Principles of wildlife conservation

first national park

yellowstone, 1872

national parks funding

users, congressional approval, private donors, nonprofits

negative impact of predator removal

prey overpopulation, decreased biodiversity, disease, habitat destruction

adaptive resource management

process of iterative decision making to deal with uncertainty, combined with post-manipulation monitoring

connectivity conservation

strategy used to protect the dynamic processes that sustain nature in the face of climate change

island biogeography colonization influenced by

distance from mainland

island biogeography extinction influenced by

size of the island

national refuge issues

funding, increased responsibility, not managed as natural ecosystems

goal of forest service from 1905-1960

lumber production

species of owl that faced wildlife management challenges of forest service land

northers spotted owls

indicator species

species with broad environmental toleranc3es are the most susceptible to ecological disturbances

expenses that create economic value of wildlife

trip, equipment, leases, licenses

challenges to non game management

not monitored, often invisible, poorly understood, vulnerable to unexpected impacts

factors that cause endangered species status

hunting, predation, natural causes

act of 1966

endangered species preservation act

national environmental policy act

requires consideration of endangered species and other wildlife before initiating actions that impact the environment

factors that predispose animals to becoming endangered

economic importance, highly specialized habits, limited offspring per breeding period

endangered species

a species that is faced with extinction in all or most of its distrubution

examples of endangered species

ocelot, whooping crane, golden cheeked warbler

how does the safe harbor agreement incentivize landowners

they will not experience added restrictions on land use

urban landscapes that wildlife can be found

urban forests, corridors, homes, vacant lots

4 things to consider in urban environments

spatial pattern, scale, connectivity, dynamics

non human/wildlife conflicts with urban wildlife

structural damage, injury, car wrecks

successful urban species

omnivores and generalists

human associate and exploiter species

type of urban wildlife that thrive better in urban areas than wild areas

human avoider species

avoid urban areas, high mortality rates in human habitats

human adapter species

use human resources but thrive equally to wild conterparts

species that kills 3 mil birds a year

cats

common ecosystem disturbances

habitat loss, invasive species, light and noise pollution, pollution

biotic homogenization

selection of animal that tolerate human development and proliferate in urban landscapes across large spatial scales

zoonosis

diseases passed from wild animals to humans

true for environments in the US

no pristine environments are present with populations expected to exceed carrying capacity

agent/vector management

focused on decreasing ways diseases are transmitted

host management

focuses on altering behavior and abundance

invasive species

rapid reproduction, lacks natural predators, competitors, diseases, generalist, establishes large ranges

first exotic released in Texas in 1930 on king ranch

Nilgai antelope

the vacant niche theory

resources thought to be present that are not being used by native species

exotic issues

potential genetic impacts to native species, competition, potential disease or parasite introduction

difficulties reintroducing captive bred species to the wild

behavior issues, habitat adaptation, health concerns