1. Wildlife Management Important & Methods AG-WL-5

2.  Application of scientific knowledge and technical skills to protect, conserve, limit, enhance, or create wildlife habitat  Includes the implementation of laws regulating the use, kinds, and amounts of wildlife people can harvest.  Laws that protect existing habitat are considered wildlife management tools.  Wildlife management should focus on all plant and animal species. What is wildlife management?

3.  To match wildlife numbers with available food, cover, and water sources so that healthy populations exists  Healthy populations: have the capability of increasing or maintaining stable numbers.  Declining population: receive no gains, but lose numbers yearly.  To manage wildlife, one must determine the population status.  Number of animals is determined by the difference in birth rate and death rate.  Reproductive potential: ability of a population to increase. Why is the management of wildlife populations important?

4.  To mitigate significant economic loss  To control the spread of transmittable diseases  To minimize or prevent severe habitat alteration  To prevent human injury or death  To protect or sustain endangered, threatened or native species What are some reasons for controlling wildlife populations?

5.  Conservation Perspective  Focus is on populations, species and ecosystems  Believes that other species have a “right” to exist  Recognizes dependency of wildlife on their habitats  Recognizes that human intervention is sometimes necessary to sustain species of habitats What are ethical concepts/perspectives influencing wildlife population control?

6.  Animal Rights Perspective  Focused on individual sentient animals  Species and ecosystems are not morally considerable, but have “inherent value”  Believes that wild animals and ecosystems will survive if we simply “let them be” What are ethical concepts/perspectives influencing wildlife population control?

7.  Animal Welfare Perspective  Focus on individual sentient animals  Aimed at preventing cruelty  Believes pain, suffering, and loss of life should be minimized What are ethical concepts/perspectives influencing wildlife population control?

8.  Lethal Methods  Shooting, poisoning, lethal trapping, reintroduction of natural predators  Non-lethal Methods  Live trapping followed by translocation  Chemical or surgical sterilization  Physical barriers (fences)  Vegetation management  Behavioral deterrents (Scare Devices – dogs, repellents)  All methods have benefits and limitations What are methods of manipulating wildlife populations for management purposes?

9. 1.What is wildlife management? 2.Why is the management of wildlife populations important? 3.What are some reasons for controlling wildlife populations? 4.What are the ethical concepts/perspectives influencing wildlife population control? 5.What are methods of manipulating wildlife populations for management purposes? Review