Wildlife and pest management in Australia is most effective when it moves beyond artificial divisions and focuses on outcomes. One of the most persistent and unhelpful divides is the framing of non-commercial and commercial hunters as competitors. In reality, these groups work best when they are recognised as complementary parts of the same system.

When properly aligned, non-commercial and commercial hunters together form a complete, resilient wildlife management capability.

Complementary, Not Competing

Non-commercial and commercial hunters bring different strengths to wildlife management, but they are not in opposition. Treating them as competitors limits scale, reduces participation, and weakens long-term outcomes.

Non-commercial hunters often contribute time, flexibility, and local knowledge. Commercial hunters bring professional structure, efficiency, and the ability to operate at scale within market and contractual frameworks. When these strengths are combined, the result is greater coverage, consistency, and effectiveness than either group can deliver alone.

Shared Standards Create Shared Outcomes

Effective wildlife management depends on consistent application of best practice. This means operating under shared:

• Animal welfare principles

• Species-specific Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

• Safety and legal compliance requirements

When all hunters—paid or unpaid—are held to the same standards, outcomes improve. Shared standards also build trust with landholders, regulators, and the broader community by ensuring accountability and professionalism across the board.

Clear Pathways Strengthen Capability

Strong systems provide clear pathways between volunteer and professional roles. Many commercial hunters begin as non-commercial participants, developing skills, experience, and confidence over time.

Recognising this progression:

• Encourages skill development and mentoring

• Retains capable individuals within the system

• Builds long-term capacity rather than short-term fixes

Clear pathways ensure that experience is not lost and that capability continues to grow.

Scale, Persistence, and Structure

Non-commercial hunters are particularly effective at increasing scale and persistence. They can provide ongoing presence, follow-up control, and flexibility that is often difficult to sustain through commercial contracts alone.

Commercial hunters, in turn, provide structure, efficiency, and market access. They are well placed to deliver baseline control, manage large-scale operations, and link wildlife management to regulated markets and supply chains.

Neither role is sufficient on its own. Together, they address both the breadth and depth of wildlife management challenges.

One System, Shared Responsibility

Australia’s wildlife management challenges are complex, persistent, and landscape-scale. No single group can solve them alone. Success depends on cooperation, coordination, and recognition of complementary roles.

When non-commercial and commercial hunters are:

• Engaged strategically

• Coordinated effectively

• Supported by shared standards and clear pathways

they form a complete wildlife management system capable of delivering real conservation and pest-management outcomes.

Moving Forward Together

The future of effective wildlife management lies in collaboration, not division. By recognising the strengths of both non-commercial and commercial hunters—and designing systems that allow them to work together—we can achieve outcomes that are practical, ethical, and enduring.

Stronger together is not a slogan. It is a strategy.