Wildlife Conservation Policy

Patrick Colgan is the executive director of the Canadian Museum of
Nature in Ottawa.

Edited by two well-known wildlife biologists and based on a symposium,
this book presents a set of perspectives from authors (roughly half of
whom are Canadian and half of whom are American) on wildlife policy,
primarily in North America. Some of the chapters provide historical
overviews (e.g., management in Britain and in North America from
aboriginal times to the present), while others address particular issues
(e.g., legal aspects of ownership and law enforcement) or case studies
(e.g., management in Quebec, federal–Native agreements and
co-management in the Yukon, waterfowl management in the Prairies, and
exotic species in Texas). There is balanced discussion of both the very
real achievements in policy and management over the decades (documented
in great detail in Geist’s chapter) and current problems—including
loss of habitat, diseases, genetics, commercialization, and
privatization. Especially interesting are the contributions by Rasker
and Freese on wildlife in the marketplace, by Hudson on the
controversial practice of wildlife ranching, and by Crowe on the
fundamental paradox, in managing wildlife, of controlling the
uncontrolled. There are editorial comments and references for each
chapter, but no index. Although it could not be described as a
systematic treatment of wildlife conservation policy, this book contains
some valuable material.