Wildlife conservation principles and practices

Wildlife Conservation Principles

Understanding Wildlife Conservation

Wildlife conservation is the practice of protecting wild flora and fauna, and their habitats.
The goal of conservation is to ensure that nature will be around for future generations to enjoy and recognise the importance of wildlife and wilderness lands to humans.
Many nations have government agencies dedicated to wildlife conservation, which help to implement policies designed to protect wildlife.
There are numerous NGOs worldwide dedicated to wildlife conservation, such as World Wildlife Fund, Nature Conservancy, and others.

Principles of Wildlife Conservation

The principle of sustainable use means using natural resources at a rate at which they can renew themselves.
Ecosystem integrity is the conservation of ecosystems that are functional and diverse in nature.
The precautionary principle states that if an action or policy might cause severe harm to the public or the environment, in the absence of scientific consensus, the burden of proof falls on those advocating for the action or policy.
Adaptive management is a structured, iterative process of decision-making with an aim to reduce uncertainty over time via system monitoring.
The polluter-pays principle stipulates that those who cause pollution should bear the costs of managing it to prevent any damage to human health or the environment.

Wildlife Conservation Practices

Habitat Management

Habitat management involves maintaining and improving habitats for the conservation of certain species.
Practices may involve the control or removal of invasive non-native species, or the reintroduction of native species.
Managing habitats also involves promoting diversity of species through practices like controlled burning, grazing, or mowing.

Protected Areas

Establishing protected areas like nature reserves, national parks or marine protected areas is a common practice for wildlife conservation.
Within these areas, human activity like development, fishing, hunting or habitat destruction is limited.
Protected areas ensure that entire ecosystems with their all their species and processes are conserved.

Species Reintroduction

Species reintroduction is a practice where animals are reintroduced into a habitat from which they have disappeared.
This is typically done so as to increase the population of the endangered species, or to aid in the recovery of the ecosystem.
Examples include the successful reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone National Park in the United States.

Human Wildlife Conflict Mitigation

Wildlife conservation also involves managing human-wildlife conflict.
This complex issue can involve addressing the problems faced by communities living close to wildlife, resolving wildlife damage to human life and property, and retaliatory actions against wildlife.
The use of deterrents, fences, and compensation schemes are among the practices put in place to address this issue.

Wildlife Monitoring and Surveying

Surveys and monitoring of wildlife populations are essential to ensure the success of conservation efforts.
These surveys can provide population numbers, identify threats and determine the effectiveness of conservation efforts.
Various techniques exist for monitoring wildlife, such as camera traps, satellite collars and aerial counts for large mammals.