Between conservation and achievement: Hunters’ values and sustainability certification as a governance tool in recreational hunting

Understanding how resource users perceive and negotiate sustainability is essential for designing legitimate conservation governance. This study explores recreational hunters' preferences for sustainability certification in Spain using a discrete choice experiment. Data were collected from 621 hunters representing both big game and small game modalities. Results show that hunters consistently prioritise ecological criteria-such as game population conservation, habitat management, and wild genetics-yet support for certification is conditional on maintaining satisfactory hunting outcomes. Pro-sustainability attitudes coexist with achievement-oriented motivations, with conservation valued when it sustains continuity, fairness, and authenticity of the hunting experience. These findings highlight how ecological and experiential rationalities can align rather than conflict. By revealing the conditions under which certification is perceived as acceptable, the study shows how sustainability standards can function as information-based governance tools that enhance legitimacy, trust, and adaptive management in recreational hunting systems.