Chris Darimont interviewed on CFAX 1070 about political populations
A team led by researchers from the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, the University of Victoria, and Simon Fraser University reviewed the scientific literature for cases in which independent scientists scrutinized government reporting of wildlife population sizes, trends, and associated policy.
What is a political population? Did governments around the world try to exaggerate the size or resilience of carnivore populations? Have estimates of populations been skewed by systemic selection of data to suit political interests? What is the evidence base for policy decisions in BC? Has evidence been distorted by the political discourse?
Adam Stirling and Raincoast science director Chris Darimont take on these questions and more during this interview on CFAX 1070. Listen below and hear Chris Darimont explain various aspects of the research paper, “Political populations of large carnivores”, by Raincoast scientists and collaborators that was published in the journal, Conservation Biology.
“Case studies from around the world revealed patterns of governments justifying politically preferred policies by exaggerating — without empirical justification — the size or resilience of carnivore populations. Such a process creates what the authors term, ‘political populations’ – those with attributes constructed to serve political interests.”
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