A niche opportunity for both conservation and recreational purposes.

In the Mediterranean, hunting in wetlands was initially a traditional subsistence activity. With food security and increased income, it subsequently and gradually became a recreational activity instead. No statistics exist at the Mediterranean scale on hunting (but see for the EU in 1995 some statistics by the FACE).
 
Overall, and taking into account recent declines in Europe, hunters probably number between 5-10 millions in the whole basin (e.g. 1.2-1.3 million in France), only a fraction of which hunt in wetlands.

• Non-sustainable, over-hunting can cause severe population reductions in game species, especially in migratory flyways. It also leads to pressures on protected species: disturbance of sensitive species, shooting of birds of prey or carnivorous mammals seen as competitors, etc.
• Hunting can also lead to a type of water/ wetland management that only targets some game species, and does not take into account the requirements of other plants/ animals. One example is the large openings practised in large reedbeds so as to attract ducks on open waters.
• Through the lead used for pellets, hunting can also cause lead-poisoning in waterfowl. Fortunately, this is gradually being banned, especially in the North Mediterranean.

On the other hand, hunting can also be a powerful tool for wetland conservation. For instance in the Camargue, France, large shooting estates make a living from leasing wildfowling rights. This financial incentive promotes the conservation of marshes by their owners for that purpose – instead of e.g. draining them for agriculture.