What causes bear attacks? When should you play dead and when should you fight an attacking bear? What do we know about black and grizzly bears and how can this knowledge be used to avoid bear attacks? And, more generally, what is the bear’s future? Bear Attacks is a thorough and unflinching landmark study of the attacks made on men and women by the great grizzly and the occasionally deadly black bear. This is a book for everyone who hikes, camps, or visits bear country–and for anyone who wants to know more about these sometimes fearsome but always fascinating wild creatures.
In the past, wildlife living in urban areas were ignored by wildlife professionals and urban planners because cities were perceived as places for people and not for wild animals. Paradoxically, though, many species of wildlife thrive in these built environments. Interactions between humans and wildlife are more frequent in urban areas than any other place on earth and these interactions impact human health, safety and welfare in both positive and negative ways. Although urban wildlife control pest species, pollinate plants and are fun to watch, they also damage property, spread disease and even attack people and pets. In urban areas, the combination of dense human populations, buildings, impermeable surfaces, introduced vegetation, and high concentrations of food, water and pollution alter wildlife populations and communities in ways unseen in more natural environments. For these ecological and practical reasons, researchers and mangers have shown a growing interest in urban wildlife ecology and management. This growing interest in urban wildlife has inspired many studies on the subject that have yet to be synthesized in a cohesive narrative. Urban Wildlife: Theory and Practice fills this void by synthesizing the latest ecological and social knowledge in the subject area into an interdisciplinary and practical text. This volume provides a foundation for the future growth and understanding of urban wildlife ecology and management by: • Clearly defining th e concepts used to study and describe urban wildlife, • Offering a cohesive understanding of the coupled natural and social drivers that shape urban wildlife ecology, • Presenting the patterns and processes of wildlife response to an urbanizing world and explaining the mechanisms behind them and • Proposing means to create physical and social environments that are mutually beneficial for both humans and wildlife.
Of the status of bear species by distribution / Christopher Servheen -- An overview of bear conservation planning and implementation / Bernard Peyton, Christopher Servheen, and Stephen Herrero -- Genetics of the bears of the world / Lisette Waits, David Paetkau, and Curtis Strobeck -- The trade in bears and bear parts / Christopher Servheen -- Brown bear conservation action plan for North America (Ursus arctos). Alaska / Sterling D. Miller and John Schoen. Canada / Bruce McLellan and Vivian Banci. United States: grizzly bear in the Lower 48 / Christopher Servheen -- Brown bear conservation action plan for Europe (Ursus arctos). Austria / Georg Rauer. Bulgaria / Nikolai Spassov and G. Spiridonov. Finland / Erik S. Nyholm and Kai-Eerik Nyholm. France / Jean Jacques Camarra. Greece / George Mertzanis. Italy (Abruzzo) / Giorgio Boscagli. Italy (Trentino) / Fabio Osti. Norway / Ole Jakob Sørensen, Jon E. Swenson, and Tor Kvam. Poland / Witold Frackowiak, Roman Gula, and Kajetan Perzanowski. Romania / Ovidiu Ionescu. Slovakia / Pavel Hell and Slavomir Find'o. Spain: eastern and western Cantabria. Eastern Cantabrian subpopulation / Anthony P. Clevenger and Francisco J. Purroy. Western Cantabrian subpopulation / Javier Naves Cienfuegos and Carlos Nores Quesada. Sweden / Jon E. Swenson, Finn Sandegren, Anders Bjärvall, Robert Franzén, Arne Söderberg, and Petter Wabakken. Former Yugoslavia / Djuro Huber and Miha Adamic -- Brown bear conservation action plan for Asia (Ursus arctos). China: Heilonjiang black and brown bears / Cheng Jizhen. India / S. Sathyakumar. Japan: Hokkaido / Tsutomu Mano and Joseph Moll. Mongolia: Gobi bear / Thomas McCarthy. Russia / Igor Chestin -- American black bear conservation action plan (Ursus americanus) / Michael R. Pelton, Alex B. Coley, Thomas H. Eason, Diana L. Doan Martinez, Joel A. Pederson, Frank T. van Manem and Keith M. Weaver -- Spectacled bear conservation action plan (Tremarctos ornatus) / Bernard Peyton. Bolivia / Damián I. Rumiz and Jorge Salazar. Colombia / Jorge Orejuela and Jeffrey P. Jorgenson. Ecuador / Luis Suárez. Perú / Bernard Peyton, coordinator. Venezuela / Edgard Yerena, coordinator -- Asiatic black bear conservation action plan (Ursus thibetanus). China / Ma Yiqing and Li Xiaomin. India / S. Sathyakumar. Japan / Toshihiro Hazumi. Russia / Igor Chestin and Victor Yudin. Taiwan: Formosan black bear / Ying Wang. Vietnam: black bear and sun bear / Do Dinh Sam -- Sun bear conservation action plan (Helarctos malayanus) / Christopher Servheen. Lao PDR / Richard E. Salter -- Sloth bear conservation action plan (Melursus ursinus) / David L. Garshelis, Anup R. Joshi, James L.D. Smith, and Clifford G. Rice -- Giant panda conservation action plan (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) / Donald G. Read and Jien Gong -- Global status and management of the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) / IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group.
TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 305: Interaction Between Roadways and Wildlife Ecology summarizes existing information related to roadway planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance practices being used successfully and unsuccessfully, nationally and internationally, to accommodate wildlife ecology given the challenging background of rapid growth and diminishing natural resources.
"This is the second issue in the Global Re-introduction Perspectives series and has been produced in the same standardized format as the previous one. The case-studies are arranged in the following order: Introduction, Goals, Success Indicators, Project Summary, Major Difficulties Faced, Major Lessons Learned, Success of Project with reasons for success or failure. For this second issue we received a total of 72 case-studies compared to 62 in the last issue. These case studies cover the following taxa as follows: invertebrates (9), fish (6), amphibians (5), reptiles (7), birds (13), mammals (20) and plants (12) ... We hope the information presented in this book will provide a broad global perspective on challenges facing re-introduction projects trying to restore biodiversity."--Pritpal S. Soorae.
Destruction of habitat due to urban sprawl, pollution, and deforestation has caused population declines or even extinction of many of the world's approximately 2,600 snake species. Furthermore, misconceptions about snakes have made them among the most persecuted of all animals, despite the fact that less than a quarter of all species are venomous and most species are beneficial because they control rodent pests. It has become increasingly urgent, therefore, to develop viable conservation strategies for snakes and to investigate their importance as monitors of ecosystem health and indicators of habitat sustainability. In the first book on snakes written with a focus on conservation, editors Stephen J. Mullin and Richard A. Seigel bring together leading herpetologists to review and synthesize the ecology, conservation, and management of snakes worldwide. These experts report on advances in current research and summarize the primary literature, presenting the most important concepts and techniques in snake ecology and conservation. The common thread of conservation unites the twelve chapters, each of which addresses a major subdiscipline within snake ecology. Applied topics such as methods and modeling and strategies such as captive rearing and translocation are also covered. Each chapter provides an essential framework and indicates specific directions for future research, making this a critical reference for anyone interested in vertebrate conservation generally or for anyone implementing conservation and management policies concerning snake populations. Contributors: Omar Attum, Indiana University Southeast; Steven J. Beaupre, University of Arkansas; Xavier Bonnet, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Frank T. Burbrink, College of Staten Island-The City University of New York; Gordon M. Burghardt, University of Tennessee; Todd A. Castoe, University of Colorado; David Chiszar, University of Colorado; Michael E. Dorcas, Davidson College; Lara E. Douglas, University of Arkansas; Christopher L. Jenkins, Project Orianne, Ltd.; Glenn Johnson, State University of New York at Potsdam; Michael Hutchins, The Wildlife Society; Richard B. King, Northern Illinois University; Bruce A. Kingsbury, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne; Thomas Madsen, University of Wollongong; Stephen J. Mullin, Eastern Illinois University; James B. Murphy, National Zoological Park; Charles R. Peterson, Idaho State University; Kent A. Prior, Parks Canada; Richard A. Seigel, Towson University; Richard Shine, University of Sydney; Kevin T. Shoemaker, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York; Patrick J. Weatherhead, University of Illinois; John D. Willson, University of Georgia
Terrestrial Mammal Conservation provides a thorough summary of the available scientific evidence of what is known, or not known, about the effectiveness of all of the conservation actions for wild terrestrial mammals across the world (excluding bats and primates, which are covered in separate synopses). Actions are organized into categories based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifications of direct threats and conservation actions. Over the course of fifteen chapters, the authors consider interventions as wide ranging as creating uncultivated margins around fields, prescribed burning, setting hunting quotas and removing non-native mammals. This book is written in an accessible style and is designed to be an invaluable resource for anyone concerned with the practical conservation of terrestrial mammals. The authors consulted an international group of terrestrial mammal experts and conservationists to produce this synopsis. Funding was provided by the MAVA Foundation, Arcadia and National Geographic Big Cats Initiative. Terrestrial Mammal Conservation is the seventeenth publication in the Conservation Evidence Series, linked to the online resource www.ConservationEvidence.com. Conservation Evidence Synopses are designed to promote a more evidence-based approach to biodiversity conservation. Others in the series include Bat Conservation, Primate Conservation, Bird Conservation and Forest Conservation and more are in preparation. Expert assessment of the evidence summarised within synopses is provided online and within the annual publication What Works in Conservation.
Adaptive management is an approach to managing social-ecological systems that fosters learning about the systems being managed and remains at the forefront of environmental management nearly 40 years after its original conception. Adaptive management persists because it allows action despite uncertainty, and uncertainty is reduced when learning occurs during the management process. Often termed “learning by doing”, the allure of this management approach has entrenched the concept widely in agency direction and statutory mandates across the globe. This exceptional volume is a collection of essays on the past, present and future of adaptive management written by prominent authors with long experience in developing, implementing, and assessing adaptive management. Moving forward, the book provides policymakers, managers and scientists a powerful tool for managing for resilience in the face of uncertainty.
