Policy Priority Reference Lists

Wildlife and wildlife habitats will continue to be affected by climate change. The implementation of strategies to mitigate these impacts and enable wildlife and their habitat to adapt to climate change is important for sustaining diversity.

Threatened and endangered species play a vital role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. The rapid modification of natural ecosystems by human activities is causing wild flora and fauna to become extinct at a rate exceeding the natural ecological pace. The conservation of threatened and endangered species presents one of the most formidable challenges to society that requires both biological expertise in research and management and effectiveness in public relations.

Development of energy resources on public and private land is growing to meet North America’s mounting energy needs. Both renewable energy and fossil fuel extraction can have effects on wildlife and wildlife habitat. Wildlife biologists and managers explore how energy development affects wildlife and what mitigation techniques can be employed.

Securing an adequate, long-term funding source for state agencies to accomplish fish and wildlife conservation, wildlife-related recreation, and conservation education is a priority for wildlife professionals. It is critical for elected officials to appropriate adequate funding for the agencies that manage wildlife and other natural resources.

The effects of invasive plant and animal species and their costs to society are becoming more of a concern every year. Invasive species can negatively impact biological diversity, productivity, environmental integrity, and wildlife and human health. Invasive species present special challenges for wildlife managers because their negative impacts on native species are poorly understood by the public to the point that many invasive species are perceived as a natural component of the environment.

The recognition of wildlife conservation in the U.S. and Canada as distinct from other forms worldwide has led to the adoption of the term “North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.” The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is based on seven principles; (1) wildlife as public trust resources, (2) elimination of unregulated markets for game, (3) allocation of wildlife by law, (4) wildlife should only be killed for a legitimate purpose, (5) wildlife are considered an international resource, (6) science is the proper tool for discharge of wildlife policy, and (7) the democracy of hunting.

Federal land management agencies implement planning and land use rules that have a direct impact on wildlife conservation and management across the U.S. Methods are modified and developed over time in response to new science and changing political landscapes.

Wetlands have distinct biotic communities with unique and diverse flora and fauna. Wetlands provide an array of important ecological services that include groundwater recharge, water quality, storm surge protection, nutrient and pollutant processing, retaining sediment, and reducing downstream pollution. Wildlife managers understand the key role that these services provide to wildlife species as well as human communities.

Wildlife diseases play an important role in natural ecosystems, with the potential to effect wildlife populations, as well as human and domestic animal health. Wildlife health is also impacted by human activities, including use of lead ammunition and tackle, baiting, and supplemental feeding.