Determination of Cultural Characteristics of Hunters in İstanbul Province to Hunting and Wildlife Management (İstanbul Province Case)

Determination of Cultural Characteristics of Hunters in İstanbul Province to Hunting and Wildlife Management (İstanbul Province Case)

SAFAK, Ismail
OKAN, Taner
HIZAL, Erdem
KECECIOGLU, Tamer
ISIK, Caner
ACAR, Sedat

Turkey has a rather important potential from the point of view of wildlife resources which includes both species diversity and sheltering capacity. On the other hand, wildlife in Turkey has been endangered since wilderness ecosystem and habitats have been damaged and managed badly. There is a rather important role of hunters in this process. Hunting, which means catching of either living or lifeless animals that live freely in the nature, has attracted attention of mankind almost in every term. Hunting has been accepted as an important activity also today as well as in the past. It is not a realistic approach considering the hunting passion which comes to today with the traces from the past as nothing. Today, hunters have become a guaranty of biodiversity and wilderness by getting an environmentalist status. As increasing economic and social welfare, first of all demands of hunters and demands of stakeholders from wildlife sector are getting increased by varying. In this context, it is obligatory to develop and reach a rationalist management of wildlife potential that promises a great future of Turkey. In Turkey, lawful regulations were made in 2003 with act of 4915 to solve problems of wildlife management. Wildlife management in Turkey still live a transition period, problems are going on because new laws and its implementations have not yet established. Among these problems, illegal hunting, uneducated hunters, lack of hunter controlling have important place; basic problems are social, cultural, economic and lack of scientific structure. Associations, institutions and enterprises attach importance for knowing cultural elements and factors that affect them. It has been use an active instrument to convey cultural data and to reach aims. In this context, researches that determine human structure and cultural sensitiveness fields in the management of wildlife resources are very important. There have been seen some researches which related to determine of hunter profile since 2002. But, there are too few studies to determine cultural characteristics of hunters. In this context, it is needed some studies for hunter culture as related to management activities. This research project includes hunting clubs and their members in İstanbul. For this aim, according to sample size, there will be reached primary data using questionnaire method which is prepared for hunters. Some data based on literature research constitute secondary data of research. In this research, questionnaire, called the hunter form, will be developed. Hunter Form; cultural elements of hunters, profile of hunters and level of importance on the issue of hunters were determined. Nine-point Likert Scale was used in some questions to determine hunters’ thinking on the issue. The hunter form is designed in two parts. The first part is related to the demographic characteristics of hunters. The second section means detection levels of the components of the culture of hunters. In this research project, values forming culture of hunters were investigated in context of leaders and heroes, ceremony and symbols, story and legends, language, customs, norms and organizational socialization. Results of research project will be used as basic data in controlling and training of hunters, providing coordination and planning and sources. Data obtained from the hunters were evaluated using frequency, percentage, chi-square test, and Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance. In this context, there were benefited from SPSS program and others. Keywords: Hunting, Hunting Culture, Hunting and Wildlife Management, İstanbul.

Article
PeerReviewed

ISSN 978-9958-834-23-3

International Burch University

2013-05-10

1597