25. The future of the wildlife profession and the standards of professionals

Question 1

History

Answer 1

Early paradigm for wildlife management was based on: restrictive laws, predator control, protected areas and restocking. Most scientific work was descriptive in nature, based on discovery and cataloguing

Question 2

Integrative discipline:

Answer 2

animal biology, ecology, zoology, botany, policy, social science, quantitative science

Background needed in forestry and conservation biology

Educational requirements established by TWS (The Wildlife Society)
Code of ethics – coded by TWS

Question 3

Wildlife management

Answer 3

Traditional model:
* Personal experiences and accumulated wisdom (see the method of tenacity)
* Conservative thinking – following the tried rules
* Rejecting the new ideas – most of the innovations will fail

Experimental model: THE FUTURE
* Using data and analyses,
* Testing hypotheses,
* Continuously changing and conforming (adaptive management)

Research and science based, Flexible, Focused on improvement

Wildlife Management Perspectives
* Traditional view assumes we know everything there is about how to manage a given species
* How valid is such an approach?
* We still manage using single species approaches
* Are there different or better alternatives?
* What else needs to be considered?
* Alternatives include more ecological paradigms:
1. Adaptive Management (aka adaptive resource management or ARM)
2. Ecosystem Management

Question 4

Adaptive management Definition

Answer 4

• Adaptive management is a systematic process for continually improving management policies and practices by learning from the outcomes of operational programs. Its most effective form – “active” adaptive management – employs management programs that are designed to experimentally compare selected policies or practices, by evaluating alternative hypotheses about the system being managed.
• A systematic, rigorous approach for deliberately learning from management actions with the intent to improve subsequent management policy or practice

Question 5

Steps

Answer 5

1. Assessing the problem - definition of goals
2. Alternatives and options
3. Decision
4. Design
5. Implementation
6. Monitoring
7. Evaluation, learning and adjustment/revision
   (feedback)

Question 6

SMART goals

Answer 6

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Related
• Trackable

Question 7

Standards of professionals:

Answer 7

Navigating the changing views towards wildlife and hunting
Extremist wildlife protection groups/views

In general, public opinion can not distinguish between animal welfare (individual level) and conservation of species (population level).
● Organizations protecting animal rights usually set themselves for conservation purposes:
➢ or because they do not know the difference,
➢ or because they do not want to be seen clearly
➢ Infiltration: threatens real conservation organizations or actions
For the public the more interesting the animals are, the fewer they have direct contact with the wildlife and nature
➢ Urban population
➢ Wealthy people
➢ BA (Bachelor of Arts), and not biologists, ecologists, etc.

“The future of game management depends on how much the profession will be able to respond to a broad spectrum of needs without sacrificing by the sole political interest of
one or a few shareholder groups.
● What can not be?
➢ not populist
➢ consider the widest range of interest groups
➢ builds a partnership (trying to build)

Organizations need to be prepared for attacks:
- Problem analysis
- Risk survey
- Preventive planning

Question 8

IUGB TOPICS:

Answer 8

Women in wildlife
Working towards being more inclusive and open minded
Communicating better with the public, sharing relevant information that is accessible and digestible to the public without it being too emotional like animal protection campaigns

For many current practitioners in the field of wildlife management, it becomes apparent
quickly that the job involves creativity, patience, skilled bureaucratic boxing, applied scientific knowledge, and managing expectations. It requires resiliency and appetite for risk-taking and the ability to hyper communicate while constantly casting a wide net to secure strategic partnerships
The Wildlife Society and highlight the importance of a balance between disciplinary and non disciplinary skills and technical and nontechnical skills learned during time at the university. Budding wildlife professionals should quickly learn to dance to the drum beat of ‘‘wildlife management is people management’’ and a reminder that wildlife professionals are always in the public eye, so must act and dress appropriately. Other sound advice: it is essential to ‘‘develop your ethics and the principles that guide us especially when no one is looking

Question 9

Wildlife related jobs/people

Answer 9

Politicians (Policy changes, ministry of agriculture etc)
Researchers
Educators/ Communicators
Game Hunt leaders
Games drivers
Wildlife protectors
biological field research, forestry, rehabilitation, ranching, photography, and refuge management
Biologists, zoologists, Botanist
etc