What's new // conservation science
Wildlife conservation literature and public discourse, too often gloss over the important difference between hunting and the regulation of hunting. This is so common that there is a persistent, misinformed idea that extinctions have been avoided through the act of hunting. Historically, the regulation of hunting, not hunting itself, has averted extinction…
British Columbia has begun an ambitious effort to review the province’s approach to managing wildlife, with $14 million committed so far. The Province’s interest in reform is encouraging. As explained in a letter we recently published in the journal Science…
Writing in the scientific journal, Conservation Letters, an international team of conservation scientists is challenging the conservation community to fully consider the ethics of trophy hunting and think critically about endorsing the practice as a key funding mechanism for wildlife protection. Read our new paper, “The elephant (head) in the room: A critical look at trophy…
Writing in the scientific journal, Conservation Letters, an international team of conservation scientists argue that trophy hunting – hunting that involves the collection of animal body parts, or “trophies,” – is morally wrong. Led by Chelsea Batavia from the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University, the authors identify trophy hunting as…
For years, British Columbia’s wildlife management practices, especially its wolf cull and grizzly bear hunt, have been controversial. In 2015, then-Premier Christy Clark defended the province’s wildlife policies, stating they were grounded in sound science. That, at least, was the claim. And not one unique to British Columbia. In fact, hunting in Canada and the…
A new study, “Hallmarks of science missing from North American wildlife management”, released today in the AAAS Open Access journal Science Advances, identified four key hallmarks expected of science-based management: clear objectives, use of evidence, transparency and external review. Combined, these hallmarks provide the checks and balances that give rigour to science-based approaches…
A new study, “Hallmarks of science missing from North American wildlife management”, published by Science Advances , challenges a widespread assumption that wildlife management in North America is science-based. Scientists from Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Simon Fraser University, University of Victoria, and the University of Wisconsin – Madison examined management documents relating to most hunted species across…