and Society through which ongoing events and networking opportunities are available.

Person specification

This opportunity would suit a graduate student with expertise in environmental sociology,  environmental history or in the environmental sciences with an interest in how understanding people and their behaviours can help develop best practice and policy in applied conservation.

It is not necessary for the candidate to have prior training in sociology or ecological methods as this will be provided on the programme. 

Research proposal

The project area is broadly defined, leaving scope for the applicant to develop their own specific research proposal as part of the application.  The successful candidate will further develop their proposal in close consultation with the supervisory team.  

Supervision

The primary discipline supervisor takes the lead responsibility for supervising the project. For further detail relating to supervision see the Guidance for Applicants (.docx) document.

Additional background information

Wildfowling—the traditional pursuit of hunting ducks, geese, and other wildfowl—has been an integral part of rural life and cultural heritage globally for centuries. Beyond recreation, it contributes to local economies and community identity. The hunting of waterbirds has been central to protecting wetland landscapes and through the idea of flyways developed in the USA, has supported bird conservation on a continental and later international scale. Waterbird hunters have thus been central to the legal protection afforded to migratory wildfowl in Europe, the Middle East, and North America in the past.

This view has changed considerably across Europe since the late 1970s and the evidence for utilitarian gains in the UK is lacking. The practice has also been criticized for its  potential to disrupt ecosystems and reduce bird populations, particularly amid increasing environmental pressures such as wetland degradation, pollution, recovering and expanding predator populations and climate change. Hunting is also increasingly divisive in society, with concerns about animal cruelty, welfare and disease risks associated with a range of waterbird hunting practices. Balancing the cultural and ecological dimensions of wildlife harvesting is essential for sustainable conservation strategies.

The cultural dimension includes  the values and identities of both hunters and conservationists and the legitimacy of hunting. This proposal outlines a study aimed at exploring the regulation of waterbird hunting and whether such regulation can coexist with, and even enhance, bird conservation goals. It aims to understand the values and feelings which guide both hunters and bird conservationists as well as the wider society’s attitudes towards hunting and conservation and habitat management. It will combine this sociological analysis with the evaluation of the ecological impacts of wildfowling on waterbird populations and wetland habitats.  

How to Apply

Full details available at Sustainable Transitions Leverhulme Doctoral Training Programme.

Supervisory team references

1. Nixon, S (2022) Passions for Birds: Science, Sentiment and Sport. McGill-Queen’s University Press.
2. Nixon, S (2025) ‘Protecting Wild Spain: the Coto Donana, International Conservation and Avian Landscapes’, Rural History (forthcoming) 
3. Ellis, M.B. & Cameron, T.C. (2022) An Initial Assessment of the Sustainability of waterbird harvest in the United Kingdom. Journal of Applied Ecology, 59, 2839-2848. 
4. Cameron, Tom C., Chas A Holt, Joah Madden  (2026) A review by Rapid Evidence Assessment of the impacts on waterbird populations and protected areas of mortality and disturbance arising from the recreational and coastal hunting of wildfowl (‘coastal wildfowling’): Phase II: ‘Grey’ literature and unpublished evidence. Report for Natural England (2026)
5. Madden, J.R., Ellis, M., and Cameron, T.C. (2024) An Assessment of Sufficiency of Data Availability on UK Waterbird Harvests for Accurately Estimating the Scale and Sustainability of Harvest of AEWa-listed Waterbird Populations. JNCC Report, JNCC, Peterborough.