Sound Conservation: Rowland Ward’s Record of Big Game
Maintaining Rowland Ward’ s Records of Big Game is important for wildlife, habitat and local indigenous people. Why?
- Promotes Conservation:
- Setting benchmarks for trophies: By setting high standards for trophy size, the record book encourages trophy hunters to focus on mature, older male animals that have already passed on their genes; this benefits and contributes to the overall health and sustainability of populations.
- Tracking trends in game management: Changes in measurement submissions over time in a particular region will indicate the degree of success of conservation practices. If sound, the data will support those practices; the data will also show where those practices need to be adjusted in order to meet the conservation goals in that area.
- Providing research tools: The record book large data set serves as a valuable resource for researchers studying game distribution and taxonomic features; moreover, it provides a historical, geographical, and biological perspective of the fauna in any particular area.
- Raising public awareness: By promoting the conservation side of hunting, the record book helps educate the public to the work hunters do to protect and conserve wildlife. This, in turn, will help tilt the Overton Window in favor of big-game hunting.
- All animals from wilderness areas are accepted: The record book accepts picked-up animals as well as hunter harvests, which provides a greater pool of scientific data but also a real-time indication of the over-all health of animal populations. Many of the largest specimens recorded are pick-ups.
- Longevity of Data: Rowland Ward’s data have been compiled well over one hundred years and, in some cases, animals from almost two-hundred years ago are recorded. This unique database is unequaled in any age and depth to other available on Earth.
- Encourages Sustainable Hunting Practices:
- Promoting ethical standards: The Rowland Ward record book promotes sustainable and strictly fair-chase hunting practices that benefit both local communities and wildlife conservation efforts.
- Encouraging responsible hunting: By working with local communities and emphasizing ethical standards, the record book aims to ensure that hunting is conducted responsibly.
- Accepting animals only from self-sustaining herds: Because entries are accepted only from self-sustaining populations in natural habitats—purposely bred game animals are not accepted—the animal’s potential from a natural habitat is recorded, not a human’s ability to manipulate and purposely breed “record specimens.”
- Provides Historical and Educational Value:
- Preserving our hunting heritage: The record book documents hunting activities and provides a historical record of past hunters while educating younger generations to set high standards by example.
- Providing information for hunters: The book offers valuable knowledge on the distribution of game, taxonomic features, and historical and geographical records that can help hunters in their planning.
