Hunting trophy import bans proposed by the UK may be ineffective and inequitable as conservation policies in multiple social‐ecological contexts

The UK government is considering legislation to prohibit the importation of hunting trophies. We examine documented social, ecological, and political outcomes two previous such bans. find that government's proposal shares shortcomings existing bans have (1) failed address, or even amplified, key threats hunted species, (2) imposed costs on citizens other countries, (3) delegitimized Convention International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Trophy import are blunt policy instruments can cause more problems than they solve.