What is this thing called WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT?
Tomas Willebrand Professor in Applied Ecology Swedish Hunters Association Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Hedmark University College Campus Evenstad Norway
Wildlife species – not a precise definition § Game – wildlife that is hunted for sport (English) § More than species that are harvested § All wild birds and mammal § All wild mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians § Norway: But not marine mammals
Wildlife Management
§ Wildlife laws and management in Mongolia by Ginghis Kahn (1250 AD) § Hunting season § Winter feeding
Who is responsible? North-America § State is responsible, also for practical management § Wildlife is owned by everybody § Professional wildlife biologists § Top-Down system § NGO’s?
Norway/Sweden § State set principles § Landowner have hunting rights (no one owns wildlife) § Fewer professional wildlife biologists § Bottom-up system § Many NGO’s
Aldo Leopold, 1933 §  Game management and forestry grow natural species in an environment not greatly altered for the purpose in hand, relaying on partial control of a few factors to enhance the yield above what unguided nature would produce.
Aldo Leopold, 1933 §  Game management and forestry grow
natural species in an environment not greatly altered for the purpose in hand, relaying on partial control of a few factors to enhance the yield above what unguided nature would produce.
Aldo Leopold, 1933 §  Game management and forestry grow natural species in an environment not greatly altered for the purpose in hand, relaying on partial control of a few factors to enhance the yield above what unguided nature would produce.
Aldo Leopold, 1933 §  Game management and forestry grow natural species in an environment not greatly altered for the purpose in hand, relaying on partial control of a few factors to enhance the yield above what unguided nature would produce.
Aldo Leopold, 1933 § Their controls are barley visible; an observer, unless he was an expert, could see no difference between managed and unmanaged terrain.
Definitions § Game Management is the art of making land produce sustained annual crops of wild game for recreational use (A. Leopold) § Wildlife management is the human actions to reach a specified goal to either conserve, increase, harvest or limit wild populations. (DN, Norway) § Wildlife management attempts to balance the needs of wildlife with the needs of people using the best available science. (Wikipedia)
Population Management: the options
§ Increase § Decrease § Sustainable harvest § Monitoring – stewardship
Level of control. Resource use
Full control. Regulate species
Mitigation. Counteract human impact
Protection. Support natural balance
Conservation Ecology – same wine in a new bottle?
§ Living things in the environment § How human activities augment or impair § Maintaining or restoring habitats § Population concept not always useful § Support natural patterns in biodiversity
Controllability & Understanding
In theory – Different roles
§ Monitoring is the common denominator § Population trends are central § Index
§ Cost-efficient ?
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§ Bag statistics § Pellet counts
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Mosaic of values awareness is needed
Hunters Other Users
Ornithologists
Where are you? bu P re lai au n cr ac y
Desired Goal
Increasing agreement
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Cause and effect Increasing certainty
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