Transcript WHY MANAGE WILDLIFE?

WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT IN
NEW BRUNSWICK
WHY MANAGE WILDLIFE?
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Provincial MANDATE to manage populations of all
wild species, their habitats and use, for the people of
New Brunswick.
Provincial GOAL to maintain populations at selfsustaining levels in their natural range.
Various human values Consumptive, aesthetic, ethical, recreational,
economic, scientific
Involves Public, User Groups, Private Industry,
Government Managers, Law Makers.
WHY MANAGE WILDLIFE?
DNR is responsible for:
•Monitoring the status of wildlife populations and their
habitats.
•Ensuring that wildlife species do not become extinct or
extirpated from New Brunswick due to human activities.
• Ensuring there is suitable habitat to support wildlife
populations.
•Ensuring the conservation of sufficient habitat to support
viable populations of wetland dependant wildlife species
throughout the province.
Wildlife Values:
Categories of Wildlife:
1. Game animals – deer, bear, moose…
2. Furbearing animals – beaver, fox…
3. Non-game animals – songbirds, mice…
4. Endangered species – plover, falcon…
5. Threatened species – Bicknell’s Thrush…
Wildlife Values:
Classifications of Wildlife Values:
1. Recreational (hunting, food)
2. Commercial (outfitting, trapping)
3. Biological (naturalists)
4. Scientific (research)
5. Social (aesthetic pleasure)
Wildlife Management:
People Management:
•EDUCATION – People have more respect for
Wildlife Management if they have a good
understanding of the issues and concerns
(through schools, groups, hunter education,
etc.)
•ENFORCEMENT – Laws are used to ensure
protection of wildlife, and penalize those who
abuse wildlife resources.
Population Management:
A population is a group of animals of the
same species that occupy a particular area.
Population dynamics means the changes
that occur in a population over time.
Population Dynamics:
Two major factors that affect the population
dynamics of wildlife:
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Birth Rate
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Age at which breeding begins
Number of births per year for each breeding female
Number of young born per litter
• Death Rate
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Availability of food and cover
Predation
Weather;
Human activities; and
Disease and parasites.
Population Dynamics:
EXAMPLE: RUFFED GROUSE
April - 5 Male + 5 Female =
10
June - 10 chicks/hen = 50+10 = 60
Aug - 50% Mortality on chicks
(50*0.5) + 10 = 35
Jan - 60% Winter Mortality
35*0.6 = 15
(This is for an average spring and winter;
Bad conditions may double the mortality
rates.)
Game Management and Conservation:
• Game managers try to control wildlife
populations.
• Breeding habitats (nests, colonies) are
protected by laws.
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High breeding populations are maintained to
maximize the reproductive potential of that
population (Antlerless Deer Permits).
Hunting Quotas
Reasons for setting quotas:
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increase a population if the habitat is
there to support it;
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decrease a population if there are too
many animals present for the available
food supply; or
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hold a population stable if conditions
look just right.
Habitat:
Five basic habitat needs of all living things:
• Food
• Cover
• Water
• Space
• Arrangement
Habitat:
Food
• Needed by all animals to grow, reproduce,
escape predators and survive.
• Wildlife Management conserves important
feeding areas and increases the amount and
quality of food available for wildlife.
•Winter food is often a limiting factor for many
wildlife species.
Habitat:
Cover
• Needed for shelter to hide in, raise
young and protect from bad weather.
• Most common – dense vegetation.
• Often provides access to food.
Water
• Needed by all animals.
• Usually obtained from food.
•May also be used for shelter, and
obtaining food (ie. mink, beaver)
Habitat:
Space
• Animals need space prevent competition for
food and breeding sites, leading to
malnutrition and spread of disease.
• Most animals are territorial and occupy their
own “home range”.
•A given area will only support so many
animals, no matter how much food, water or
shelter is present.
• The arrangement of food, cover, water and
space is important in determining the numbers
and distribution of wildlife.
Carrying Capacity:
• The number of animals that an area will
support without damage to the habitat or to
the animals is called the “carrying capacity”.
• It is the task of the wildlife manager to
control the number of animals at or below
the carrying capacity.
•A limiting factor is the element controlling
the carrying capacity.
Carrying Capacity:
•Many factors are
involved in determining
the carrying capacity of
a habitat.
•The limiting factor is
the “lowest hole in the
bucket”.
Succession (Habitat Change):
Succession is the orderly replacement of one biotic
community with another.
• With each successional stage, habitat is changed.
• With changes in habitat comes change in the
forms of wildlife using that particular habitat.
Wildlife Management Tools:
1. Research – the study of animals and their
habitat.
2. Monitoring – involves estimating the number of
animals present in an area on a yearly basis
(“inventory”).
3. Population Objectives by Wildlife Management
Zones – specific population targets by species
individually identified for each WMZ.
4. Habitat Management– short and long term
management to support population goals.
Wildlife Management Tools:
4. Hunting and Trapping – removes a portion of
the population as directed by management
goals.
5. Public Education – public understanding,
acceptance and support is essential for
successful wildlife management programs.
6. Compliance (laws) – creating and enforcing
wildlife laws that are based on sound biological
information which benefit wildlife and ensure
public safety and support.