Wildlife Management David Saltz, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel Gary C White, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA r 2013 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved This article is a revision of the previous edition article by David Saltz, volume 1, pp 823–829, r 2001, Elsevier Inc Glossary Density dependence Change in the birth and death rate of a population as a result of changes in population density; usually in the form of increased mortality rate and decreased fecundity as density increases Focal species A species that can be monitored and managed to maintain the integrity of the ecological system of which they are a part Information-theoretic approach A method of comparing between multiple competing models explaining a phenomenon based on the information lost (estimated distance from the truth) by each model Intermediate disturbance hypothesis A hypothesis claiming that some level of disturbance is necessary to maintain biodiversity Minimum viable population (MVP) A method for assessing the minimum size a population must be, to bring Introduction Although the term wildlife can be expanded to include all living organisms, the science of wildlife management, as an academic program offered and taught in universities and as written in textbooks, generally refers only to vertebrates Five major goals of wildlife management can be recognized Maximizing harvest/yield over time Maintaining population levels to support harvest and sport hunting Preventing extinction and increasing population survival probability Maintaining and managing the integrity of ecosystems and landscapes of which wildlife populations are a part Controlling wildlife to minimize damage to human crops and assets caused by wild populations or to return the ecosystem to some predetermined state As a science, wildlife management relies heavily on the understanding of ecological theory and processes, but differs from the science of ecology in its research objectives Ecological research is targeted at formulating new hypotheses and providing the data to support or reject them Thus, the species or setting selected to perform the research is that which is best suited to test a specific ecological theory In contrast, research in wildlife is often dictated by real needs of specific problemspecies or specific environments The management of wild populations requires four processes: assessing the problem and defining the management objectives for the target population, monitoring and analyzing the ecology of the target Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, Volume its extinction over a given time span to below a predetermined level Multimodel inference A method used to assess the uncertainty in model selection by calculating likelihoods among multiple competing hypotheses (models), most commonly based on Akaike’s Information Criteria (AIC) Population viability analysis (PVA) A method of assessing the probability of extinction for a given population within a specified time span Stochastic processes Processes that affect the dynamics of a population through random chance alone Sustained yield The removal of a constant number of animals from a wild population that can be maintained through time while keeping the population at a predetermined size population, formulating and implementing management actions based on the identified problems and ecology of the target population, and evaluating the implemented methodology These processes can be carried out on a local or global scale (e.g., migratory waterfowl) In addition, because wildlife management is an applied science, involving what is often a national asset, public opinion strongly influences its goals Thus, education, law enforcement, and public relations are also legitimate and appropriate aspects of wildlife management Harvest and the Concept of Sustained Yield The science and profession of wildlife management have evolved over time based on perceived needs and ecological understanding Originally, the field of wildlife management addressed only game species and harvest issues, recognizing wildlife as a crop that is a product of the land The realizations that populations may go extinct due to overharvesting and past harvest rates affect the future performance of wild populations were the main forces driving the development of the science (Leopold, 1933) The recognition that populations can be overharvested is not new (a review of past examples of game management can be found in Aldo Leopold’s book Game Management) As far back as biblical times, harvesting wildlife intelligently was considered important (Deuteronomy 22:6) According to Marco Polo’s writings, Kublai Khan imposed hunting regulations throughout his Mongol Empire The first refuge in the modern western world was established http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-384719-5.00274-4 403