The definitive textbook for students of wildlife management, now updated to cover the latest techniques, tools, and topics. Wildlife Management and Conservation presents a clear overview of the management and conservation of animals, their habitats, and how people influence both. The relationship among these three components of wildlife management is explained in chapters written by leading experts and is designed to prepare students for careers in which they will be charged with maintaining healthy animal populations. To be successful wildlife professionals, they will need to find ways to restore depleted populations, reduce overabundant, introduced, or pest species, and manage relationships among various human stakeholders. This book gives them the basic knowledge necessary to accomplish these goals. This second edition, which is updated throughout, features several new and expanded topics, including communication in the wildlife profession, fire science, Indigenous models of management and conservation, plant–animal interactions, quantitative analysis of wildlife populations, and a detailed glossary. The book also covers: • Human dimensions of wildlife management • Animal behavior • Predator–prey relationships • Structured decision making • Issues of scale in wildlife management • Wildlife health • Historical context of wildlife management and conservation • Hunting and trapping • Nongame species • Nutrition ecology • Water management • Climate change • Conservation planning The most widely used foundational text in the field, this is the perfect resource not only for students but also for early career professionals and those in related fields who need to understand the core tenets and tools of wildlife conservation and management. Contributors: C. Jane Anderson, Bart M. Ballard, Warren B. Ballard, John A. Bissonette, Clint Boal, Scott B. Boyle, Leonard A. Brennan, Robert D. Brown, James W. Cain III, Tyler A. Campbell, Michael J. Cherry, Michael R. Conover, Daniel J. Decker, Randall W. DeYoung, Jonathan B. Dinkins, W. Sue Fairbanks, Selma N. Glasscock, James B. Grand, Michael J. Haney, James R. Heffelfinger, Scott E. Henke, Fidel Hernandez, Davie G. Hewitt, C. L. Hoving, David A. Jessup, Heather E. Johnson, Winifred B. Kessler, John L. Koprowski, Paul R. Krausman, William P. Kuvlesky, Jr., Roel R. Lopez, R. W. Mannan, Melissa J. Merrick, L. Scott Mills, Michael S. Mitchell, Michael L. Morrison, Anna M. Muñoz, John F. Organ, Katherine L. Parker, William F. Porter, Shawn J. Riley, Steven S. Rosenstock, Michael C. Runge, Susan P. Rupp, William F. Siemer, Robert J. Steidl, Kelley M. Stewart

With detailed data from nine sites around the world, the authors examine how the so-called ‘fragmentation’ of these fragile landscapes occurs and the consequences of this break-up for ecosystems and the people who depend on them. ‘Rangelands’ make up a quarter of the world’s landscape, and here, the case is developed that while fragmentation arises from different natural, social and economic conditions worldwide, it creates similar outcomes for human and natural systems.

Sika deer, the graceful spotted deer of Japanese and Chinese art, originally were native to Asia from far-east Russia to Vietnam to the islands of Japan and Taiwan. They are widely raised in captivity to supply velvet antler for traditional medicine. They also were introduced to Europe, North America, and New Zealand, where they compete or interbreed with native deer. Sika deer typically occupy lowland hardwood forests with low winter snow depths, where they thrive in sites disturbed by fire, storm, or logging. In high numbers they can severely impact vegetation though overgrazing, stripping bark from trees and damaging crop fields and forest plantations. Their numbers are high in many parts of Japan, moderate in Russia, and reduced or extinct in the wild in China, Korea, Vietnam, and Taiwan. This book explores their basic biology, behavior, and ecology, including management for sport hunting, conservation or recovery of threatened populations, and resolution of conflict with humans in native and introduced lands.

Trophic cascades—the top-down regulation of ecosystems by predators—are an essential aspect of ecosystem function and well-being. Trophic cascades are often drastically disrupted by human interventions—for example, when wolves and cougars are removed, allowing deer and beaver to become destructive—yet have only recently begun to be considered in the development of conservation and management strategies. Trophic Cascades is the first comprehensive presentation of the science on this subject. It brings together some of the world’s leading scientists and researchers to explain the importance of large animals in regulating ecosystems, and to relate that scientific knowledge to practical conservation. Chapters examine trophic cascades across the world’s major biomes, including intertidal habitats, coastal oceans, lakes, nearshore ecosystems, open oceans, tropical forests, boreal and temperate ecosystems, low arctic scrubland, savannas, and islands. Additional chapters consider aboveground/belowground linkages, predation and ecosystem processes, consumer control by megafauna and fire, and alternative states in ecosystems. An introductory chapter offers a concise overview of trophic cascades, while concluding chapters consider theoretical perspectives and comparative issues. Trophic Cascades provides a scientific basis and justification for the idea that large predators and top-down forcing must be considered in conservation strategies, alongside factors such as habitat preservation and invasive species. It is a groundbreaking work for scientists and managers involved with biodiversity conservation and protection.

An inside look at working with the majestic elk—and the controversies surrounding their conservation.

Brucellosis, a bacterial disease, was first noted in the Greater Yellowstone Area in 1917 and has been a chronic presence there since then. This book reviews existing scientific knowledge regarding brucellosis transmission among wildlife, particularly bison, elk, and cattle, in the Greater Yellowstone Area. It examines the mechanisms of transmission, risk of infection, and vaccination strategies. The book also assesses the actual infection rate among bison and elk and describes what is known about the prevalence of Brucella abortus among other wildlife.