Large Carnivore Conservation

Drawing on six case studies of wolf, grizzly bear, and mountain lion conservation in habitats stretching from the Yukon to Arizona, Large Carnivore Conservation argues that conserving and coexisting with large carnivores is as much a problem of people and governance - of reconciling diverse and sometimes conflicting values, perspectives, and organizations, and of effective decision making in the public sphere - as it is a problem of animal ecology and behavior. By adopting an integrative approach, editors Susan G. Clark and Murray B. Rutherford seek to examine and understand the interrelated development of conservation science, law, and policy, as well as how these forces play out in courts, other public institutions, and the field. In combining real-world examples with discussions of conservation and policy theory, Large Carnivore Conservation not only explains how traditional management approaches have failed to meet the needs of all parties, but also highlights examples of innovative, successful strategies and provides practical recommendations for improving future conservation efforts.

"As carnivores face both increasing threats and recolonize areas where the y have not occurred recently, these lessons will become increasingly important. This book provides a strong argument for the thesis that managing carnivores is essentially about fostering informed consent among people." -- "Journal of Mammalogy", "Large Carnivore Conservation provides a critical assessment of our largely failed attempts to conserve most species of large carnivores in North America at an important time. As growing human pressures continue to impact large carnivore populations, as global climate change increasingly affects carnivore habitats and food sources, and as the discourse over the appropriate management of large carnivores becomes ever more polarized and steeped in incivility, the timing of a book aimed at improving conservation could not be better."--Richard P. Reading "Vice President for Conservation, Denver Zoological Foundation", "Although more science is always better, many of our problems now are cultural or political, but we still seem to forge on by gathering more data. We actually know a lot about controversial carnivores, but we're still stuck. Clark and Rutherford bring together a collection of voices pointing in another direction--better institutions and decision making. Building on decades of work, this book integrates biological knowledge with human dimensions study and charts a course for coexistence with large carnivores. Perhaps just in time, too. Large Carnivore Conservation is worth great attention and deep thought."--Douglas W. Smith "Senior Wildlife Biologist, Yellowstone National Park", "Very timely. With many large carnivores now recovered or recovering and spilling into the human-occupied landscape, the issues of conservation and governance are many, and the ability of these recovered populations to continue to exist is somewhat tenuous. Large Carnivore Conservation ties together several lines of thought from psychology to game and fish management and from social science to the biological literature to present its case from an interdisciplinary perspective. By doing this, it moves the conversation and our understanding to a new level. This book could significantly impact the conservation of large carnivores."--Jodi Hilty "Executive Director, North America Program, Wildlife Conservation Society"

Susan G. Clark is the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Adjunct Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Policy Sciences in the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies at Yale University and the author, most recently, of Ensuring Greater Yellowstone's Future: Choices for Leaders and Citizens. She lives in Guilford, CT, and Jackson, WY. Murray B. Rutherford is associate professor in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University in BC, Canada. He lives in Vancouver and North Saanich, BC.