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At least 541 records · Page 30Linked to original sources
USGS2023

Vertebrate population changes induced by hunting in Amazonian sustainable-use protected areas

The purported sustainability of sustainable-use reserves (SURs) has been questioned in recent decades due to anthropogenic disturbance, including widespread game hunting. A fuller understanding of the drivers of harvest-induced game population changes in SURs is needed to inform this debate. We deployed 720 camera traps around 100 local communities both inside and outside nine SURs in central-western Brazilian Amazonia to generate detection records of 29 mammal and bird species. We used Royle-Nichols multi-species occupancy models to evaluate if (i) distance to and size of local communities, (ii) local human population density, (iii) distance to and size of urban areas, (iv) local level of protection, and (v) alternative availability of aquatic protein affected the (a) species richness, (b) aggregated abundance and (c) biomass, (d) mean reproductive rate of species, and (e) mean abundance of functional groups and (f) individual species. Community distance was the main determinant of wildlife declines, impacting species up to 5-km from communities, but three game species exhibited higher abundances within this distance. Other drivers, such as community size and urban neighbourhood, also contributed to species declines. Availability of alternative aquatic protein buffered declines of only two species and local protection increased species richness and aggregate abundance. These findings can help inform evidence-based conservation strategies in tropical SURs. Our results suggest that preventing habitat loss beyond 5-km radius from communities can promote a healthy source-sink dynamic for populations of game species. Furthermore, game management measures could encourage targeting harvest-tolerant species and the protection of all game species.

Amazonia↗
USGS2003

Pseudacris triseriata (western chorus frog) and Rana sylvatica (wood frog) chytridiomycosis

The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is a known pathogen of anuran amphibians, and has been correlated with amphibian die-offs worldwide (Daszak et. al. 1999. Emerging Infectious Diseases 5:735-748). In Colorado, B. dendrobatidis has infected Boreal toads (Bufo boreas) (Muths et. al., in review) and has been identified on museum specimens of northern leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) (Carey et. al. 1999. Develop. Comp. Immunol. 23:459-472). We report the first verified case of chytrid fungus in chorus frogs (Pseudacris triseriata) and wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) in the United States. We collected seven P. triseriata, and two adult and two juvenile R. sylvatica in the Kawuneeche Valley in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) during June 2001. These animals were submitted to the National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) as part of an amphibian health evaluation in RMNP. Chorus frogs were shipped in one container. Wood frog adults and juveniles were shipped in two separate containers. Histological examinations of all chorus frogs and 3 of 4 wood frogs were positive for chytrid fungus infection. The fourth (adult) wood frog was too decomposed for meaningful histology. Histological findings consisted of multifocally mild to diffusely severe infections of the epidermis of the ventrum and hindlimb digital skin. Chytrid thalli were confined to the thickened epidermis (hyperkeratosis), were spherical to oval, and occasional thalli contained characteristic discharge pores or zoospores (Green and Kagarise Sherman 1999. J. Herpetol 35:92-103; Fellers et al. 2001. Copeia 2001:945-953). We cannot confirm that all specimens carried the fungus at collection, because infection may have spread from one individual to all other individuals in each container during transport. Further sampling of amphibians in Kawuneeche Valley is warranted to determine the rate of infection and mortality in these populations.

Colorado↗
USGS2012

A tale of two land uses in the American West: rural residential growth and energy development

This paper describes a spatiotemporal land use map for a rural county in the western United States. Sublette County, Wyoming has undergone recent land use change in the form of heightened rural residential development on private land and increased energy development on both public and private land. In this study we integrate energy production data, population census data, ownership parcel data, and a series of Landsat Thematic Mapper and Enhanced Thematic Mapper scenes (over a 25-year period) to create a map that illustrates the changing landscape. Spatial change on the landscape is mapped at 30 square meters, congruent with a Landsat pixel. Sublette County has a wealth of wildlife and associated habitat which is affected by both types of growth. While we do not attempt to quantify the effect of disturbance on wildlife species, we believe our results can provide important baseline data that can be incorporated into land use planning and ecological-wildlife research at the landscape scale.

Journal of Maps↗
USGS2008

Wide-area estimates of stand structure and water use of tamarix spp. on the lower colorado river: Implications for restoration and water management projects

Tamarix spp. removal has been proposed to salvage water and allow native vegetation to recolonize western U.S. riparian corridors. We conducted wide-area studies on the Lower Colorado River to answer some of the scientific questions about Tamarix water use and the consequences of removal, combining ground surveys with remote sensing methods. Tamarix stands had moderate rates of evapotranspiration (ET), based on remote sensing estimates, averaging 1.1 m/yr, similar to rates determined for other locations on the river and other rivers. Leaf area index values were also moderate, and stands were relatively open, with areas of bare soil interspersed within stands. At three Tamarix sites in the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, groundwater salinity at the site nearest to the river (200 m) was relatively low (circa 2,250 mg/L) and was within 3 m of the surface. However, 750 and 1,500 m from the river, the groundwater salinity was 5,000-10,000 mg/L due to removal of water by the Tamarix stands. Despite the high groundwater salinity, the sites away from the river did not have saline surface soils. Only 1% of the mean annual river flow is lost to Tamarix ET on the Lower Colorado River in the United States, and the opportunities for water salvage through Tamarix removal are constrained by its modest ET rates. A possible alternative to Tamarix removal is to intersperse native plants among the stands to improve the habitat value of the riparian zone. ?? 2008 Society for Ecological Restoration International.

Restoration Ecology↗
USGS1995

Evidence of Emperor Geese breeding in Russia and staging in Alaska

Emperor Geese ( Chen canagica ) breed primarily on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska (Eisenhauer and Kirkpatrick 1977), but a small, poorly quantified proportion of the world's population is known to breed in the Russia Far East (Kistchinski 1976, 1988, Portenko 1981). Eisenhauer and Kirkpatrick (1977) stated that 80 to 90% of all Emperor Geese breed on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, and current estimates for numbers of breeding pairs in this area are 20,000 to 25,000 (R. A. Stehn, National Biological Service, Anchorage, Alaska, unpubl. data). In Russia, Emperor Geese are distributed primarily along the north coast of the Chukotka Peninsula between Kolyuchin Bay and Cape Shmidt, and in the Anadyr Lowlands along the coast of Anadyr Bay (Fig. 1; Kistchinski 1988, Kondratyev 1992, 1993), Kistchinski (1976) noted that up to 80% of these geese are nonbreeding birds. Recent aerial surveys of Emperor Goose habitats along the eastern coast of Russia indicated a minimum of 3,000 to 5,000 geese, although very few were on nests or with young, and only 127 total broods were seen during these surveys (J. I. Hodges, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Juneau, Alaska, unpubl. data) It is not known if these two continental distributions of breeding Emperor Geese commingle and use similar areas during migration and for winter. Aerial surveys of the Alaska Peninsula during spring and fall indicate that lagoons on the northern coast are the primary staging areas for this species, and it is presumed that virtually all Emperor Geese use the Alaska Peninsula during migration (Petersen and Gill 1982). Emperor Geese winter throughout the Aleutian and Kommandorsky islands (Byrd et al., 1974). In the late fall, geese arrive in the western and eastern Aleutian Islands before arriving in the central Aleutians, thus suggesting that geese may be coming to this wintering area from both continents (G. V. Byrd pers, comm.). Speculations of previous investigators that Emperor Geese breeding in Russia use the Alaska Peninsula for staging (Eisenhauer and Kirkpatrick 1977, A. Krechmar pers. comm.) have not been confirmed. Here we report observations of two geese banded as juveniles in Russia and observed on the Alaska Peninsula during their first fall migration.

Alaska↗
USGS1986

Maps showing mines, prospects, and exposures in the Beaver Creek Wilderness, McCreary County, Kentucky

The Beaver Creek Wilderness occupies an area of 4,791 acres within the cliffline bordering the Beaver Creek drainage in McCreary County, southeastern Kentucky. It is in the Daniel Boone National Forest and includes part of the Beaver Creek Cooperative Wildlife Management Area, which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. The area is located about 11 mi southeast of Burnside, Ky., and is accessible from the north and south via U.S. Route 27 and Forest Service Road 50, located at its northwest border (index map). From the east, the area can be reached via State Route 90 and Forest Service Road 46, located at the eastern edge of the area. Access by foot into the interior is provided by an abandoned Forest Service road and by several primitive trails that extend along the major streams. The Beaver Creek Wilderness is located at the western edge of the Appalachian coal region and is within the highly dissected Cumberland Plateau section of the Appalachian Plateaus physiographic province. It is drained by Beaver Creek and its tributaries, which flow northeastward into Lake Cumberland, a .reservoir on the Cumberland River about 1 mi north of the wilderness. Altitudes range from about 730 ft on the lower part of Beaver Creek to about 1,200 ft at its headwaters.

Kentucky↗
USGS2026

Monitoring wolverine (Gulo gulo) distribution across the western United States for regional and national assessment

Population monitoring of at-risk species is fundamental to directing effective and timely conservation actions. For wide-ranging threatened species, such as the wolverine ( Gulo gulo ), monitoring across multiple jurisdictions is necessary to track their distribution to inform collaborative regional and national management and policy. We repeated a landscape-scale, multi-jurisdictional remote camera survey first completed in 2017 to evaluate wolverine occupancy throughout the western United States in 2022. Our objectives were to 1) expand the sampling frame to include areas of potential recolonization (Colorado, Oregon, Utah, USA), 2) evaluate whether overall and state-specific occurrence has changed from 2017 in the common sampling frame of Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming, USA, and 3) evaluate spatial drivers of wolverine occurrence in 2022. From a sampling frame of 770 sites (15 × 15-km cells) identified as potential wolverine habitat, 229 sites were surveyed in 2022; no wolverines were detected in Colorado, Oregon, or Utah. We predicted wolverine occupancy and 95% highest posterior density intervals (HPDI) in states with detections to be 0.47 (0.37–0.58) in Idaho, 0.35 (0.21–0.52) in Montana, 0.29 (0.09–0.54) in Washington, and 0.35 (0.27–0.47) in Wyoming. We found weak to moderate evidence of a small decline in overall occupancy ( 𝜓 ) from the common sampling frame (2017: 0.44 [0.37–0.52]; 2022: 0.39 [0.30–0.49]; P( 𝜓 2022 <𝜓 2017 ) = 0.81), driven by lower occurrences in Montana and Washington. However, this finding is complicated by a change in detection methodology that may have contributed to lower occurrences in Montana and Washington. Lastly, we found strong support (probability of an effect >0.95) that within areas of predicted wolverine habitat, increasing habitat connectivity and the proportion of a site that was previously burned (2001–2015) were associated with increased wolverine occupancy, while increasing normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was associated with decreased wolverine occupancy. Our expanded sampling frame provides the means to track wolverine occupancy and range extent—including recolonizations and contractions—across the western United States, providing insights at both the state and national scales.

Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington↗
USGS2013

The type localities of the mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus (Rafinesque, 1817), and the Kansas white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus macrourus (Rafinesque, 1817), are not where we thought they were

Among the iconic mammals of the North American West is the mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus ). This species and a western subspecies of the white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus macrourus ) were two of seven mammals originally named and described as new species in 1817 by Constantine S. Rafinesque. Rafinesque never saw the animals that he named. Instead, he followed the then-acceptable practice of basing his new species on animals characterized in another published work, in this case the putative journal of Charles Le Raye, a French Canadian fur trader who was said to have traversed the upper Missouri River region before the Lewis and Clark Expedition and whose journal described some of the wildlife in detail. Unlike the mule deer, whose existence has been established by generations of biologists, wildlife management professionals, and sportsmen, Le Raye and his journal have since been proven to be fraudulent. Because Rafinesque's names were published in accordance with the taxonomic conventions of his time, they remain available, but, based on the questionable source of his descriptions, the identities and type localities of the species must be viewed as unreliable. Fortunately, much of the Le Raye journal was derived from other, verifiable contemporary sources. In particular, the descriptions of the two deer were based on the published journal of Patrick Gass, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Using the Gass journal as the original source of Rafinesque's descriptions, the type localities for the two deer can be reliably placed in Lyman County, South Dakota.

Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washingto↗
USGS2013

Genomic analysis of avian influenza viruses from waterfowl in Western Alaska, USA

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (Y-K Delta) in western Alaska is an immense and important breeding ground for waterfowl. Migratory birds from the Pacific Americas, Central Pacific, and East Asian-Australasian flyways converge in this region, providing opportunities for intermixing of North American- and Eurasian-origin hosts and infectious agents, such as avian influenza virus (AIV). We characterized the genomes of 90 low pathogenic (LP) AIV isolates from 11 species of waterfowl sampled on the Y-K Delta between 2006 and 2009 as part of an interagency surveillance program for the detection of the H5N1 highly pathogenic (HP) strain of AIV. We found evidence for subtype and genetic differences between viruses from swans and geese, dabbling ducks, and sea ducks. At least one gene segment in 39% of all isolates was Eurasian in origin. Target species (those ranked as having a relatively high potential to introduce HP H5N1 AIV to North America) were no more likely than nontarget species to carry viruses with genes of Eurasian origin. These findings provide evidence that the frequency at which viral gene segments of Eurasian origin are detected does not result from a strong species effect, but rather we suspect it is linked to the geographic location of the Y-K Delta in western Alaska where flyways from different continents overlap. This study provides support for retaining the Y-K Delta as a high priority region for the surveillance of Asian avian pathogens such as HP H5N1 AIV.

Alaska↗
USGS2022

Application of tail transmitters for tracking feral horses as an alternative to radio collars

Radio collars have been used to examine the spatial ecology of all North American ungulates, but are rarely used on feral horses due to concerns that they may cause injury. Due to public concerns for animal welfare, an alternative to radio collars for tracking feral horses, particularly stallions, over the short term would be useful. We developed a method of attaching a global positioning system (GPS) transmitter to feral horse tails, and provide step by step instructions so that others may apply this method. We braided the tail and affixed a transmitter tag to the braid with epoxy, cable ties, and an attachment cord run through the braid. Between 2016 and 2017 we fitted 114 VHF or VHF-GPS tags in the tails of free-roaming feral horses in western Utah. From when tags were fitted to September 2020 tag retention time ranged from <1 to 36 months ( n = 111, mean = 8.50 ± SD 6.39 months). We found that our braided, tail-mounted transmitter tags can provide a viable alternative to radio collars for meeting shorter-term data collection needs once data transmission difficulties are overcome.

Utah↗
USGS2001

Declining scaup populations: A retrospective analysis of long-term population and harvest survey data

We examined long-term databases concerning population status of scaup (lesser [ Aythya affinis ] and greater scaup [ A. marila ] combined) and harvest statistics of lesser scaup to identify factors potentially limiting population growth. Specifically, we explored evidence for and against the general hypotheses that scaup populations have declined in association with declining recruitment and/or female survival. We examined geographic heterogeneity in scaup demographic patterns that could yield evidence about potential limiting factors. Several biases exist in survey methodology used to estimate scaup populations and harvest statistics; however, none of these biases likely accounted for our major findings that (1) the continental scaup breeding population has declined over the last 20 years, with widespread and consistent declines within surveyed areas of the Canadian western boreal forest where most lesser scaup breed; (2) sex ratios of lesser scaup in the U.S. harvest have increased (more males now relative to females); and (3) age ratios of lesser scaup in the U.S. harvest have declined (fewer immatures now relative to adults), especially in the midcontinent region. We interpreted these major findings as evidence that (1) recruitment of lesser scaup has declined over the last 20 years, particularly in the Canadian western boreal forest; and (2) survival of female lesser scaup has declined relative to that of males. We found little evidence that harvest was associated with the scaup population decline. Our findings underscore the need for both improvements and changes to population survey procedures and new research to discriminate among various hypotheses explaining the recent scaup population decline.

North America↗
USGS2019

Assessing plant production responses to climate across water-limited regions using Google Earth Engine

(Munson) Climate variability and change acting at broad scales can lead to divergent changes in plant production at local scales. Quantifying how production responds to variation in climate at local scales is essential to understand underlying ecological processes and inform land management decision-making, but has historically been limited in spatiotemporal scale based on the use of discrete ground-based measurements or coarse resolution satellite observations. With the advent of cloud-based computing through Google Earth Engine (GEE), production responses to climate can be evaluated across broad landscapes though time at a resolution useful for ecological and land management applications. Here, GEE was employed to synthesize a multi-platform Landsat time series (1988 – 2014) and evaluate relationships between the soil-adjusted vegetation index (a proxy for plant production) and climate across deserts and plant communities of the southwestern U.S. A “climate pivot point” approach was adopted in GEE to assess the trade-off between production responses to increasing wetness and resistances to drought at 30-m resolution. Consistent with a long-term seasonal climate gradient, production was most related to climate variance during the cool-season in the western deserts, during the warm-season in the eastern deserts, and equally related to both seasons within several desert areas. Communities dominated by grasses and deciduous trees displayed large production responses to an increase in wetness and low resistances to water deficit, while shrublands and evergreen woodlands had variable responses and high drought resistances. Production in plant communities that spanned multiple deserts responded differently to seasonal climate variability in each desert. Defining these plant production sensitivities to climate at 30-m resolution in GEE advances forecasts of how long-term climate trajectories may affect carbon storage, wildlife habitat, and the vulnerability of water-limited ecosystems.

Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico,↗
USGS2022

Redundancy analysis reveals complex den use patterns by eastern spotted skunks, a conditional specialist

Wildlife managers tasked with understanding habitat and resource selection at the population level attempt to characterize patterns in nature that aid and inform conservation. Resource selection functions (RSFs), such as discrete choice analyses, are the standard convention to characterize the effects of habitat attributes on resource selection patterns. These tools are invaluable for wildlife management and conservation and have proven successful in numerous studies. However, the analysis of small datasets using RSF becomes problematic when attempting to account for complex sources of variation, and the inclusion of factors such as weather or intrinsic variation on target species' response may produce models with poor predictive ability. We compared the application of generalized linear mixed-effects modeling (GLMM) and redundancy analysis (RDA) on Appalachian spotted skunk ( Spilogale putorius putorius ) den selection data at four study sites within the George Washington, Jefferson, and Monongahela National Forests, and surrounding private lands in the Appalachian Mountains of western Virginia and northeastern West Virginia. We assessed the need for the inclusion of alternative sources of variation (i.e., weather conditions and individual intrinsic variation) in addition to standard habitat attributes to better identify sources of variation in den selection. The RDA elucidated complex and opposing relationships, whereby den type use was based on reproductive status or weather condition, which were not evident in the GLMM model that relied solely on habitat measures. Our results demonstrated the importance of examining resource selection data using multivariate techniques in addition to conventional discrete choice analyses to better understand intricate habitat–species relationships, especially for small datasets. Furthermore, from our analyses, we proposed that spotted skunks are neither a true generalist nor specialist species. We introduced and define the term “conditional specialist” to represent a species that is conditionally selective of a given resource in response to one or more current environmental or intrinsic conditions.

Viginia, West Virginia↗
USGS2013

Permeability of roads to movement of scrubland lizards and small mammals

A primary objective of road ecology is to understand and predict how roads affect connectivity of wildlife populations. Road avoidance behavior can fragment populations, whereas lack of road avoidance can result in high mortality due to wildlife-vehicle collisions. Many small animal species focus their activities to particular microhabitats within their larger habitat. We sought to assess how different types of roads affect the movement of small vertebrates and to explore whether responses to roads may be predictable on the basis of animal life history or microhabitat preferences preferences. We tracked the movements of fluorescently marked animals at 24 sites distributed among 3 road types: low-use dirt, low-use secondary paved, and rural 2-lane highway. Most data we collected were on the San Diego pocket mouse ( Chaetodipus fallax ), cactus mouse ( Peromyscus eremicus ), western fence lizard ( Sceloporus occidentalis ), orange-throated whiptail ( Aspidoscelis hyperythra ), Dulzura kangaroo rat ( Dipodomys simulans ) (dirt, secondary paved), and deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) (highway only). San Diego pocket mice and cactus mice moved onto dirt roads but not onto a low-use paved road of similar width or onto the highway, indicating they avoidpaved road substrate. Both lizard species moved onto the dirt and secondary paved roads but avoided the rural 2-lane rural highway, indicating they may avoid noise, vibration, or visual disturbance from a steady flow of traffic. Kangaroo rats did not avoid the dirt or secondary paved roads. Overall, dirt and secondary roads were more permeable to species that prefer to forage or bask in open areas of their habitat, rather than under the cover of rocks or shrubs. However, all study species avoided the rural 2-lane highway. Our results suggest that microhabitat use preferences and road substrate help predict species responses to low-use roads,but roads with heavy traffic may deter movement of a much wider range of small animal species.

California↗
USGS2006

Vascular flora of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, westernmost Alaska Peninsula, Alaska

The vascular flora of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), where few previous collections had been reported, was collected and recorded at sites selected to represent the totality of environmental variation. A total of 349 species (339 native and 10 introduced) was identified. To provide a comparative phytogeographic framework, we analyzed data from published reports that categorized vascular plant distribution patterns from a circumpolar, North American, and Alaskan perspective. The native flora of the Izembek NWR primarily includes species of circumpolar (38%), eastern Asian (23%), Eurasian (18%), and North American (13%) distribution. The most important longitudinal distributional classes in North America consist of transcontinental (62%) and extreme western species (31%). The annotated list of species in Izembek NWR expands the range of many species, filling a distributional gap in Hulte??n's Western Pacific Coast district. Forty notable range extensions are reported. The flora of Izembek NWR is primarily made up of boreal species and lacks many of the species considered to be Arctic. Comparison with the Raunkiaer life-form spectrum similarly points to the boreal.

Rhodora↗
USGS2026

Perceptions of relational organizing as a tool for human–bear coexistence

Conflict between humans and American black bears ( Ursus americanus ) is a growing concern in North America, especially in wildland–urban interfaces. Beyond ecological drivers, conflict reduction relies on changing human behavior. Neighbor-to-neighbor conversations, also known as relational organizing, may drive social diffusion of coexistence actions. However, little research has explored the behavioral conditions enabling (a) residents to initiate conversations and (b) neighbors to listen and adopt bear-safe practices. Using the capability, opportunity, motivations and behavior (COM-B) framework, we analyzed 34 semi-structured interviews with engaged residents in two western U.S. communities with ongoing coexistence efforts. Results highlight that interviewees have heterogeneous knowledge and skills (capability), are committed to leveraging interpersonal relationships but concerned about protecting these relationships (social opportunity), feel more able to engage in relational organizing with enabling programmatic support and regulatory frameworks (physical opportunity), and are motivated by identity, emotion, and beliefs about consequences.

Colorado, Montana↗
USGS2018

Effects of early-successional shrubland management on breeding wood thrush populations

In forested landscapes, creation of habitat for early-successional shrubland birds is controversial because of perceived conflicts with the conservation of mature-forest birds. Nonetheless, many mature-forest birds, especially fledglings, readily use early-successional stands during the post-breeding period. This suggests that for mature-forest birds, creating habitat for early-successional birds could involve a tradeoff: reduced abundance and nest survival due to the loss of nesting habitat versus enhanced fledgling survival in early-successional stands. Our research addressed the effects of the creation of early-successional habitat for shrubland birds on wood thrushes ( Hylocichla mustelina ) in western Massachusetts, USA. We compared wood thrush abundance, nest success, fecundity, and post-fledging survival in landscapes with high (∼20%) or low (∼1%) cover of early-successional stands suitable for shrubland birds. We found no differences in nest success, fecundity, and post-fledging survival between the 2 types of landscapes. Abundance of breeders, however, was significantly greater on the sites with high cover of early-successional habitat. We conclude that in forested landscapes, creation of early-successional habitat at levels recommended for the conservation of shrubland birds is compatible with viable wood thrush populations. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.

Massachusetts↗
USGS2022

The socioecology of fear: A critical geographical consideration of human-wolf-livestock conflict

Animal fear can be an important driver of ecological community structure: predators affect prey not only through predation, but by inducing changes in behavior and distribution—a phenomenon evocatively called the “ecology of fear.” The return of wolves to the western United States is a notable instance of such dynamics, yet plays out in a complex socio-ecological system where efforts to mitigate impacts on livestock rely on manipulating wolves’ fear of people. Examining Washington state’s efforts to affect wolf behavior to reduce livestock predation, we argue that this approach to coexistence with wolves is predicated on relations of fear: people, livestock, and wolves can arguably share landscapes with minimal conflict, as long as wolves are adequately afraid. We introduce the “socioecology of fear” as an interdisciplinary framework for examining the interwoven social and ecological processes of human-wildlife conflict management. Beyond frequently-voiced ideas about wolves’ “innate” fear, we examine how fear is (re)produced through human-wolf interactions and deeply shaped by human social processes. We contribute to the Critical Physical Geography project by integrating critical social analysis with ecological theory, conducted through collaborative interdisciplinary dialogue. Such integrative practice is essential for understanding the complex challenges of managing wildlife in the Anthropocene.

Washington↗