Search Results

Between Good and Evil: The Science, Culture, and Polarization of Wolf Conflict

Justin Farrell

in The Battle for Yellowstone: Morality and the Sacred Roots of Environmental Conflict

This chapter examines perhaps the most well-known, and most controversial, conflict in the history of Yellowstone: the reintroduction of wolves in 1995, after they had been exterminated from the ... More

This chapter examines perhaps the most well-known, and most controversial, conflict in the history of Yellowstone: the reintroduction of wolves in 1995, after they had been exterminated from the Rocky Mountains just six decades earlier. Hundreds of popular and scholarly books and articles have been written about the reintroduction, nearly all of which focus on the biology, ecology, and economic impact of the wolf's return. However, the eventual restoration of wolves brought little resolution, even despite such scientific and economic certainty. This is because the ongoing war over the wolf is not ultimately about wolf science, ecosystem dynamics, or economic costs and benefits. Instead, deeper cultural commitments are knowingly, and unknowingly, pushed beneath the surface of rational policy debate, and the failure to acknowledge them hinders opportunities for conflict resolution. The goal in this chapter is to demonstrate this point and examine the competing moral orders that motivate this ongoing war over the wolf in Yellowstone.Less

Conservation and management

Franck Courchamp, Luděk Berec, and Joanna Gascoigne

in Allee Effects in Ecology and Conservation

This chapter deals with the more applied aspects of the Allee effect. It starts by considering the role and impact of Allee effects in the conservation of rare and endangered populations, including ... More

This chapter deals with the more applied aspects of the Allee effect. It starts by considering the role and impact of Allee effects in the conservation of rare and endangered populations, including their interaction with habitat fragmentation and reserve design, (re)introductions, ex-situ conservation, and conservation target setting. It then considers Allee effects in the context of population management, including the management of exploited populations (fisheries, the economics of value and rarity), and pest outbreaks and eradication. It reviews methods that managers and conservationists might use for evaluating Allee effects in a population, including scientifically rigorous techniques for demonstrating their presence and calculating the Allee threshold, but also more general precautionary-type strategies for assessing the probability of Allee effects being present. The chapter ends by summarizing key points as a sort of Allee effect aide-mémoire for endangered species and conservation management.Less

Conservation management of endangered birds

Carl G. Jones

in Bird Ecology and Conservation: A Handbook of Techniques

This chapter describes how conservationists can intervene to help save endangered species. The approaches used include supplementary feeding; disease control; predator control; and intensive ... More

This chapter describes how conservationists can intervene to help save endangered species. The approaches used include supplementary feeding; disease control; predator control; and intensive management of nesting birds, such as manipulating the clutch or brood, reintroductions, and translocation.Less

Orangutan rehabilitation and reintroduction: Successes, failures, and role in conservation

Anne E. Russon

in Orangutans: Geographic Variation in Behavioral Ecology and Conservation

Projects for rehabilitating then releasing ex-captive orangutans to free forest life have operated continuously, throughout the orangutan’s modern range, on both Borneo and Sumatra, since the 1960s. ... More

Projects for rehabilitating then releasing ex-captive orangutans to free forest life have operated continuously, throughout the orangutan’s modern range, on both Borneo and Sumatra, since the 1960s. This chapter assesses the role of rehabilitation in the conservation of orangutan populations in their natural habitat in light of over 40 years of operation. The chapter reviews the history of orangutan rehabilitation efforts, including its priorities, politics, and practicalities relative to conservation. The chapter also reviews available empirical data on survival rates, activity budgets, diet, and reproduction in an effort to assess the success of orangutan rehabilitation empirically, as a basis for responding to persistent criticisms that orangutan rehabilitation is not successful and does not contribute to conservation. Finally, the chapter discusses how orangutan rehabilitation operates today, as a basis for understanding the complexities involved, modern approaches to programming, remaining limitations, and continuing challenges.Less

Conservation Planning and Climate Change Effects

A. Townsend Peterson, Jorge Soberón, Richard G. Pearson, Robert P. Anderson, Enrique Martínez-Meyer, Miguel Nakamura, and Miguel Bastos Araújo

in Ecological Niches and Geographic Distributions (MPB-49)

This chapter discusses the use of niche models to help address the “what” and “where” questions in conservation biology as well as climate change effects. It first reviews the conceptual aspects of ... More

This chapter discusses the use of niche models to help address the “what” and “where” questions in conservation biology as well as climate change effects. It first reviews the conceptual aspects of the “what” and “where” questions in conservation planning, focusing on topics such as inferences about extinction risk, identification of regions for species reintroductions, conservation reserve network planning, and considerations of how climate change may affect species distributions. Each of these conservation applications is then examined with respect to the conceptual framework laid out for ecological niche modeling. The chapter concludes by offering practical recommendations regarding calibration and evaluation of niche models.Less

Green Fire in a Wolf’s Eyes

Barbara K. Jones

in Wild Capital: Nature's Economic and Ecological Wealth

The wolf as both an endangered species and an animal with abundant charisma returned to the West at a critical time. If the reintroduction of the wolf had not occurred when it did, one of the ... More

The wolf as both an endangered species and an animal with abundant charisma returned to the West at a critical time. If the reintroduction of the wolf had not occurred when it did, one of the greatest wildlife conservation success stories in history would not have become a reality. For many, our willingness to co-exist with the restored wolf in the lower forty-eight states has moved the American relationship with wildlife even further away from the divisive Western worldview to a more Japanese worldview that sees us and wild nature as points on a continuum. This change is embedded in the debunking of the “bloodthirsty wolf myth” and an improved awareness of a predator’s right to exist, encouraged by more appropriately valuing its presence against other competing values. For the red wolf, its reintroduction to northeastern North Carolina has provided a powerful educational tool for engaging the public and improving their ecological and economic understandings of the value of wildlife. The return of a charismatic predator like the wolf to the lower forty-eight is not only changing the narrative regarding this animal, but has given us the opportunity to assign its presence tremendous value for future generations.Less

Conservation of deserts

David Ward

in The Biology of Deserts

Deserts are particularly well suited for the study of evolutionary changes in species. There are many additional reasons for why it is important to conserve deserts, because of the unique features of ... More

Deserts are particularly well suited for the study of evolutionary changes in species. There are many additional reasons for why it is important to conserve deserts, because of the unique features of desert species and habitats, ecological benefits provided by these habitats, and because although many desert areas have historically been perceived as wastelands, many are in relatively pristine condition. Conservation can be carried out using many different approaches. This chapter considers the following: (1) the conservation of individual desert species versus a habitat-level approach; (2) re-introductions and re-colonizations of endangered species and revegetation of desert habitats; (3) in areas where there are strong GxE interactions — which is where evolution of new species starts to occur — it may be important to conserve each population separately. Lastly, the chapter considers the institutional means of controlling desert habitats and whether such habitat conservation can be afforded.Less

Otters, people and conservation

Hans Kruuk

in Otters: Ecology, behaviour and conservation

This final chapter discusses the relevance of the previous data to conservation, and details various interactions between people and otters. Global changes affecting otters are discussed. Otters need ... More

This final chapter discusses the relevance of the previous data to conservation, and details various interactions between people and otters. Global changes affecting otters are discussed. Otters need high potential prey biomass, and fish populations are vulnerable. Examples of the damage to people's livelihoods caused by otters are presented. Various ways in which different species are exploited are described. Methods to trap otters are illustrated. The pros and cons of reintroductions into areas where otters have disappeared are discussed, including the important role of otters in ecosystems, and the need for ecosystem management. Conservation status is discussed by species and by continent, and examples are presented for specific conservation needs.Less

Prologue

Joel Berger

in The Better to Eat You With: Fear in the Animal World

This chapter begins with the author's first-hand accounts about prey that are unafraid of predators due to lack of exposure to these. It then suggests that if there are lessons to be learned and ... More

This chapter begins with the author's first-hand accounts about prey that are unafraid of predators due to lack of exposure to these. It then suggests that if there are lessons to be learned and applied to conservation, we need to look both to past and current attempts to understand how carnivore reintroductions affect modern prey. If naiveté contributes significantly to the evil quartet of extinction—overexploitation, habitat destruction, invading species, and secondary extinctions—we must know why, and develop remedies to enhance the path to survival. This book centers on three questions: (1) Can naive animals avoid death and population extinction when they encounter re-introduced carnivores? (2) To what extent is fear culturally transmitted? (3) How can an understanding of current behavior help unravel the ambiguity of past extinctions while contributing to future conservation?Less

Reintroductions and Other Transplants

Dietland Müller-Schwarze

in The Beaver: Its Life and Impact

This chapter focuses on beaver reintroductions and other transplants. Both the Eurasian and North American beavers have been transplanted many times and in many parts of the world in order to ... More

This chapter focuses on beaver reintroductions and other transplants. Both the Eurasian and North American beavers have been transplanted many times and in many parts of the world in order to reintroduce them where they had become extinct and to introduce them as “exotics” to new areas. At the present time, especially the Eurasian beaver is rapidly expanding both its populations and its overall range by artificial and natural recolonization. The purpose of most transplants has been to replenish depleted stocks or replace extirpated populations of the same species in parts of its former range. This chapter considers the decline and recovery of North American beaver stocks in New York's Adirondacks and in the American South as a result of, reintroduction and transplantation. It also discusses the movements of transplanted beavers and concludes by looking at beavers that have been introduced as exotic species.Less

Living with Beavers: Conservation and Proactive Management

Dietland Müller-Schwarze

in The Beaver: Its Life and Impact

This chapter focuses on beaver conservation and proactive management. Management of beaver populations is necessary. Where beavers are rare, reintroductions as well as the conservation of beavers and ... More

This chapter focuses on beaver conservation and proactive management. Management of beaver populations is necessary. Where beavers are rare, reintroductions as well as the conservation of beavers and the restoration of their habitat are called for. Burgeoning beaver populations, on the other hand, require proactive management to prevent adverse consequences such as flooding and damage to trees. In either case, the main challenge is how to conserve functioning wetlands. This chapter discusses some of the important things to consider in beaver management, such as how large we should allow the beaver populations to be, or where we should permit beavers to settle and stay. It also describes the components of proactive beaver management, along with beaver behavior that we have to know for effective management. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of knowing the population genetics of beavers for management and conservation.Less

Leopold’s Wildness: Can Humans and Wolves Be at Home in the Adirondacks?

Strachan Donnelley

Ceara Donnelley and Bruce Jennings (eds)

in Frog Pond Philosophy: Essays on the Relationship Between Humans and Nature

The premise of this chapter is that Aldo Leopold’s notion of a land ethic cannot be understood apart from his broader worldview of the relationship between humans and nature. The question of the ... More

The premise of this chapter is that Aldo Leopold’s notion of a land ethic cannot be understood apart from his broader worldview of the relationship between humans and nature. The question of the reintroduction of wolves into the Adirondack region provides a practical context for an appreciation of Leopold’s perspective. This is a long-term, holistic, evolutionary, and dynamic perspective, in which the role of large predator species is integral. The perspective also includes the essential element of the wild, or wildness. This enlarged view of a question such as the reintroduction of wolves into a region is transformative and puts short-term human interests and fears in their place.Less

Conservation in the Anthropocene

Richard T. Corlett

in The Ecology of Tropical East Asia

This chapter considers options for conserving the biodiversity of Tropical East Asia in the face of the pervasive threats described in previous chapters. Sources of funding are first considered, ... More

This chapter considers options for conserving the biodiversity of Tropical East Asia in the face of the pervasive threats described in previous chapters. Sources of funding are first considered, including domestic governments, foreign aid, non-governmental organizations, businesses, payments for ecosystem services, REDD+, biodiversity offsets, tourism, and eco-certification. The next section discusses the use of surrogates in conservation planning, methods of prioritizing species, and various approaches to prioritizing areas and ecosystems. The establishment of new protected areas is dealt with along with alternative models for protection. This is followed by the options for reducing unsustainable exploitation of timber, wildlife, and other forest products, controlling fires, managing invasive species, and minimizing the magnitude and impacts of climate change. The potential for restoring forests and reintroducing species is then discussed. The chapter ends with sections on education and related issues, and a discussion of possible ways forward for biodiversity conservation in Tropical East Asia.Less

Reintroductions to “Ratchet Up” Public Perceptions of Biodiversity: Reversing the Extinction of Experience through Animal Restorations

Philip J. Seddon and Yolanda van Heezik

in Ignoring Nature No More: The Case for Compassionate Conservation

This chapter examines the three challenges faced by reintroduction practitioners in dealing with public perceptions of, and engagement with, species restorations. These are: (1) a biased focus on ... More

This chapter examines the three challenges faced by reintroduction practitioners in dealing with public perceptions of, and engagement with, species restorations. These are: (1) a biased focus on large-bodied charismatic species; (2) potential human–wildlife conflict in the restoration of keystone species; and (3) the need to acknowledge and adapt restoration targets to a human-modified world.Less

Przewalski's Horses and Red Wolves: Importance of Behavioral Research for Species Brought Back from the Brink of Extinction

Sarah R. B. King

in Ignoring Nature No More: The Case for Compassionate Conservation

This chapter discusses reintroduction projects involving Przewalski horses and red wolves. It argues that despite the many differences between Przewalski horses and the red wolf and their ... More

This chapter discusses reintroduction projects involving Przewalski horses and red wolves. It argues that despite the many differences between Przewalski horses and the red wolf and their reintroductions, there are also many similarities: both were reintroduced from populations that had been captive for several generations owing to their extinction in the wild; and both reintroduction projects need to address problems of hybridization, inbreeding, and conflicts over land use. Knowledge of the animals' behavior will help managers mitigate these problems and can potentially aid persistence in the wild of current populations.Less

(Re)Introducing the Przewalski’s Horse

Nigel Rothfels

in The Ark and Beyond: The Evolution of Zoo and Aquarium Conservation

This chapter critiques general claims about zoological gardens serving as “arks” for species that have become, or are endangered from becoming, extinct in the wild by examining the case of the ... More

This chapter critiques general claims about zoological gardens serving as “arks” for species that have become, or are endangered from becoming, extinct in the wild by examining the case of the reintroduction of Przewalski’s horses into China and Mongolia. Although it is clear that the horses being reintroduced are descendants of wild-caught horses brought to Europe at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries, the chapter argues that the differences between today’s horses and the horses of the past are far from trivial and that the “wild horses” being reintroduced today are more the results of western culture than careful conservation. In particular, the chapter examines the expectations of the leaders of the New York Zoological Park (Bronx Zoo) when it acquired and bred Przewalski’s horses, and also explores the historical importance of an error in the official studbook for the animal.Less

The Phoenix Zoo Story: Building a Legacy of Conservation

Ruth A. Allard and Stuart A. Wells

in The Ark and Beyond: The Evolution of Zoo and Aquarium Conservation

Zoological parks can be great places to inspire wonder, stoke curiosity, connect with nature, gather with family, and have fun. In addition, modern, professionally managed zoos are conservation ... More

Zoological parks can be great places to inspire wonder, stoke curiosity, connect with nature, gather with family, and have fun. In addition, modern, professionally managed zoos are conservation organizations, committed to securing a healthy future for the natural world. From its inception in 1962, the Phoenix Zoo has demonstrated its commitment to contributing to species recovery. Raising imperiled native species for release to the wild, surveying and monitoring field sites in collaboration with government agency partners, funding field projects worldwide, conducting research ex-situ and in the field to add to understanding of species of conservation concern and improve husbandry techniques, and increasing public awareness regarding these efforts as well as the roles guests can play in supporting wildlife and wild places – this case study of the Phoenix Zoo provides an example of how modern zoos rise to the challenge and operate as true conservation organizations.Less

The Wolf is at the Door-Who's Afraid?

Joel Berger

in The Better to Eat You With: Fear in the Animal World

The continuing global decline of large carnivores today has catalyzed great interest in reintroduction with the dual goal of restoring populations and reestablishing ecologically important ... More

The continuing global decline of large carnivores today has catalyzed great interest in reintroduction with the dual goal of restoring populations and reestablishing ecologically important relationships with other species. The repatriation of predators like wolves and bears to their native ecosystems will always be an emotionally charged and culturally disruptive issue. Humans who incur few if any burdens associated with carnivores generally favor restoration; those living rurally and in closer proximity have greater antipathy. In the American West, carnivore repatriation has been especially divisive. This chapter asks: Can prey species adjust to their presence? Indeed, can people?Less

The Shy Giant of the Forest

Joel Berger

in The Better to Eat You With: Fear in the Animal World

It had taken two and a half years for wolves to arrive in Grand Teton from Yellowstone. Neither the public nor the park or state wildlife authorities knew they were in Jackson Hole. The primal ... More

It had taken two and a half years for wolves to arrive in Grand Teton from Yellowstone. Neither the public nor the park or state wildlife authorities knew they were in Jackson Hole. The primal hunters had yet to be heard or seen. Would their prey—moose, elk, bison, and mule deer—know the difference between coyotes and wolves, or were all wild canids just different-sized versions of each other? This chapter describes a study on the survival tactics associated with the coming of wolves. The study focused on Wyoming moose. The working assumption is that predator-naive individuals are less fearful than predator-savvy counterparts. If true, and either naive moose or elk fail to learn, then the claim that they will be decimated will be correct. On the other hand, individual elk or moose that acquire, retain, and use knowledge about predators to promote their survival will, by definition, learn.Less

A Credibility Conundrum

Joel Berger

in The Better to Eat You With: Fear in the Animal World

This chapter discusses how many still fail to make the link between the study of natural history and the study of science. The rancor between science and application has grown only firmer, whether ... More

This chapter discusses how many still fail to make the link between the study of natural history and the study of science. The rancor between science and application has grown only firmer, whether the issue is global warming, stem cells, or ecological restoration. When knowledge becomes available, the public demands it, along with accountability, a force that causes governmental practices to change. The acceptance of cold, hard facts is far easier when they have no bearing on our culture, our beliefs, and our economies. Science is controversial, and some people will never believe a fact is a fact unless they witness it. The chapter considers the issue of carnivore reintroduction in the United States, where the base of knowledge has shifted from fact to perception.Less