--- description: Hunting has a devastating effect on animals, and the impact could worsen as development spreads in the future, according to new research title: Research Shows Just How Much Hunting Reduces Animal Populations image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9779c500f41877b4/6988c2a5cd1bba1ad2704b45/ivory-burn-hunting.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Science](/section/science/) ## Science Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [animals](/tag/animals/) ## animals Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Research Shows Just How Much Hunting Reduces Animal Populations  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Apr 13, 2017 7:08 PM CUT  A Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) ranger stands guard around illegal stockpiles of burning elephant tusks, ivory figurines and rhinoceros horns at the Nairobi National Park in April 2016. A Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) ranger stands guard around illegal stockpiles of burning elephant tusks, ivory figurines and rhinoceros horns at the Nairobi National Park in April 2016.Carl de Souza—AFP/Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Apr 13, 2017 7:08 PM CUT Hunting has a devastating effect on animal populations — and the impact could worsen as development spreads in the future, according to [research](http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aaj1891 "undefined") done in developing countries. Researchers found that hunting on average leads to an 83% reduction in mammal populations within 25 miles of hunter access points like roads and towns. The findings, published in the journal _Science_, come as researchers in the developing world expect hunters to gain access to new areas thanks to millions of miles of roads expected to open in the coming decades. In the study, researchers call for expanded [legal protection](http://time.com/4476487/conservation-earth-protected-land-biodiversity/ "undefined") for animal habitats and increased law enforcement focus on illegal hunting. “Strategies to sustainably manage wild meat hunting in both protected and unprotected tropical ecosystems are urgently needed,” said study author Ana Benítez-López, a researcher at [Radboud University](http://www.ru.nl/english/ "undefined") in the Netherlands. “This includes monitoring hunting activities by increasing anti-poaching patrols and controlling overexploitation via law enforcement.” Hunting has also hit bird populations hard, with the practice leading to a 58% decline in population numbers within 4.5 miles of hunter access points. Researchers attribute the difference between the effect on birds and mammals to the amount of meat they provide. Commercial hunters are more likely to target mammals because they provide more meat, they said. Data for the new research came from more than 175 studies conducted in the tropics of developing countries. Of course, hunting is far from the only threat faced by vulnerable animals across the globe. Loss of habitat due to human development, invasive species and climate change have all contributed to a [loss of biodiversity](http://time.com/4476487/conservation-earth-protected-land-biodiversity/ "undefined") across the globe. In turn, a loss of species diversity harms humans in a number of ways, by reducing pollination and pest control that supports agriculture and by allowing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4736526/hunting-reduces-animal-populations/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4736526/hunting-reduces-animal-populations/"},"headline":"Research Shows Just How Much Hunting Reduces Animal Populations","datePublished":"2017-04-13T19:08:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T04:21:57.407Z","description":"Hunting kills up to 83% of mammal wildlife","url":"https://time.com/4736526/hunting-reduces-animal-populations/","keywords":["animals","Environment","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9779c500f41877b4/6988c2a5cd1bba1ad2704b45/ivory-burn-hunting.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9779c500f41877b4/6988c2a5cd1bba1ad2704b45/ivory-burn-hunting.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"ivory burn hunting","caption":"ivory burn hunting","creditText":"Carl de Souza—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/animals/","name":"animals"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4736526/hunting-reduces-animal-populations/","name":"Research Shows Just How Much Hunting Reduces Animal Populations"}}]}] ```