What is Cultural Carrying Capacity?

Red Deer, Cervus elaphus
[Raimund Linke]/[Photodisc]/Getty Images
Updated March 20, 2017

Definition: Cultural carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a species that the human population will tolerate. The number may or may not be the same as the species' biological carrying capacity. Cultural carrying capacity depends on human attitudes towards a species, so it can be influenced by public education campaigns.

Examples: Hunting proponents argue that the deer have not reached their biological carrying capacity, but have reached their cultural carrying capacity.