Management Plans 2

Front 1

Basic viewpoints/levels of management

Back 1

- Single species → population level orEcosystem/habitat level

- The species/population viewpoint is most commonly adopted-Strategic habitat conservation (USFWS)

Front 2

Considerations for management plans

Back 2

- Couplets- Isthe population(individual) healthy? stress? disease?- Does the population havethe desired demographic? Density, sex ratio, natality, age distribution,mortality, population growth- Is the habitat optimal or marginal - does itprovide adequate, Food, Cover, H2O, or Space?

Front 3

Wildlife management (eco knowledge)

Back 3

Ecological knowledge is applied in three basicmanagement approaches-

- Preservation - when nature is allowed to take its coursewithout human intervention

- direct manipulation, when animal populations are trapped,shot, poisoned, and stocked

- Indirect manipulation - when vegetation, water, or otherkey components of wildlife are altered

Front 4

Harvest management

Back 4

- most common and simplest form of management.-

Game laws, Baglimits, seasons, either sex or single sex, protection against over harvest.

Front 5

Models of harvesting dynamics - Maximum sustained yield(MSY)

Back 5

- Basic premises = Without harvest, growth andrecruitment are balanced by natural mortality

- (sigmoid model) - r = 0

- Hunting reduces the population,Increases the growth rate through higher birth rates andlower death rates

- Aggressive harvest - expanded seasons, liberal bag limitsį

Front 6

MSY Assumptions (4)

Back 6

1. Rate of increase responds immediately to changes inpopulation density

2. age and sex structure of the population remains stable

3. harvest is spread throughout the population4. Harvest to protect the habitat and herd health

Front 7

Additive mortality (4)

Back 7

1. All forms of mortality have an impact

2. Care must be exercised in selecting harvest levels

3. conservative harvest levels are necessary

4. If the rate of removal is too high, the population willslide to extinction

Front 8

Compensatory mortality

Back 8

- Paul Errington - mink and muskrat

- Death due to 1 cause, may reduce deaths due to others

- Bobwhite quail ie The number of recruits is high and willencounter a bottleneck (food: late winter)

- hunting/removal ofindividuals will have a positive effect

- As animals areremoved from a population habitat conditions enhanced - compensatory

Front 9

Adaptive harvest management (3)

Back 9

1. originally developed for water fowl and othermigratory birds

2. the consequences of hunting regulations cannot bepredicted with certainty

3. Relies on a cycle of: monitoring, assessment, decisionmaking

Front 10

Application of harvest management (4)

Back 10

1. only a few economically valuable species

2. not for non-game species

3. Optimum yield has replaced MSY - includes economic orsocial factors

4. Population parameters to adjust: Density, populationgrowth, sex and age distribution

Front 11

Desired density or abundance (direct)

Back 11

Direct - forage availability & animal unitsAvailable forage can be estimated

Front 12

Desired density or abundance (Indirect)

Back 12

- guidelinesdeveloped for regions and habitat types

- population and individual health indicators

- carcassindices, physiology

- habitat parameters - overgrazing, browse line, etc.

Front 13

How to remove animals (3)

Back 13

1. live capture via various nets

2. Hunter harvest

3. Special permits

Front 14

Special Permits

Back 14

-Triple T’s - Trap, Transport, Transplant

- Deer management permits:

MLDP - managed lands deer permit

ADCP - antlerless deer and spike control permits

Front 15

Introduction or restoration - considerations (5)

Back 15

1. Suitability of animal for introduction/reintroduction

2. Legitimate source of animals

3. Why was the species extirpated? issue still a problem?

4. Habitat suitability & quality

5. Protection - moratorium on hunting, predator control

Front 16

Restoration of bighorn sheep

Back 16

- extirpated from texas

- blue tongue disease (midgeborn) from domesticated sheep and easily disturbed reproduction

- Source is New Mexico and Mexico populations- Sheep farming has decreased

- Removal of predators - mountain lion

Front 17

Wildlife Damage management

Back 17

Livestock - predator control

Crop depredation - birds/grain, deer/fruits creased)