NRC 261 1st Edition Lecture 2 Outline of Last Lecture Wildlife Conservation Definition of wildlife Definition of conservation II How to Manage Wildlife Populations Wildlife Management vs Wildlife Conservation Definition of Management Definition of Conservation IV Wildlife Conservationists What they do who they work for V Where to find wildlife conservation job listings Outline of Current Lecture Values Changes with time Changes with geography III Wildlife vs Human Controversies IV Personal Values Values of Wildlife Positive Negative Strategic VI Historical Interactions VII Western Civilization Attitudes of Greek Philosophers Attitudes of Western Civilization These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute VIII What Kind of Coat to Wear Current Lecture Wildlife Issues and Human Attitudes Values if you don t value something you don t think it is important they change with time and with geography Changes with Time example 30 40 years ago peregrine falcons were commonly killed to stop them from hunting ducks ducks were valued peregrine falcons were not peregrine falcons became endangered and ducks were plentiful only then did the values switch from ducks to falcons Changes with Geography example in the United States dogs are seen as companions and pets in some asian countries like China they re only valued as food in India they worship cows in the United States we eat them Wildlife Human Controversies Wolves in Yellowstone they were taken out of the park because they were killing off game speices wolves became endangered so the park s ecosystem was returned to normal wolves were reintroduced complete ecosystem wildlife vs livestock predation human Spotted owls in the Northwest the spotted owls lived in trees that loggers were cutting down to make their living so when the trees started to become fewer and fewer the owls began to die off endangered species wildlife vs loggers jobs human Mountain Lions in the West while out jogging a woman was killed by a mountain lion leaving behind a husband and 2 kids so the mountain lion was tracked down and killed mountain lion was also a mother had 2 cubs fundraisers were started for both the kids and the cubs cubs got more money cubs wildlife vs kids human Personal Values fur feathers vs scales and slime some people are more inclined to value mammals or birds while others may value reptiles amphibians and insects more Hunting Trapping some do it as a source of food others like just hunting for fun subsistence vs recreation animal welfare animal rights predator vs prey films do you root for the predator or the prey There is no free lunch conservation always has a cost be it money or sacrifice of time opportunity 3 kinds of Values of Wildlife Positive aesthetic recreational consumptive people enjoy hunting fishing trapping non consumptive bird watching for ex ecological example beavers making dams causes positive changes in the ecology of river systems educational scientific learning how life works utilitarian food must hunt to eat medicine commercial also helps provide humans with jobs example zoos Negative accidents example automobile collisions with large mammals such as moose economic predators kill livestock costs people and emotional distress disease Strategic political example national bird bald eagle sparking patriotism people can use the possible presence of certain species to their advantage like the man who claimed an endangered bird lived on his property to get jets from a nearby airfield to stop flying so low over his yard marketing team mascots beer logos etc The Value of Animals and Humor way to delve deeper when thinking about animals and wildlife helps us relate to wildlife example comic strips shown in power point Historical Interactions Where did our attitudes come from Hunter Gatherers Values of Wildlife Positive products from wildlife social hunting as a group improved sociability Negative competition Impacts on Wildlife Habitat changes done by humans on purpose or accidentally hunting affected of animals in populations Agriculture Livestock Values of Wildlife Positive products social values domesticated animals Negative competition wildlife competing for the same resources depredators bad genes with domestication also came bad survival instincts passed down Impacts on Wildlife habitat changes depredation undesirable breeders Western Civilization Attitudes of Greek Philosophers Socrates Plato dichotomy between humans and other animals animals seen as inferior they were used by humans for human purposes Attitudes of Western Civilization bible domination of humans over the earth What Kind of Coat to Wear Fur Wool Coat large herds of sheep can be detrimental to grasslands Cotton using millions of acres of land for monoculture destroying habitats Leather Silk Plastic synthetic materials every piece of plastic ever made is still existing on earth somewhere automatically think of fur coats as bad however the making of other kinds of coats can have negative impact on wildlife just like fur coats It is important to look at all sides of a situation before making a decision or deeming one thing worse than something else