The best protection for endangered species due to overhunting is through the enactment and enforcement of laws, supplemented by comprehensive conservation efforts, habitat preservation, and landowner incentives.
The most effective means of protecting endangered species that are at risk due to overhunting is through the implementation of laws. Enforced legal protections, like the Indian government's efforts to combat poaching, provide a framework for conservation and hold accountable those who engage in illegal activities like poaching. Global legislation such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) helps prevent unwanted exploitation by controlling the trade of endangered species and their parts. On a national level, incentivizing private landowners for conservation practices can be an effective strategy. Additionally, while captive breeding can have specific success stories, it's not universally efficient.
Comprehensive conservation efforts that include wildlife and ecosystem preserves, habitat restoration, and integrating incentive-based environmental law offer a more holistic and feasible approach for biodiversity protection. Such strategies work in tandem to address both the causes and effects of human-induced threats to wildlife.
So, legal protections backed by strong enforcement and international cooperation prove to be the best defense against overhunting, when supplemented with collaborative conservation actions and local stakeholder engagement.