At the end of the nineteenth century, North America suffered a catastrophic loss of wildlife driven by unbridled resource extraction, market hunting, and unrelenting subsistence killing. This crisis led powerful political forces in the United States and Canada to collaborate in the hopes of reversing the process, not merely halting the extinctions but returning wildlife to abundance. While there was great understanding of how to manage wildlife in Europe, where wildlife management was an old, mature profession, Continental methods depended on social values often unacceptable to North Americans. Even Canada, a loyal colony of England, abandoned wildlife management as practiced in the mother country and joined forces with like-minded Americans to develop a revolutionary system of wildlife conservation. In time, and surviving the close scrutiny and hard ongoing debate of open, democratic societies, this series of conservation practices became known as the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.
In this book, editors Shane P. Mahoney and Valerius Geist, both leading authorities on the North American Model, bring together their expert colleagues to provide a comprehensive overview of the origins, achievements, and shortcomings of this highly successful conservation approach. This volume
reviews the emergence of conservation in late nineteenthGÇôearly twentieth century North America
provides detailed explorations of the Model's institutions, principles, laws, and policies
places the Model within ecological, cultural, and socioeconomic contexts
describes the many economic, social, and cultural benefits of wildlife restoration and management
addresses the Model's challenges and limitations while pointing to emerging opportunities for increasing inclusivity and optimizing implementation
Studying the North American experience offers insight into how institutionalizing policies and laws while incentivizing citizen engagement can result in a resilient framework for conservation. Written for wildlife professionals, researchers, and students, this book explores the factors that helped fashion an enduring conservation system, one that has not only rescued, recovered, and sustainably utilized wildlife for over a century, but that has also advanced a significant economic driver and a greater scientific understanding of wildlife ecology.
Contributors: Leonard A. Brennan, Rosie Cooney, James L. Cummins, Kathryn Frens, Valerius Geist, James R. Heffelfinger, David G. Hewitt, Paul R. Krausman, Shane P. Mahoney, John F. Organ, James M. Peek, William F. Porter, John Sandlos, James A. Schaefer
Acknowledgements
1. Exploring the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation: Setting the Stage for Evaluation
2. North American Ecological History as the Foundation of the Model
3. Societal Context for North American Model Emergence
4. The Great Early Champions
5. Critical Legislative and Institutional Underpinnings of the North American Model
6. The Landscape Conservation Movement
7. Hunting and Vested Interest as the Spine of the North American Model
8. Science and the North American Model: Edifice of Knowledge, Exemplar for Conservation
9. North American Waterfowl Management: An Example of a Highly Effective International Treaty Arrangement for Wildlife Conservation
10. Private-Public Collaboration and Institutional Successes in North American Conservation
11. Social, Economic, and Ecological Challenges to the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation
12. A Comparison of the North American Model to Other Conservation Approaches
