Wildlife Management & Conservation

Student Name:
M. Mohsin Zaheer

UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
FAISALABAD

Wildlife Management & Conservation

Wildlife management is interdisciplinary that deals with protecting endangered and threatened
species and subspecies and their habitats, as well as the non-threatened agricultural animals and
game species. The Wildlife Management program emphasizes both applied and basic research in
wildlife ecology, management, education and extension.

Wildlife management takes into consideration the ecological principles such as carrying capacity
of the habitat, preservation and control of habitat, reforestation, predator control, re-introduction
of extinct species, capture and reallocation of abundant species and management of “desirable”
or “undesirable” species.
The profession of wildlife management was established in USA during 1920-1930 by Aldo
Leopold (1887-1948) and others. The institutional foundations of the profession of wildlife
management were established in the 1933 when Leopold was granted professorship in wildlife
management in University of Wisconsin, Madison and he published his books, Game
Management and Game and fish handbook. Aldo Leopold eventually developed the first
graduate game management program for wildlife biologists at the University of Wisconsin, USA.
(Reference form book-1)

There are two general types of wildlife management:

Manipulative management involves regulating numbers of animals directly by harvesting or

by influencing numbers by altering food supply, habitat, density of predators etc.

Custodial management is preventive or protective and minimizes external influences on the

population and its habitat. It is done by setting up national parks where ecological conditions
are protected and threatened species are conserved by law. (Reference form book-1)

The Wildlife Management program focuses on the following: (Reference form link-1)

 Predator-prey relationship
 Urban and suburban wildlife
 Migratory wildlife species
 Wildlife-human interaction
 International wildlife

Elements of Wildlife Management (Reference form link-1)

Management of wildlife depends on certain elements such as public support and awareness to
protect wildlife and their habitats.
Public Participation: It is necessary to make local people realize and accept the idea and
importance of wildlife protection. Public interaction can help in making local people
responsible and cooperate in enforcement of wildlife management laws and regulations. Their
feedback should also be taken for effective functioning of wildlife management.

Public Awareness: People should understand the concept of conservation of natural

resources. The wildlife managers and other responsible persons should held public
discussions, shows, and talks and should also take help of other media like newspapers,
magazines, radio and television to make people aware about the basic concepts behind
wildlife management. This can stop people from exploiting natural resources, which is the
major threat to wildlife and their habitats.

Education: The role of education in public awareness programs is very important. There
should be environmental subjects based on wildlife conservation in school and college
curricula. The well-educated and trained specialists on environmental and forest issues should
participate in public training and interact with people and solve their queries to make them
more responsible towards their wildlife management duties.

Nature Interpretation Centers:

Nature interpretation centers may include setting up of educational camps or exhibition in

nearby regions of protected areas such as zoological gardens, parks and wildlife sanctuaries. It
is usually taken up by the concerned forest departments. The interpretation centers should be
handled by qualified and trained staff in order to explain and motivate the concepts of wildlife
management to the tourists and people of the nearby-protected areas.

Coordination: Wildlife management is operated at four basic levels – local, state, national
and international. Government agencies plan the policies of protecting, conserving and
managing wildlife. All the management levels participate in passing wildlife management
tools and many a time, conflicts arise.

Forms of Wildlife Management (Reference form link-1)

Habitat Restoration and Management:

Habitat management is a primary tool wildlife biologists use to manage, protect, and enhance
wildlife populations. Increased wildlife diversity in an area may be a wildlife management goal.
It is difficult to develop strategies for managing each species separately. Several wildlife species
can benefit when a complete ecosystem is improved or preserved intact to meet the needs of
threatened or endangered species or groups of species.

Managers may enhance grassland areas by clearing brush (prescribed burning, cutting,
herbicides) and removing trees, as well as over-planting them with native prairie species. This
helps reduce cover used by edge predators (skunks, raccoons, red-tailed hawks) and improves
the quality of the habitat for grassland animals.
Endangered Species Management:

Endangered or threatened species require intensive management. Critical habitat and locations of
existing populations must be identified so they can be managed successfully. An animal species
is considered endangered when its numbers become so low that experts think it may become
extinct unless action is taken to save it.

Threatened species’ populations are showing signs of unnatural decline or they are vulnerable to
becoming endangered. Many endangered or threatened species are specialists that have very
restrictive habitat needs and eat specialized foods. The leading cause for a species becoming
endangered or threatened is habitat loss.

Conservation and Preservation:

Wildlife conservation helps ensure future generations can enjoy our resources. Conservation can
include harvesting natural resources, activities such as hunting, fishing, trapping and harvesting
timber as well as non-consumptive activities such as bird watching, photography, and hiking.
Conservation must balance issues between wildlife and human populations. Conservation of
wildlife implies insuring threatened and endangered species receive special management to
protect their presence in the future.
Conservation may include preservation or protection of natural resources that emphasizes non-
consumptive activities. A habitat or ecosystem can be preserved by manipulation and an area
also may be managed by doing nothing at all. For example, a forest can be conserved by
allowing it to mature without any human manipulation such as timber harvest, grazing, or tree
planting.

Biodiversity conservation in forest ecosystems

Conservation of natural forest ecosystems is the main function of most protected forest areas and
the term “protected area” encompasses a vast variety of approaches for the management of
natural and semi-natural forest types. National parks and forest reserves are no longer the only
methods that can be used for the conservation of biological diversity. A possible alternative is
multiple use forest management, which incorporates harvesting of forest products within a
framework of sustainable management that aims at both conserving biodiversity and supplying
benefits to local people and the national economy. (Reference form book-1)

Protected areas:

Numerous problems arise in relation to the management of protected areas. Problems include
conflicts with local people over land rights and illegal extraction of animal and plant resources.
These problems are often intensified due to the inability of state authorities to protect such areas.
Hence, stated conservation achievements do not always reflect reality. In practice, even though
there are good examples of effective national parks and forest reserves, the past hundred years or
more have witnessed a parallel increase in both the number and surface area of protected areas
and a growing number of extinct or threatened species. (Reference form book-1)

Buffer zones:

Experience has shown that legal protection alone is not enough to ensure effective conservation
activity. In particular, protected areas will only fulfill their conservation goals if the land around
them is managed appropriately. In reality, many protected areas suffer from encroachment by
farming and cropping activities. Currently therefore, the objective of biodiversity conservation in
forests can only generally be ensured by the creation of substantial areas of natural forest for
production around them. Such a “buffer zone” can support the protected area while, at the same
time, provide local people with benefits.

Buffer zones are meant to form a physical barrier against human encroachment of the centrally
protected area. Furthermore, the support of local people in conservation objectives can be
promoted by their participation in the harvesting and management of buffer zones.

Sustainable and friendly wildlife management:

Wildlife is being used for tourism, mainly in Africa. Besides the financial value of these
activities, this method of utilizing wildlife resources should be ecologically and socially viable,
but it is important to remember that wildlife also has considerable socio-cultural and religious
importance. In the past, authoritarian management of wildlife resources has often failed. Total
bans on the use and marketing of game have also forced communities to poaching. The
implication is that it is not generally possible to manage natural resources and fauna without the
active participation of local communities in decision-making and subsequent benefits.
Integrated community programmes for resource conservation have been formulated with
success in several African countries, leading to a considerable drop in poaching, an increase
in animal populations and to habitat regeneration. (Reference form link-1)

Fire protection
Although fire is a natural component of many forest ecosystems, it can damage vegetation and
consequently lead to soil erosion and a loss of fertility if not used properly. Likewise, fires may
also have harmful effects in that they can lead to carbon emissions during combustion. It has
been proven that most forest fires are caused by human intervention due to a number of different
causes. However, if used properly and with care, fire is a valuable tool for farmers and herders.
In forestry, for example, it is used in the preparation of sites for establishing plantations or to
encourage natural regeneration. In reality, problems of fire control are more sociological in
nature than technical. Effective fire control is more a matter of popular education and
agricultural policy than direct control and response. (Reference form link-2)

Management for soil and water conservation:

Forested watersheds that provide water to densely populated areas should be protected against
shifting cultivation and unplanned urbanization. The only management in such cases should be
effective surveillance to protect forest cover. Associating the functions of water supply and
natural reserves for wildlife and plant life in the same watershed does not generally present any
technical problems and water management carried out downstream from these areas can be
successful. (Reference form link-2)

Decline of Wildlife in Pakistan: (Reference form book-2)

The number and variety of wildlife in Pakistan is alarmingly decreasing. The major
reason is that suitable environmental conditions for various species are fast disappearing due to
increased population and rapid development i.e. road construction, urbanization, industrialization
and extensive irrigated agriculture with heavy use of insecticides. Brown partridge, Hedge Hog,
Civet Cat, Indian Roller and common Shikra etc. at the verge of extinction in the districts of
Sahiwal and Multan, the famous cotton growing areas of Punjab. Another very important reason
for the decline of wildlife is the excessive and indiscriminate shooting of wildlife. Illegal
shooting of wildlife is increasingly becoming common because wildlife department. In spite of
its best efforts, has so far failed to arrest the decrease of wildlife in the country. The reason might
be that the department is under staffed; the lower staff is immobile, untrained and inefficient.
Similarly illegal export of wildlife is becoming frequent.

Reason for Decline of Wildlife in Pakistan:

There are numerous reasons which have led to the destruction of wildlife in Pakistan.
Most important reason is the destruction of the habitat for various wildlife species in the country.
Wildlife species no longer get sufficient protection and feed especially during breeding season
and during early stages of their growth. These are no longer to breed and grow at normal rates.
The destruction of their habitats has been caused by rapidly growing human population and
unplanned urbanization and industrialization. The second most important reason for the
destruction of wildlife is active and reckless pursuit by a sizeable number of people in this
society in killing all wildlife species irrespective of their age and size. People of Pakistan in
general are indifferent to the importance of wildlife and they show little concern for its
betterment and defy wildlife conservation laws openly and frequently. Governments efforts
undertaken to promote wildlife area will-fully nullified and are unfortunately made ineffective by
a large cross section of the society.

Measures to improve Wildlife Situation:

Improvement of wildlife, like any other biological phenomenon, is an expensive, timely
consuming. Multidisciplinary and persistent process. To cut a long story short, following two
steps will provide a base for wildlife improvement and will show positive results in a short span
of time.

1. Establishing wildlife sanctuaries in various climatic zones of Pakistan. These sanctuaries

be sufficiently managed and effectively protected against illegal shooting and habitat
destruction.
2. Research, professional education and public awareness. Very little is known about the life
cycles and behaviour of numerous wildlife species. Their weak and strong; pints are not
so well known. The basic knowledge about biology and ecology of these species is a
prerequisite for their management. There is urgent need to discover cheap and effective
methods for promoting various endangered wildlife species. The importance of wildlife
 has to be made public and sympathies of the common man for the wildlife must be won
through mass education. Film shows, hoarding boards and lectures etc.

Important Wildlife Species of Different Provinces:

PROVINCE Common Name SCIENTIFIC NAMES

1:Felis silvestris
1:Wild cat
2:Canis aureus
PUNJAB 2:Jackal
3:Boselaphus
3:Nilgai
tragocamelus

1:Black Buck 1:Antilope cervicapra

SINDH
2:Sindh Ayeski 2:Sindh ibex
 1:Acinonyx jubatus
1: Cheetah
2:Ursidae
KPK 2:Bear
3:Francolinus
3:Teetar
pondicerianus

1:Markhor 1:Capra falconeri

BALOCHISTAN
2:Chakor 2:Alectoris chukar

Important birds and animals at the average of extinction:

Birds: Great Indian Bustard, Green pigeon and Pea cock.

Mammals: Blue Bull, Black Buck and Panther.

1: Indian Bustard 1:Ardeotis nigriceps

BIRDS
2: Green pigeon 2:Treron
1: Blue whale 1:Balaenoptera musculus
OTHERS
2: Panther 2:Panthera pardus

Management of Wildlife in Pakistan:

 Management of Wildlife is the responsibility of Provincial Forest Departments who have
established separate “wings” for this purpose. Management of Wildlife includes:

1. Creating interest and awareness among the common people for wildlife through
education and documentary movies etc. Initiating enactment of wildlife laws, and
their judicious enforcement.
2. Enforcing necessary protective laws banning shooting/killing of certain species
especially during their breading season.
3. Enforcing complete ban on shooting of certain in endangered Species
4. Establishing Wildlife sanctuaries or National Parks, Zoo Gardens which provide
suitable environment and protection for development of wildlife. These sanctuaries
provide necessary vegetation cover for wildlife.
5. Providing drinking water and feed at proper places and providing suitable feed
throughout the year.

Organization of Arid Wild Lands in Pakistan:

Arid wild lands can be organized to some extent by giving due consideration to following points.

(I) Establishing suitable vegetation in pockets at least by promoting harvesting of runoff of water and
collecting (conserving) it in small pockets. By adopting this method of promoting harvesting
local water run-off, one can increase the amount of available water in nearby pockets
tremendously and can establish very good vegetation in these pocket and stripes. Preference
should be given to fruit bearing shrubs such as Mallah (Zizyphus nummularia)
(II) Fencing of wild lands in order to prevent outside animals from entering and destroying recently
established scanty vegetation in question
(III) Keeping the number of wild animals at a level which is less than the carrying capacity of the area.
Culling out of undesirable individuals and sale of normal individuals should be regular feature
and a source of income
(IV) Developing stock water Ponds etc. at suitable locations
(V) Undertaking limited cultivation (both rain feed and irrigated) of course cereals and forage crops.
Limited irrigation water may be available from large ponds or tube wells.
 (VI) Adopting drip irrigation for forage shrubs wherever possible.
(VII) Arrangements must be made for the supply of drinking water and feed from outside during
emergency.

Developing wildlife habitat in Cholistan or in any desert, proposed changes:

A few important changes are suggested as follows:

1. Forage crops, cereal crops, grasses and fruiting & forage shrubs should be planted in pockets and
patches of variable sizes at convenient sites.
2. Tall and shade trees to be planted at convenient points in groups for providing shade, hiding and for
nesting place.
3. Water tobas (ponds) are to be developed for drinking ad bathing purposes.
4. Effective protection against unnecessary disturbance and expressive illegal killing and shooting
especially during breading season.
5. Availability of expert’s services such a nutritionist biologist/ecologist for wildlife experts and
veterinarian.
Promoting wildlife in dance Timber forest proposed changes:

A number of changes are required in a dense timber forest for the promotion of wildlife. It must be
recalled that dense tall timber forest no doubt provide shade, shelter and hiding places to variety of wildlife
but it is very poor in providing feed to the species. Dense timber forest has little grasses, herbs and forage
shrubs etc., which are required by herbivores which in turn are required by carnivores has the food chain is
incomplete.

In order to convert a dense timber forest into habitat favorable for wildlife following changes are
proposed.

1. Groups of timber trees should be felled for creating numerous small pockets here and there in the
forest. These pockets should be planted with forage and feed crops and forage / fruit shrubs of
various types. Such as corn, chick pea, sorghum, millet, grasses, guava, ipil ipil, and Mallah beer
etc.
2. Drinking water points and bathing sites such as stream diversion ponds tube wells etc. Must be
developed.
 3. Hiding and breeding places such as caves, nests of various sizes and shapes be provided.
4. Sandy play grounds are provided.
5. This area must be fenced and watchfully guarded against disturbance and illegal hunting etc.
6. Wildlife manager must make available the services of nutritionist are biologist and veterinarian for
general sanitization and preliminary treatment.

Wildlife of Punjab:

Important wildlife of Punjab in various ecological regions is as follows

A. Temperature Moist Coniferous Forest of Murree Hills; Leopard Cat, Himalayan Black Bear, Rhesus
Monkey, Yellow Throated Marten, Cheer Pheasant, Kaleej Pheasant and many kinds of snakes.
B. Subtropical semi moist Evergreen Scrub Forest of Margalla Hills, Kalachitta, Salt Range (Kallar
Kahar) and Suleiman Range: Urial Deer, Chakor, Seesea, Grey Partridge, Black partridge Wild Boar
in Margalla Hills, and many kinds of snakes.
C. Sub-tropical moist/semi-moist, Deciduous Forest of North Eastern Punjab: Grey Goral, Barking
Deer, Caracal Cat, Yellow Throated Martin, Kaleej Pheasant, Chakor, Grey Partridge and many
kinds of snakes.
D. Tropical-subtropical Thorn Forests of Central and Southern Punjab: Chinkara Deer, Black Buck
Deer, Neel Gai, Wild Boar (along rivers and in water logged sites), Jungle Cat, Wolf, Black
Partridge, Grey Partridge, Scaly Ant Eater and many kinds of Snakes.
E. Tropical-subtropical Dry Deserts of Thal and Cholistan interspersed with moving sand dunes and
interdunal flats: Black Cuck Deer, Neel Gai, Chinkara Deer, Hyaena Wild, Dog, Desert Fox, Wolf,
Caracal Cat, Jungle Cat, Black partridge, Grey Partridge, Great Indian Bustard, Housebara Bustard,
Sand Grouse and many kinds of snakes.
F. Rivers and especially Indus: Blind Dolphin, Crocodile, Gavial, Otter. Fishing Cat.

Note: The above mentioned wildlife is mostly at the verge of extinction and many of the above
species bear “Endangered Status.”
REFERENCES:

1: http://www.iaszoology.com/wildlife-management-conservation

2: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333348708_Wildlife_Management

3:https://www.sciencedirect.com/search?pub=Wildlife%20Conservation%20in
%20Africa&cid=321404

4: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320718304002

5: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02192385

REFERENCES:

Title Wildlife Management and Conservation: Contemporary Principles and Practices

Wildlife Management and Conservation
Editors Paul R. Krausman, James W. Cain III, James W. Cain
Compiled by Paul R. Krausman, James W. Cain
Edition illustrated
Publisher JHU Press, 2013
ISBN 1421409860, 9781421409863
Length 342 pages
Subjects Science
›
Life Sciences
›
Biology

Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection

Science / Life Sciences / Biology
Science / Life Sciences / Ecology

Title: Basics of FORESTRY & ALLIED SCINECES: Concepts and Theory

Editor: Masood A.A. Qureshi
Publisher: A-one Publisher, 2005(2018 with Amendment)
ISBN: 969-546-004-6
Subjects: Science

Life Sciences
Biology

Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection

Science / Life Sciences / Biology
Science / Life Sciences / Ecology

Title: Introduction to Wildlife Management: The Basic

Editors: Paul R. Krausman
Edition: illustrated
Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2002
ISBN: 0132808501, 9780132808507
Subjects: Nature › Animals › Wildlife
Nature / Animals / Wildlife
Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection
Science / Life Sciences / Ecology