Conservation of Exploited Species [Paperback]

This book explores the biology and conservation of species harvested from the wild.The use of wildlife for food and other human needs poses one of the greatest threats to the conservation of the world's biodiversity. This volume explores the biology and conservation of species that are harvested from the wild, including examples from Amazonian mammals hunted by indigenous peoples to large-scale commercial fisheries. It reviews basic ecological principles for sustainable exploitation--including impacts on wildlife, habitats, and ecosystems--combined with discussions of how to strike a balance between conservation goals and the commercial and social needs of those who depend upon wildlife.The use of wildlife for food and other human needs poses one of the greatest threats to the conservation of the world's biodiversity. This volume explores the biology and conservation of species that are harvested from the wild, including examples from Amazonian mammals hunted by indigenous peoples to large-scale commercial fisheries. It reviews basic ecological principles for sustainable exploitation--including impacts on wildlife, habitats, and ecosystems--combined with discussions of how to strike a balance between conservation goals and the commercial and social needs of those who depend upon wildlife.This book brings together international experts to examine interactions between the biology of wildlife and the divergent goals of people involved in hunting, fishing, gathering, and culling wildlife. Reviews of theory show how sustainable exploitation is tied to the study of population dynamics, with direct links to reproductive rates, life histories, behavior, and ecology. As such theory is rarely put into practice to achieve sustainable use and effective conservation, Conservation of Exploited Species explores the many reasons for this failure and considers remedies to tackle them.List of contributors; Foreword Sir Robert May; Part I. Setting the Scene: 1. Exploitation as a consel£,