Basic Principles of Proper Wildlife Management
Wildlife management is the art of making land produce sustained annual crops of wild games for food and recreational use. Wildlife management is the science and art of transforming the attributes and interactions of habitats, wild animal populations and man in other to achieve specific human goals through the wildlife resource. Though the principles of wildlife management are scientific, there are opportunities for integration with other technologies.
Wildlife management is based on ecological principles. And ecology is the relation of an organism to the environment in addition to other living organisms that co-inhabit the same basic resources of soil, water vegetation and atmosphere. These principles may be used in combination. The aim of the wildlife expert is to identify the factors limiting the abundance of wild animals, the control of which could produce more wildlife for benefit of humans.
It is important to study the individual species in relation to others, since the increased one species may be detrimental to another one. Those species that have declined should be propagated under controlled conditions and released into their preferred habitats. Likewise species from over-populated areas should be transported elsewhere.
1. Control Principles of Wildlife Management Hunting
Wild animals are important food items. If cropped without limitation there is no doubt that the population decreases continuously. This has led to the complete elimination of some species in the world. Thus, there is need to put a check on the hunting of wild animals. When restriction of hunting in protected areas lead to increased wildlife population densities above the available resources in the area (carrying capacity) what follows is destruction of vegetation as well as starvation and diseases. Such situations are usually kept in check by controlled hunting for meat as well as for recreation (sport hunting).
The limitation of hunting is usually very important to ensure survival of breeding stocks of animal species. It also prevents the populations of animals rising to a point detrimental to the environment and ultimately their very existence.
Hunting may not be allowed all the year round. The period when hunting is permitted is called the Open Season while Close Season refers to the interval when hunting license is not issued. A licensed hunter operates under certain guidelines which include the following:
a. The species, sex and age of animal to be hunted.
b. The area where hunting could be done.
c. The time of the day when hunting could be carried out (generally night hunting with the use of headlamp is not allowed).
d. The type of weapons allowed.
e. The bag-limit (maximum number of animals that could be killed by an individual hunter).
f. The use of fire is illegal.
g. The use of traps (especially gin trap) is totally prohibited.
2. Refuge
These are protected areas where animals could hide against hunting predation and disturbance. Many of these refuges are now being used to sustain and protect endangered species of animals. This principle is also been used extensively as an immediate protection for transplanted native species and other exotic (non-native) species.
3. Captive Breeding/Artificial Stocking
This involves the propagation of animal species (birds inclusive) that have decline in number under controlled conditions in captivity after which they are released back into their preferred habitats. When an animal is bred, reared and returned back into a region where it was formally represented, that is called Re-introduction. That is the bringing
of individuals of a native animal species.
On the other hand, when the animal concerned is non-native, then it is termed Introduction. However, it should be noted that such animals are less able to compete and survive after liberation than the wild stock that have always been in the field.
This in part is a consequence of genetic selection except in a situation where the individual involved was directly from another wild area. Protection and creation of refuge is therefore pertinent to the survival of introduced or re-introduced species.
4. Control of Vermin
This is the control of wild animal damage. Wild animals may be responsible for the destruction of valuables, farm crops, wood, forest, trees, stored products, textiles, aircrafts, etc. ‘Bird strike’ refers to a situation where individual(s) of migratory species of bird is(are) responsible for plane crash. When there is wildlife damage problem, carry out assessment of the situation by answering the following question:
1. When was the damage done/carried out (Time; period)?
2. What was the extent of the damage?
3. What was the quantity (in tonnes) of the items damage?
4. What part of the item/product/crop was damaged?
5. What is the cost of establishing what has been damaged? How
much would have been realised if the damage had not occurred?
6. What is the economic value of the animal species responsible for
the damage?
Note: It is difficult to estimate the economic value of wildlife resource.
However, effort is being made to find indirect means of arriving at this.
5. Habitat Improvement
The manipulation of the environment by man for his needs is the worst prevalent factor affecting wildlife habitat and consequently wildlife populations. Habitat improvement is basically concerned with the following objectives:
1. To maintain good quality habitat as in a natural ecosystem.
2. To produce quality habitat where it has deteriorated or to provide alternatives where a particular habitat component (such as water, food and shelter) is lacking.
The goal of habitat improvement is the production of food and cover for particular species or group of species. To achieve this goal, the following methods are adopted;
A. Propagation this could be done by:
i. Seeding.
ii. Grafting.
iii. Cutting.
iv. Transplanting.
For Propagation to be successful the following has to be considered:
i. Site selection.
ii. Site preparation.
iii. Planting depth.
iv. Soil moisture.
B. Release of desirable species through destruction of undesirable competing species. This may be done using the methods below.
i. Mechanical method.
ii. Manual method.
iii. Chemical spray (this, however, is being discouraged considering pollution).
iv. Prescribed burning .
Very often these methods are used in combination to meet specific needs.
C. Protection: this is the protection of habitat from illegal farming, illegal fire and erosion.
6. Prescribed Fire Controlled Burning
This is the intentional use of fire by management staff to influence
vegetation. Fire is a natural occurrence in the savannah. Fire removes old unpalatable growth while promoting new flush of grasses. It is also used to control bush and encroachment of range land by woody species and destroy parasites.
There are two types of fire. A cool fire (otherwise known as early burning) is an early dry season fire, set when grasses are sill green and have high moisture content. A cool fire is usually mild, and as such does not consume the whole vegetation.
A hot fire (late burning) occurs towards the end of the dry season, when the grass cover is completely dry and has low moisture content. This type of fire rapidly consumes dead woods. It is very severe and devastating on vegetation.
Read Also: Categories and Management Objectives of Protected Areas