Environmental Behaviour. Applying Ecological Habitus to Recreational Hunting in New Zealand

Seminar paper from the year 2011 in the subject Ethnology / Cultural Anthropology, grade: 1,25, Massey University, New Zealand, language: English, abstract: The issue of whether recreational hunting hurts or benefits the environment is a controversial topic, with a range of different positions being advocated for. Through applying a socioecological theory that analyses the relational process between humans and the environment, I will argue that the position one takes on hunting, whether it be for or against, is a reflection of their ecological habitus. By outlining a brief history of hunting within New Zealand, my first hunting experience, and defining the key concepts of ecological habitus, I will link my own hunting perceptions and practices to ecological habitus and lay the theoretical foundations that influence an individual s position on the matter. It will be shown that in New Zealand the ecological habitus towards hunting is heavily influenced by one s environmental location, type of capital possessed, and identification with a national kiwi identity. The impact of this is that the formation of hunting practices is a direct product of the relationships between people and their environment. By applying a concept of ecological habitus a more complex understanding of peoples behaviour towards the environment can be gained.