WILDLIFE CONSERVATION EXAM 1

What are the practical reasons (and their justification) to continue to prioritize conservation of species in the wild? - Answer-1) the reality that this is the only practical hope for the vast majority of species 2)the value of relatively wild habitats in accommodating species evolves requirements 3)the value to both ecosystems and humans of species remaining functional components of ecosystems 4) the roles of the wild in inspiring conservation action by humans What are the two interlocking parts of Fryxell's book and how do they differ? - Answer-an overview of wildlife ecology (like population dynamics and interactions among various kinds of species and their resources) and then a section on conservation and management (conservation, sustained yield, control, and strategies for all of those) How can mathematical models be used in wildlife conservation? - Answer-many key issues are quantitative, and mathematical models allow one to rely on previous situations to deal with uncertainties while also helping to clarify the logic that guides the thinking What is the relevant definition of wildlife management? - Answer-management of wildlife populations in the context of the ecosystem (without considering the problems of management that are deal with people) stewardship - Answer-the looking after of a population if stewardship fails, conservation becomes imperative manipulative vs custodial wildlife management - Answer-manipulative: does something to the population, either changing its numbers directly or indirectly (food supply, habitat, predator density, disease). It is used in more extreme circumstances custodial: a preventative/protective process that minimizes external influences on the population/habitat in order to allow free rein to ecological processes and dynamics of the system. May be used in national park for species threatened by external factors 4 ways a wildlife population may be managed - Answer-1) make it increase 2) make it decrease 3) harvest it for a continuing yield 4) leave it alone but keep an eye on it value vs technical judgements - Answer-value: cannot be declared right nor wrong since it is based on values an individual or group holds technical: can be declared right or wrong according to whether they succeeded in achieving the stated goal