CHALLENGES AND PROBLEMS OF HUNTİNG LEGAL REGULATİON: THE CASE OF LİTHUANİA

Hunting is an integral part of the relationship between man and nature, with both cultural and economic significance. In today's society, hunting not only ensures the regulation of wild animal populations, but is also an important means of maintaining the sustainability of ecosystems. Hunting, as one of the oldest areas of human activity, is important both culturally, economically and environmentally. Historically, hunting played a decisive role in human survival, but in modern society hunting has become not only a way to regulate wild animal populations, but also a significant means of nature conservation. Despite its benefits, hunting often raises many ethical, legal and practical issues related to wildlife protection, hunters' rights and public interests. The legal regulation of this activity often faces complex challenges that arise due to changing social, ecological and economic conditions. This article aims to analyze aspects of legal regulation of hunting, identifying theoretical and practical problems. Research objectives. To determine the theoretical aspects of the institute of hunting. To analyze the regulations governing the institution of hunting. To determine the theoretical and practical problems of legal regulation of the institution of hunting. Provide suggestions for improving the legal situation. Methodology. To properly disclose the topic of the dissertation and achieve the set goals and objectives, the following research methods were used: system analysis, logical-analytical, comparative, document analysis and meta-analysis. The method of systematic analysis was used to thoroughly study the conditions and procedure of hunting. This method revealed the logical connections between legal acts and their interaction with other legal norms. The meta-analysis method was used to analyze the publications of both Lithuanian and foreign scientists and provided an opportunity to carefully study the opinions of various authors and systematically evaluate theoretical studies on the use of natural resources and their practical aspects related to the regulation of this sector. Results. In national law, the legal regulation of hunting is not comprehensively and comprehensively regulated to achieve the main goal, therefore it only partially ensures the proper regulation of the activities of this institute. This has proven to be the case, since under the currently valid legal regulation of hunting, hunters often face difficulties in understanding in which cases hunting is legal due to ambiguous provisions in legal acts. The distribution of institutional competencies is insufficiently defined. Hunting helps regulate animal populations to prevent the overpopulation of certain species, which could cause damage to the ecosystem or other species. It also contributes to the regional economy by generating income from licenses, tourism and related activities. The main principles of hunting regulation: balanced management of the population of game animals, protection of biodiversity and natural habitats, compliance with hunting ethics, resolution of conflicts between hunters and society. Courts often examine disputes regarding the boundaries of hunting areas, the procedure for use and the granting of rights to hunting groups.