New directions in management strategy evaluation through cross-fertilization between fisheries science and terrestrial conservation

Milner‐Gulland, E. J.; Arroyo, Beatriz; Bellard, Céline; Blanchard, Julia L.; Bunnefeld, Nils; Delibes‐Mateos, Miguel; Edwards, Charles; Nuño, Ana; Palazy, Lucille; Reljić, Slaven; Riera, Pere; Skrbinšek, Tomaž

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2010.0588

Cited by 38 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…This management procedure is called the 'revised management procedure' in IWC jargon, but is also known as 'management strategy evaluation' in other wildlife management applications (Smith et al 1999, Milner-Gulland et al 2010.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Performance of a management strategy in the face of uncertainties is evaluated through simulation trials considering, e.g. plausible alternative hypotheses about the underlying resource dynamics (Punt & Donovan 2007, Milner-Gulland et al 2010. A considerable part of that uncertainty may reside in issues of stock structure and the temporal and spatial variation in the mixing of stocks in the areas being evaluated (Punt & Donovan 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sei whale movements and behaviour in the North Atlantic inferred from satellite telemetry

Prieto¹,

Silva²,

Waring³

et al. 2014

Endang. Species. Res.

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The stock structure of the sei whale Balaenoptera borealis in the North Atlantic is unknown, despite years of commercial hunting. New and up-to-date data on distribution and movements are essential for the creation of plausible hypotheses about the stock structure of this species. Between 2008 and 2009 satellite tracks of 8 sei whales were obtained, 7 during spring and 1 in late September. Using a hierarchical switching state-space model we investigated the movements, behaviour and the role of distinct areas in their life history. Two distinct phases corresponding to migratory and foraging movements were identified. A migratory corridor between the Azores and the Labrador Sea is clearly identifiable from the data. Behaviour consistent with foraging was observed frequently in the Labrador Sea, showing that it constitutes an important feeding ground. A link between the Labrador Sea and other feeding grounds to the east is deemed likely. The data also support a discrete feeding ground in the Gulf of Maine and off Nova Scotia. A possible link between the feeding grounds in the Labrador Sea and wintering grounds off northwestern Africa is proposed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sei whale movements and behaviour in the North Atlantic inferred from satellite telemetry

Prieto¹,

Silva²,

Waring³

et al. 2014

Endang. Species. Res.

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“…A paucity of accurate information on population size is common to most exploited biological resources, requiring management methods that can be applied despite this lack of knowledge. The MSE framework provides the means to test such methods (6,23) and is beginning to be used for terrestrial systems (17,18,24,25). The scientific formality that underpins MSE provides the credibility and transparency needed to enforce quota restrictions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Data-poor management of African lion hunting using a relative index of abundance

Edwards

Balme

Milner‐Gulland

2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Sustainable management of terrestrial hunting requires managers to set quotas restricting offtake. This often takes place in the absence of reliable information on the population size, and as a consequence, quotas are set in an arbitrary fashion, leading to population decline and revenue loss. In this investigation, we show how an indirect measure of abundance can be used to set quotas in a sustainable manner, even in the absence of information on population size. Focusing on lion hunting in Africa, we developed a simple algorithm to convert changes in the number of safari days required to kill a lion into a quota for the following year. This was tested against a simulation model of population dynamics, accounting for uncertainties in demography, observation, and implementation. Results showed it to reliably set sustainable quotas despite these uncertainties, providing a robust foundation for the conservation of hunted species. management strategy evaluation | control rule | operating model | matrix model S ustainable management of exploited biological resources is often hampered by insufficient information on either population size or the dynamic response to harvesting. In terrestrial trophy hunting systems, even though target species biology may be well studied, the population size itself is often poorly estimated. Abundance data are limited in time and space, making informed management decisions problematic. In response to economic pressure, quotas are often set too high, leading to population decline and a loss of long-term economic revenue (1). The trophy hunting of animals for sport can have significant conservation benefits (2-4), but there is an urgent need for methods that will allow sustainable management.Deriving robust means to set sustainable limits to exploitation is now a well-developed science, increasingly applied to marine fisheries (5), and referred to as management strategy evaluation (MSE) (6). Within this framework, process-based simulations are used to test the performance of a quota setting algorithm (the control rule) against management targets. Including uncertainty in the projections allows development of a control rule that is robust to incomplete knowledge of resource status or its response to harvesting, implicitly conforming to the precautionary principle of resource management (7).We derive a control rule that is able to set sustainable quotas in the absence of any information on population size and use MSE to evaluate its performance. The context is provided by lion (Panthera leo) hunting in sub-Saharan Africa, which exemplifies the problems associated with sustainable management of terrestrial hunting systems. Lion quotas are generally set by government and allocated to private hunt operators that then sell hunting safaris to individual clients. A successful hunt yields a fixed trophy fee, which is usually accrued by the local statutory authority. The daily fees (which are accrued regardless of the success of a hunt) conferred to hunt operators by paying clients can be an import...

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“…Although MSEs have been extensively and almost exclusively applied to commercial fisheries to date, the approach has substantial potential in other areas of resource management, wherever large-scale experimentation to resolve uncertainty is impracticable [64]. However, the applicability of current MSE models is limited by their general lack of realism in the modelling of harvester behaviour.…”

Section: Linking Science and Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactions between human behaviour and ecological systems

Milner‐Gulland

2012

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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139

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Research on the interactions between human behaviour and ecological systems tends to focus on the direct effects of human activities on ecosystems, such as biodiversity loss. There is also increasing research effort directed towards ecosystem services. However, interventions to control people's use of the environment alter the incentives that natural resource users face, and therefore their decisions about resource use. The indirect effects of conservation interventions on biodiversity, modulated through human decision-making, are poorly studied but are likely to be significant and potentially counterintuitive. This is particularly so where people are dependent on multiple natural resources for their livelihoods, when both poverty and biodiversity loss are acute. An inter-disciplinary approach is required to quantify these interactions, with an understanding of human decision-making at its core; otherwise, predictions about the impacts of conservation policies may be highly misleading.

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New directions in management strategy evaluation through cross-fertilization between fisheries science and terrestrial conservation

Cited by 38 publications

References 11 publications

Sei whale movements and behaviour in the North Atlantic inferred from satellite telemetry

Sei whale movements and behaviour in the North Atlantic inferred from satellite telemetry

Data-poor management of African lion hunting using a relative index of abundance

Interactions between human behaviour and ecological systems

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