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Stop jumping the gun: a call for evidence-based invasive predator management
journal contribution
posted on 2017-01-01, 00:00 authored by Tim DohertyTim Doherty, Euan RitchieEuan RitchieInvasive mammalian predators are major drivers of species extinctions globally. To protect native prey, lethal control is often used with the aim of reducing or exterminating invasive predator populations. The efficacy of this practice, however, is often not considered despite multiple practical and ecological factors that can limit success. Here, we summarize contemporary knowledge regarding the use and challenges of both lethal control and alternative approaches for reducing invasive predator impacts. As the prevailing management approach, we outline four key issues that can compromise the effectiveness of lethal control: release of herbivore and mesopredator populations, disruption of predator social systems, compensatory predator immigration, and ethical concerns. We then discuss the relative merits and limitations of four alternative approaches that may enhance conservation practitioner's ability to effectively manage invasive predators: top-predator conservation or reintroduction, maintaining habitat complexity, exclusion fencing, and behavioral and evolutionary ecology. Considerable uncertainty remains regarding the effectiveness of management approaches in different environmental contexts. We propose that the deficiencies and uncertainties outlined here can be addressed through a combination of adaptive management, expert elicitation, and cost-benefit analyses. Improved management of invasive predators requires greater consideration and assessment of the full range of management approaches available.
History
Journal
Conservation letters: a journal of the Society for Conservation BiologyVolume
10Issue
1Pagination
15 - 22Publisher
Wiley-BlackwellLocation
Chichester, Eng.Publisher DOI
ISSN
1755-263XeISSN
1755-263XLanguage
engPublication classification
C Journal article; C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2016, The AuthorsUsage metrics
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No categories selectedKeywords
biological invasionculling and eradicationferal catguardian animalislandpest controlrewildingtop-predatortrophic cascadewildlife managementScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineBiodiversity ConservationBiodiversity & ConservationVERTEBRATE PEST-CONTROLADAPTIVE MANAGEMENTBIODIVERSITY PROTECTIONFERAL CATSRED FOXCONSERVATIONAUSTRALIAECOLOGYMAMMALSFIRE
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