Wildlife Management & Wolf Recovery Flashcards
What is current wildlife management largely funded by?
Pittman-Robertson funds (hunting)
What are some of the principles within the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation?
Wildlife resources are a public trust, markets for game are eliminated, allocation of wildlife is by law, wildlife can only be killed for a legitimate purpose, wildlife is considered an international resource, science is the proper tool to discharge wildlife policy, and democracy of hunting is standard
What are two factors that lead to wildlife population loss and gain?
Mortality and emigration; recruitment and emigration
What measures help manage wildlife population gains and losses?
Habitat management, mortality management, translocation, and maintaining connectivity
How do we define and conceptualize wildlife habitat?
Combination of resources (e.g. food, cover, water) and environmental conditions (e.g. temperature, precipitation) that promotes residency and allows survival and reproduction (Morrison et al. 2006)
What factors do you need to consider when asking how much habitat is enough?
Species life history, resource concentration in space and time, and resource abundance and consistency
How are habitats protected?
Prohibiting logging or development, restricting grazing in grasslands or riparian areas
How are habitats maintained?
Prescribed burning, removing encroaching plants like juniper
How are habitats enhanced?
Nest boxes for cavity nesting birds, manipulating water levls/flooded areas for waterfowl, and adding water features for desert wildlife
What is an example of intentional mortality?
Recreational harvest
How is recreational harvest managed, and why is it done?
Managed through changes in season lengths, bag limits, and daily limits. Adaptive management using information on population size and harvest rate; Control over-abundant native species and invasive non-native species
How is unintentional mortality done and managed?
Can be done through road mortality and bycatch, can be helped by crossing aids or deterrent
What is translocation?
Human-mediated movement of living organisms from one area, with release in another. Also broken down into introduction: movement and release outside its indigenous range. Reintroduction: Movement and release inside its indigenous range from which it has disappeared and Reinforcement: Movement and release into an existing population of conspecifics
Why do we need landscape-scale connectivity?
Migration: allows individuals to access spatially separated seasonal habitats, Genetic connectivity: maintains genetic diversity and reduces inbreeding depression
When were Mexican wolves listed as endangered?
1976
When was the first recovery plan created fro Mexican wolves?
1982
When were mexican wolves released into the wild in the US?
1998
What was the historical range of mexican wolves?
Southern and western Arizona, southern New Mexico, and the Sierra Madre
Why are recovery efforts not north of historical range?
Wolves are already north of historical range, legal/policy barriers: some regulations prohibit them being outside of their historical range, ecological and genetic reasons
Is captive breeding or fostering more successful with mexican wolves?
Fostering
What is the main objective of the current recovery plan for mexican wolves?
Addition of a specific number of wolves from captivity to add to new genetic diversity
How many wolves are needed to prevent extinction of mexican wolves in Mexico and the US?
200 in Mexico, 320 in the US
