While often confused, these terms represent different philosophies. Conservation hunting is the "wise use" of wildlife; it views hunting as a management tool to keep populations at sustainable levels (preventing overgrazing and disease) while using license fees to fund habitat restoration and anti-poaching efforts. In 2026, this is the dominant model in North America and parts of Africa. Preservation, by contrast, usually argues for "total protection" and minimal human interference, often seeking to ban hunting entirely to let nature take its course. In a hunting context, "preservation hunting" is a bit of an oxymoron; it more accurately refers to "culling" or highly controlled hunts intended strictly to save an endangered ecosystem from an invasive species, where the goal is the survival of the habitat rather than the sustainable harvest of a game species.