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DAMAGE IDENTIFICATION |
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Identification and Assessment of Wildlife
Damage: an Overview |
Introduction Wildlife management is often thought of in
terms of protecting, enhancing, and nurturing wildlife
populations and the habitat needed for their wellbeing.
However, many species at one time or another require
management actions to reduce conflicts with people or
with other wildlife species. Examples include an airport
manager modifying habitats to reduce gull activity near
runways, a forester poisoning pocket gophers to increase
tree seedling survival in a reforestation project, or a
biologist trapping an abundant predator or competing
species to enhance survival of an endangered species.
Wildlife damage control is
an increasingly important part of the wildlife
management profession because of expanding human
populations and
intensified land-use
practices. Concurrent with this growing need to reduce
wildlife-people conflicts, public attitudes and
environmental regulations are restricting use of some of
the traditional tools of control such as toxicants and
traps. Agencies and individuals carrying out control
programs are being more carefully scrutinized to ensure
that their actions are justified, environmentally safe,
and in the public interest. Thus, wildlife damage
control activities must be based on sound economic,
ecological, and sociological principles and carried out
as positive, necessary components of overall wildlife
management programs.
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Wildlife damage control programs can be
thought of as having four parts:
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Problem definition
Problem definition refers to determining
the species and numbers of animals
causing the problem, the amount of loss
or nature of the conflict, and other
biological and social factors related to
the problem.
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Ecology of the problem species
Ecology of the problem species
refers to understanding the life history
of the species, especially in relation
to the conflict.
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Control methods application
Control methods application refers
to taking the information gained from
parts 1 and 2 to develop an appropriate
management program to alleviate or
reduce the conflict.
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Evaluation of control
Evaluation of control allows an
assessment of the reduction in damage in
relation to costs and impact of the
control on target and nontarget
populations and the environment.
Increasingly, emphasis is being placed on
integrated pest management whereby several
control methods are combined and coordinated
with other management practices in use at
that time.
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Special
thanks to:
Clemson University
Richard A. Dolbeer
Project Leader Denver Wildlife Research Center
USDA-APHIS-Animal Damage Control Sandusky, Ohio 44870
Nicholas R. Holler
Unit Leader Alabama Cooperative Fish and
Wildlife Research Unit US Fish and Wildlife Service
Auburn, Alabama 36849
Donald W.
Hawthorne
Associate Deputy Administrator USDA-APHIS-Animal Damage
Control Washington, DC 20090
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