From the Back Cover
Introduction to Wildlife Management is written for beginning and advanced wildlife students, and as a reference for professionals who want to brush up on the basics of their profession.
Unlike other texts that try to cover wildlife ecology and management in their entirety, Krausman assumes students have a background in ecology and focuses on wildlife management. This text is not written to serve as the only source of information for this field of study, but was designed to provide a solid foundation in the basic concepts used to manage wildlife and to provide a solid reference source for additional reading.
Krausman's clean, clear, accessible writing style effectively conveys the core underpins of the profession of wildlife management, while allowing instructors maximum flexibility in teaching the course.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
"What has happened before will happen again. What has been done before will be done again. There is nothing new in the whole world."
Ecclesiastes 1:9
Because of human domination of the earth, wildlife is dependent upon mankind for its existence. Unfortunately, our efforts have not always been successful and we are still struggling to find ways to effectively maintain the habitats to ensure the existence of many animals. It is a complex process and the young field of wildlife management has served as a springboard for a host of yet even younger disciplines including conservation biology, landscape ecology, ecosystem management, and human dimensions. These new fields and their associated jargon are important to conservation and management of wild flora and fauna. However, students in these disciplines should be well founded in the basic principles that underlie the functioning of healthy populations. To that end, those students should have a strong background in ecology and the basic principles of wildlife management. After all, wildlife is the emphasis of the numerous groups, organizations, and federal, state, and international agencies charged with maintaining and enhancing wild and natural places, and places not so wild. I have yet to find The Book on wildlife management and have relied on a variety of media to teach wildlife courses (e.g., textbooks, journals, labs, popular literature, and news). Hands-on laboratories often provide lasting examples of wildlife management practices. However, students also have to be exposed to the underpins of the profession. That is the purpose here. Introduction to Wildlife Management: The Basics was written for beginning and advanced wildlife students, and as a reference for professionals who want to brush up on the basics of their profession. All users are expected to have a background in ecology and beginning students would obviously need more lecture time than advanced students. The text was not written to serve as the only source of information, but was designed to include the basic concepts used to manage wildlife and to provide a solid reference source for additional reading.
Many thanks to B. Ballard, J.A. Bissonette, B. Czech, E. de Steiguer, M.L. Morrison, and M. C. Wallace who provided helpful commends about previous drafts; to S. Gillatt, who drafted many of the figures; and to V Calt and D. Brown, who assisted with production. Thanks also to reviewers Mark Wallace, Texas Tech University; and Ronald M. Case, University of Nebraska, who provided valuable insight and helpful feedback.