condensed_notes_frst_395 (1).docx - Lecture 2 Wildlife in...

Lecture 2 Wildlife in Canada
- Fewer species, but global importance for
o Large areas of reltively undisturbed habitat
 10% of global forest cover, low human density
o Intact communities of large vertebrate wildlife
o Potential future vulnerability
 Increasing resource development
 Climate change
BC has ~670 wildlife species
- BC also has>50% of vertebrate species found in Canada and 70% of Canada’s native mammals and bird
BC has more large mammals than any other part of north America
BC has globally significant population of some species
- 75% stone sheep
- 60^ world mountain goats
- 25% of grizzly bears and bald eagles
BC supports large, multi species predator prey ecosystems
Rare unique threatened ecosystems
BC has the greatest biodiversity of any Canadian province and also most species at risk
- Northern leopard frog, Wolverine, Caribou, Desert night snake, Marbled murrelet, Spotted owl
Only 4 species legally listed as endangered or threatened under BC wildlife act
- Vancouver island marmot, burrowing owl, American white pelican, sea otter
Relative importance of threats to threatened and endangered (Red listed) vertebrates in BC
Values of wildlife
- Intrinsic (inherent)
- Utilitarian (instrumental)
Costs of wildlife
- Human wildlife conflict
- Crop damage, livestock depredation
- Vehicle collisions
- Disease transmission
- Ecological effect of overabundance

North American model for wildlife conservation
1. Wildlife as a public trust resource
2. Elimination of markets for game
3. Allocation of wildlife by law
4. Kill only for legitimate purpose
5. Wildlife as an international resource
6. Science based wildlife policy
7. Democracy of hunting
Criticisms of NAM
- Simplifies complex reality, downplays roles of other stakeholders
- Emphasizes management successes for game species but minimizes importance of non game species and broader
conservation problems
- Overlooks exceptions
- How to define legitimacy of killing wildlife
- Downplay importance of disciplines other than science
 Wildlife management and conservation need to embrace diversity and new ideas
Wo does wildlife management?
- Provincial
- Federal
- Other
o FN, regional/municipal GOV, NGO, public
Lecture 3
Wildlife management = human action directed towards wildlife population to attain specified societal goals
Population management unit (PMU) = spatial scale at which a given big game population will be managed for hunting.
Normally be the geographical are that represent the year-round range of a big game population, while keeping interchange
with other population to a minimum
N = number of individuals
Density = N/per unit area
BIDE
N
t + 1
= N
t
+ Births + I mmigration − Deaths − Emigration
Gains losses
“Vital rates”

Discrete (geometric) growth
N
t + 1
= N
t
λ
-
λ
(lambda) = gemetric (per capita) growth rate = N
t+!
/N
t
o
λ = 1 , stable population
o
λ > 1
, increasing population
o λ < 1
, decreasing population
N
t
= N
0
λ
T T = total number of time steps t
Continuous (Exponential) growth
dN / dt = rN
- r = instantaneous growth rate = IN λ (so λ = e r )
o r = 0 , stable population
o r > 0 , increasing population
o r < 0 , decreasing population
N
T
= N
o
e
rT
(r
max
)
-
The rate of increase of a population undergoing exponential growth under optimum ecological conditions
Populations have limits
-
Logistic growth
-
Rate of increases slow as population approaches carrying capacity
 Density dependent