October 5, 2011
Adrian Treves, associate professor in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and head of the Carnivore Coexistence Lab, is co-author of an article titled "Rescuing Wolves from Politics: Wildlife as a Public Trust Resource" in the current issue of the journal Science.
Treves and colleagues examine the wildlife trust doctrine as a tool for promoting the conservation of wolves and other imperiled species under state management following the removal of gray wolves from the federal endangered species list in some western states in April and the anticipated delisting in 2012 in areas of the Midwest.
The wildlife trust doctrine is the principle that government must conserve natural resources for the public good.
The authors suggest that long-term conservation of gray wolves is possible if states recognize a legal obligation to conserve species as a public trust resource. Read the full text.
Treves' interdisciplinary research at the Nelson Institute follows two strands: studying spatial patterns of conflicts with carnivores and human responses to these conflicts, and measuring attitudes toward carnivore management and policy. He seeks to balance carnivore conservation with the protection of human livelihood and safety.
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