The art and science of wildlife management

Abstract

Too much of wildlife management is today still more of an art than a science. Turning the art into a much- needed predictive science requires including research in the management process. The key to the process is developing an appropriate model of how the wildlife system responds to management actions, applying the actions, monitoring the outcomes, and using this to improve the management model. Extrapolating management outcomes to different wildlife areas requires the development of theory, as illustrated by a range of examples.