PRINCIPLES OF

WILDLIFE
MANAGEMENT

Wildlife
All wild animals that have a backbone
Includes mammals, birds, reptiles,
amphibians, and fish

Wildlife
Is sensitive to change and is valuable
because it indicates the quality of its
environment (weather, plants, and all other
factors that affect an animal).

Healthy wildlife populations indicate a good

environment; few or no wildlife usually
means something is wrong.

Wildlife Management

Defined as: The science of managing

wildlife and its habitat, including man, for
the benefit of the entire biota (all the plants
and animals in an environment).

Basic Wildlife
Management Concepts
Must be based on biological knowledge
Must include the management of man
Must be designed to benefit the entire
biota
Management means conservation (wise
use), not preservation (non-use)

Conservation vs. Preservation

Whats the difference?

Conservation Wise use

Preservation Non use

Whats a Habitat?
Habitat is an environment that supplies
everything wildlife needs for life, includes
the following:
Food, Cover, Water, and Space

When these habitat factors are in good

supply, they contribute to the well-being of
wildlife.
If any of the habitat factors is in short
supply, it limits the number and distribution
of wildlife and is called a LIMITING FACTOR.

Limiting Factors
Density Dependent- limiting factor that
depends on population size
Competition, predation, disease, parasites
Density Independent- affect all populations
in similar ways regardless of its size.
Natural disasters, seasonal cycles, human
activities, crazy weather

Parts of a Habitat
Food - both quantity and quality are
important
Cover necessary for protection during
feeding, sleeping, playing, breeding,
roosting, nesting, and traveling, etc.
Water includes surface water, dew, snow,
juicy vegetation. Necessary for all life!
Space avoid overcrowding which leads to
severe competition and population suffers.
Only a specific number of animals can live in
an area.

Habitat Arrangement

E=Edge

F
Edge

Edge

Edge

Edge

Edge

The arrangement of food, cover, and

water in an area determines wildlife
numbers and their distribution.
Best when habitat factors occur in
combinations of small blocks that are
close together
C
F
C
Edge
F=Food
F
C=Cover
Edge
C

Wildlife = Edge
Wildlife is described as an edge
species because it commonly lives
along the edges not in the centers
of the different types of vegetation
growing in an area.
This tendency for wildlife to
concentrate between 2 or more types of
vegetation is called the edge effect.

East Fork of Salmon River

Good or Bad?

Carrying Capacity
Defined as: the number of each wildlife
species a habitat can support throughout
the year without damage to the animals or
the habitat
The goal of wildlife management is to
control the number of animals at or below
carrying capacity so no damage is done to
the animals or their habitat
If wildlife numbers exceed the carrying
capacity of the habitat, the excess animals
die from starvation or other causes.

Population Dynamics
Factors affecting the growth and
decline of wildlife populations
Affected mainly by the birth rate and
the death rate
Birth rate and death rate are high for
most wildlife species.

Birth Rate
Smaller species have higher birth rate
than larger species
Affected by:
Number of young per birth
Number of births per year
Age at which breeding begins

Death Rate
Smaller species have higher death rate
than larger species
Affected by:
Starvation
Hunting
Climate severe weather can reduce #s
Predation
Disease and parasites

Birth rate vs. Death rate

If the birth rate is greater than the death
rate, wildlife numbers increase.
If the death rate is greater than the birth
rate, wildlife numbers decrease.
When the birth rate and death rates are
equal, population numbers do not
change.

R/K Selection Theory

relates to the selection of combinations of traits
in an organism that trade off between quantity
and quality of offspring. The focus upon either
increased quantity of offspring at the expense of
individual parental investment, or reduced
quantity of offspring with a corresponding
increased parental investment, varies widely,
seemingly to promote success in particular
environments.

R Strategists
r-selected species are those that place an
emphasis on a high growth rate, and,
typically exploit less-crowded
ecological niches, and produce many
offspring, each of which has a relatively
low probability of surviving to adulthood
Examples???

K Strategists
K-selected species display traits
associated with living at densities close to
carrying capacity, and typically are strong
competitors in such crowded niches that
invest more heavily in fewer offspring,
each of which has a relatively high
probability of surviving to adulthood
Examples????

History of Wildlife Management

Wildlife ownership has changed over
time
All wildlife belonged to Great Khan in
early Asia
European system says each landowner
owns the wildlife on his land
American system says wildlife belongs
to all people

Era of Abundance (until 1850)

Most native wildlife was abundant in
America
Not many people
Not much damage to habitat
Little worry about supply
Many people thought that wildlife
populations could last forever

Era of Exploitation (1850 to 1900)

Human population was increasing
Depletion and destruction of wildlife
and its habitat
Unregulated hunting decreases some
wildlife populations
Mans activities (grazing, logging,
draining land for farming) damaged
habitat, decreasing wildlife populations

Era of Preservation (1900 to

1935)
People wanted to return to wildlife
abundance
Strict laws on wildlife harvest
Predator control
Stocking (raising animals under
artificial conditions and releasing them
into the wild)
Introduction of exotic species
Refuges (protected areas) established

Era of Preservation (contd)

Lacey Act of 1900 regulated interstate
shipment of illegally killed game
US Fish and Wildlife Service was
created in 1905
Migratory Bird Conservation Act
signed with Canada and Mexico
Efforts paid off and wildlife
populations increased due to
improvements in habitat.

Era of Habitat and Harvest

(1935 to 1965)
Habitat was recognized as an important
factor for wildlife
Biologists believed wildlife could
successfully exist if enough food, water,
cover, and space were available
Cooperative Wildlife Research Units were
set up to gain more knowledge of wildlife
and its habitat needs
Pittman Robertson Act of 1937 taxed
sporting arms and ammunition, with
revenue going to research & habitat
purchase

Era of Habitat and Harvest

(contd)
People began to understand that
habitat was the key to wildlife survival.
They also realized that some of the
excess animals in a population could
be harvested each year without
damaging the breeding stock.

Era of People Management

(1965 to present)
Increased awareness of wildlife
Wildlife biologists have the knowledge
necessary to manage wildlife
populations, but may not have the
support they need to be successful.
Management programs must consider
public emotions as well as biological
facts

Wildlife Management Tools

Management programs must be
flexible due to wildlife population and
habitat factors changing from year to
year.
Wildlife managers collect information
on habitat and wildlife numbers
throughout the year to determine the
type of management program needed.

Management Programs
1. Laws
Giving total protection to a wildlife
species is a poor approach due to
being inflexible.
Protection laws need to be flexible,
based on biological facts, and used in
combination with other management
tools to be effective.
Flexibility is needed to correspond to
changes in habitat conditions and
wildlife populations from year to year.

Management Programs
2. Predator Control
Predator an animal that lives by killing
other animals for food.
In the past, predators were considered to
be bad animals and bounties (money
rewards) were offered to encourage their
control.
People thought that controlling predators
would result in more wildlife.
When habitat is good, a healthy balance can
exist between predators and prey.
May be necessary to protect small or
unhealthy wildlife populations

Management Programs
3. Refuges
Refuges provide wildlife with suitable
habitat for the purpose of increasing wildlife
numbers.
There are four general types of refuges:
Big game goal is to protect the breeding stock so
the population can increase
Small game seldom more than a few acres
Waterfowl most successful
Nongame established to protect the habitat of
rare or endangered species

Management Programs
3. Refuges (contd)
Large increase in population may
exhaust food supply and damage
habitat and animals
Effective only when correctly
used in combination with other
management tools
The goal of a refuge is to preserve
wildlife habitat and keep it in good
condition

Management Programs
4. Stocking
Purpose is to release wildlife into areas
that have small or no wildlife populations
Involves releasing artificially reared
animals into the wild or trapping wild
animals from established populations and
transplanting them into other areas
Limitations of habitat need to be
considered if man introduces wildlife
beyond the carrying capacity, animals will
disappear
Usually unnecessary in good wildlife habitat

Management Programs
5. Introduction of Exotic
Wildlife

A form of stocking
Purpose is to introduce exotic species into habitat
similar to native habitat without displacing native
species of wildlife or damaging the habitat
Generally not successful
Ring-necked pheasant is a classic success story
introduced from Hong Kong
Chukar is another exotic successfully established
in semi-arid regions
Muskrat and starlings are examples of
unsuccessful exotic species introduction
Most introduced exotics find their habitats
unsuitable and disappear soon after release

Management Programs
6. Habitat Management
Habitat is the KEY to wildlife survival!
Without habitat, no wildlife can survive!
Wildlife habitat is declining at an alarming
rate mainly due to urbanization and other
uses as the human population demands
more living space, food production, etc.
Main purpose of managing habitat is to
prevent existing wildlife habitat that is in
good condition from being destroyed or lost
The most important thing YOU can do to
help wildlife is to prevent the loss or
destruction of habitat.

Management Programs
7. Hunting and Trapping
Valuable management tools for helping
maintain healthy wildlife populations at or
below carrying capacity of the habitat
With careful regulation, excess animals in a
population can be removed
Hunting and trapping are used as management
tools to remove some excess animals in
population w/o damaging breeding stock
Sport hunting & trapping also provide funding
for wildlife management programs funds are
used to manage game & nongame animals
Wildlife management programs are financed
almost entirely by sportsmen

Management Programs
8. Public Education
Essential to gain public understanding and
acceptance of wildlife management
programs
Example: sport hunting serves a useful
purpose in wildlife management, but some
people think hunting jeopardizes wildlife
populations
If wildlife management programs are to
benefit wildlife, they must have public
support and funding, from both hunters and
non-hunters

Future of Wildlife
Habitat Management is and will continue to
be the key to successful Wildlife
Management
Some ways to help provide wildlife habitat
include:

Do not clear wild areas to make land appear tidy

Protect wildlife areas from livestock
Plant food for wildlife grains, fruit-bearing
bushes, grasses, legumes
Build brush piles or establish woody thickets to
provide cover
Create a pond or other wetland area willows &
cattails make good wildlife habitat

Summary
1. Wildlife management is the science of
managing wildlife and its habitat, including
man, for the benefit of the entire Biota
2. Conservation is wise use; preservation is
nonuse
3. Habitat is the key to wildlife survival
4. Carrying capacity is the number of animals
the habitat can support throughout the
year without damage to the animals or the
habitat

Summary (contd)
5. If wildlife numbers exceed the carrying
capacity, the excess animals will die
6. The birth and death rates of most species
of wildlife are high
7. Inflexible laws prevent effective wildlife
management
8. Wildlife biologists have the knowledge and
skills necessary to manage wildlife all
they need is public support

Everyone has a
responsibility to
see that wildlife
is correctly
managed.