Rapid change in wildlife populations can challenge managers to promote species conservation while maintaining public support for wildlife. Wolf management during recolonization in Wisconsin, United States demonstrates the complexities of inconsistent management authority, public attitudes, and illegal killing of wolves. State management authority to control depredating wolves oscillated during a period of intense sociopolitical conflict over wolf status under the federal Endangered Species Act. We demonstrate that swings in wolf status led to inconsistent management authority, declining local public support for wolves, and possibly the unintended backlash of more illegal kills and a legislatively mandated public wolf hunt. A new Wildlife Management Matrix illustrates an idealized relationship between lethal control options and perceptions of wildlife. Moderating the sociopolitical drivers of swings in policy over short periods is essential to allow wildlife managers greater flexibility in achieving species-specific goals. To our knowledge, this research provides the first demonstrated link between illegal wildlife killing and management authority under the Endangered Species Act, and suggests that illegal behavior may be moderated with responsible and effective wildlife management programs. We recommend states avoid prescriptive harvest legislation, and we suggest a more incremental shift from federal to state management authority.
Zoos and aquariums can play an important role in raising awareness of biodiversity and conservation. By collaborating with field‐based organizations, zoos and aquariums can more effectively implement conservation interventions to secure populations of species in natural ecosystems and habitats over the long term. Here, we present the collaborative efforts of San Diego Zoo Global, USA, and Free the Bears to design innovative surveys aimed at improving our understanding of public knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards bears and bear‐part consumption in South East Asia. Over 1500 surveys were completed in Cambodia and Lao PDR. Preliminary analysis of the Lao PDR surveys shows that there are significant differences between Lao and Western responses across most questions, indicating differing world views in terms of knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours towards wildlife and wildlife trade. The results of these surveys will be used to identify key messages that should be delivered and key groups that should be targeted, in order to promote sustainable behaviours effectively and ensure stable wild populations of bears in South East Asia.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.