Hunting’s role in the conservation of North American wildlife is the subject of a new Monograph published by the International Journal of Environmental Studies. Guest edited by well-known conservation expert (and Conservation Force Board Member) Shane Mahoney, the monograph is a unique effort to identify and describe the relationship between hunting and conservation and is the first of a two part series on this topic; the second to be published in 2014. Comprised of nine peer-reviewed manuscripts prepared by wildlife conservation and management experts from both Canada and the United States, this volume provides an authoritative conspectus on hunting and conservation in North America, including both historical reviews and descriptions of current practices and policy issues relevant to hunting and its ongoing contribution to wildlife conservation efforts in North America.
According to Shane, who was invited by the International Journal of Environmental Studies to lead this effort, “wildlife conservation remains one of the greatest challenges of modern times and developing practical mechanisms to achieve it a task of great urgency for nations worldwide.” As the monograph’s writings attest, hunting (the regulated, legal pursuit and taking of wildlife) has been foundational to the origin, development and implementation of the North American Model of wildlife conservation. While the historical record is generally clear on this point, objective peer-review treatment of hunting’s role has been fleeting and far less vigorous – until now. Certainly, the new monograph provides one of the most extensive treatments of this complex issue and points to the continuing importance of hunting as a conservation mechanism.
The Monograph on Hunting and Conservation in North America is being made available for free until July 31, 2013 by Taylor and Francis at http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/genv20/70/3. Interested parties are advised to download the text for free while it is available online. Alternatively, you may contact Mr. Shane Mahoney (email@example.com) or other manuscript authors for copies of the individual manuscripts.
The nine manuscripts in the monograph are:
1. Archaeological perspectives on prehistoric conservation in western North America, by Terry L. Jones
2. Nature’s nations: the shared conservation history of Canada and the USA, by John Sandlos
3. Conservation and management of ungulates in North America, by Paul R. Krausman and Vernon C. Bleich
4. Conservation and management of large carnivores in North America, by Sterling D. Miller, Bruce N. McLellan and Andrew E. Derocher
5. The role of hunting in North American wildlife conservation, by James R. Heffelfinger, Valerius Geist and William Wishart
6. Canadian Inuit sustainable use and management of Arctic species, by Anne Kendrick
7. Going public: scientific advocacy and North American wildlife conservation, by James A. Schaefer and Paul Beier
8. The wilderness hunter: 400 years of evolution, by Catherine E. Semcer and Jim Pozewitz
9. Enshrining hunting as a foundation for conservation – the North American Model, by Shane P. Mahoney and John J. Jackson, III
Shane spearheaded this effort after he and I wrote the first article, #9. The monograph took off from there. There has never been anything like this peer reviewed, learned, written account of hunting and the positive part it plays in American conservation. It is fascinating and must reading for hunters and non-hunters alike who wish to be in the know about the force of hunting, its relevance in the past and its continued relevance today. It has been an essential restoration of wildlife and habitat as we know it today. The articles have been authored by real experts and peer reviewed by other experts.
Be proud. Don’t apologize to anyone. Print it, read it and save it for all time. We may attempt a more in-depth coverage of the individual articles in the future if space permits.