American System of Conservation Funding

History of the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF)

For over 80 years, sportsmen and women have played a crucial role in funding conservation efforts in the United States through the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF). The American System is a “user pays – public benefits” structure, unique from the rest of the world, in which those that consumptively use public resources pay for the privilege, and in some cases the right, to do so. This funding system has allowed the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation to become recognized as the most successful conservation framework in history.