Conservation Of Wildlife Populations

Population ecology has matured to a sophisticated science with astonishing potential for contributing solutions to wildlife conservation and management challenges. And yet, much of the applied power of wildlife population ecology remains untapped because its broad sweep across disparate subfields has been isolated in specialized texts. In this book, L. Scott Mills covers the full spectrum of applied wildlife population ecology, including genomic tools for non-invasive genetic sampling, predation, population projections, climate change and invasive species, harvest modeling, viability analysis, focal species concepts, and analyses of connectivity in fragmented landscapes. With a readable style, analytical rigor, and hundreds of examples drawn from around the world, Conservation of Wildlife Populations (2nd ed) provides the conceptual basis for applying population ecology to wildlife conservation decision-making. Although targeting primarily undergraduates and beginning graduate students with some basic training in basic ecology and statistics (in majors that could include wildlife biology, conservation biology, ecology, environmental studies, and biology), the book will also be useful for practitioners in the field who want to find - in one place and with plenty of applied examples - the latest advances in the genetic and demographic aspects of population ecology. Additional resources for this book can be found at: www.wiley.com/go/mills/wildlifepopulations.

Population ecology has matured to a sophisticated science with astonishing potential for contributing solutions to wildlife conservation and management challenges. And yet, much of the applied power of wildlife population ecology remains untapped because its broad sweep across disparate subfields has been isolated in specialized texts. In this book, L. Scott Mills covers the full spectrum of applied wildlife population ecology, including genomic tools for non-invasive genetic sampling, predation, population projections, climate change and invasive species, harvest modeling, viability analysis, focal species concepts, and analyses of connectivity in fragmented landscapes. With a readable style, analytical rigor, and hundreds of examples drawn from around the world, Conservation of Wildlife Populations (2nd ed) provides the conceptual basis for applying population ecology to wildlife conservation decision-making. Although targeting primarily undergraduates and beginning graduate students with some basic training in basic ecology and statistics (in majors that could include wildlife biology, conservation biology, ecology, environmental studies, and biology), the book will also be useful for practitioners in the field who want to find - in one place and with plenty of applied examples - the latest advances in the genetic and demographic aspects of population ecology. Additional resources for this book can be found at: www.wiley.com/go/mills/wildlifepopulations.

Professor L. Scott Mills has been named a 2009 Guggenheim Fellow by the board of trustees of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.Conservation of Wildlife Populations provides an accessible introduction to the most relevant concepts and principles for solving real-world management problems in wildlife and conservation biology. Bringing together insights from traditionally disparate disciplines, the book shows how population biology addresses important questions involving the harvest, monitoring, and conservation of wildlife populations.Covers the most up-to-date approaches for assessing factors that affect both population growth and interactions with other species, including predation, genetic changes, harvest, introduced species, viability analysis and habitat loss and fragmentation.Is an essential guide for undergraduates and postgraduate students of wildlife biology, conservation biology, ecology, and environmental studies and an invaluable resource for practising managers on how population biology can be applied to wildlife conservation and management.Artwork from the book is available to instructors online at www.blackwellpublishing.com/mills. An Instructor manual CD-ROM for this title is available. Please contact our Higher Education team at [email protected] for more information.

Conservationists might set out with very different objectives: preservation and recovery of rare and threatened species - as with rhinos or bustards, sustaining a steady supply of useful products for human use -- as with fisheries, or even eliminating threats to human life or livelihoods as in the case of rodent pests or man-eating tigers. None of these objectives, however, can be effectively met without a clear understanding of how wild populations of these species function. The necessary knowledge can come only from the application of rigorous science, which involves sampling, modelling and estimating animal populations. Even with such reliable knowledge in their armoury, conservationists must face social challenges in application of this science on the ground and in the policy arenas, in which not everyone may share their goals or values. This volume contains 26 articles by the author written in collaboration with other leading biologists, quantitative ecologists and conservationists. It boldly explores a complex terrain that spans ecological theories to social practices. It is a useful guide for those practicing science-based conservation.

Efforts to conserve wildlife populations and preserve biological diversity are often hampered by an inadequate understanding of animal behavior. How do animals react to gaps in forested lands, or to sport hunters? Do individual differences--in age, sex, size, past experience--affect how an animal reacts to a given situation? Differences in individual behavior may determine the success or failure of a conservation initiative, yet they are rarely considered when strategies and policies are developed. Animal Behavior and Wildlife Conservation explores how knowledge of animal behavior may help increase the effectiveness of conservation programs. The book brings together conservation biologists, wildlife managers, and academics from around the world to examine the importance of general principles, the role played by specific characteristics of different species, and the importance of considering the behavior of individuals and the strategies they adopt to maximize fitness.Each chapter begins by looking at the theoretical foundations of a topic, and follows with an exploration of its practical implications. A concluding chapter considers possible future contributions of research in animal behavior to wildlife conservation.

Understanding wildlife population ecology is vital for all wildlife managers and conservation biologists. Leopold draws on 30 years of research and teaching experience to give students and natural resource professionals the foundation they need to effectively manage wildlife populations. He begins with the key statistical concepts and research approaches necessary to gain insight into various models of population dynamics. The many factors that influence wildlife populations are thoroughly explored and their consequences are investigated. In addition, the author presents techniques for analyzing wildlife harvest data and a lucid discussion of valuable wildlife census methods. Frequent examples of foundational literature supplement each chapter with applications of the theories and provide a concise compendium of fundamental concepts of population ecology. Abundant statistical exercises reinforce students’ learning throughout the text.

Bringing together leaders in the fields of climate change ecology, wildlife population dynamics, and environmental policy, this title examines the impacts of climate change on populations of terrestrial vertebrates. It also includes chapters that assess the details of climate change ecology.