Conservation means development as much as it does protection … I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful means, the generations that come after us.

T. Roosevelt

We seem ultimately always thrown back on individual ethics as the basis of conservation policy. It is hard to make a man, by pressure of law or money, do a thing which does not spring naturally from his own personal sense of right and wrong.

A. Leopold

Policy & Law

• What is the Public Trust Doctrine?

• What is the Wise Use Doctrine?

• What is the American Game Policy?

• What is the North American Model for Wildlife Conservation?

• What are other national wildlife policies in the U.S.?

• Policy v. law

Policy & Law

• Who owns wildlife?

• Who is responsible for wildlife management?

• How are wildlife management agencies organized?

• How is wildlife management paid for?

• How does knowing this help me as a wildlife biologist/manager?

Policy & Law

Policies v. Laws

Remember History of Wildlife Management!

Policy & Law

• Public Trust Doctrine– 1842 Supreme Court Decision

• Natural resources belong to all people in the U.S.• Entrust government to manage it on our behalf

Policy & Law• Wise Use (Roosevelt) Doctrine

– T. Roosevelt• G. Grinnell• G. Pinchot• J. Muir

– G. Marsh

– All natural resources are an integrated whole– Conservation of natural resources through wise use as a public

responsibility, and their private ownership as a public trust– Science as a tool for and foundation of conservation

Policy & Law

• American Game Policy (Leopold et al. 1930)

– Extend public ownership & management of game lands

– Recognize landowners as custodians of public game on private lands

– Encourage and experiment with ways to bring hunters, landowners, and the public into productive relationships to provide game management

Policy & Law

• American Game Policy (Leopold et al. 1930)

– Train people in the skills of game management thereby establishing a profession

– Determine the facts about the ways and means of making the land produce more game (research)

– Recognize as partners, non-hunters and scientists, with landowners and hunters for wildlife conservation, including management and funding

Policy & Law

• American Game Policy (Leopold et al. 1930)

– Provide funding from general taxes for the conservation of all wildlife, with hunters paying for activities that only affect game species. Private funding should help pay for wildlife education and research.

1956 Fish & Wildlife Act

Policy & Law

• North American Model for Wildlife Conservation– 7 Sisters of Conservation

• Wildlife is held in the public trust• Eliminate commerce in dead wildlife• Allocate wildlife use through law• Hunting opportunities for all• Wildlife may be killed only for legitimate reasons• Wildlife is an international resource• Science as the basis for wildlife policy

Which events from History of Wildlife Management shaped this?

Policy & Law

• Leopold, Ethics & the NA Model– We seem ultimately always thrown back on

individual ethics as the basis of conservation policy. It is hard to make a man, by pressure of law or money, do a thing which does not spring naturally from his own personal sense of right and wrong.

– A Sand County Almanac – speaking to all!

Legal Status of Wildlife

• Who owns wildlife?– U.S. & Canada– Europe, Asia, & others

• Ownership affects management

Legal Status of Wildlife

• States– Resident wildlife– Research

• Federal government– Migratory– Exotics– Interstate shipments– Endangered species and their habitat– Federal lands and thing’s that affect it– International agreements

LawsLegislature

Governor

Commission

Executive Director

Asst. Exec. Director Deputy Chief of Staff

Divisions-Hunting & Game Management-Marine Fisheries Management-Freshwater Fisheries Management-Law Enforcement-Habitat & Species Conservation

Offices-Finance & Budget-Legal-Recreation Services-Regional Operations

Division-Fish & Wildlife Research Institute

Offices-Inspector General-Legislative Affairs-Strategy & Planning-Data Portal-Information Technology

Offices-Community Relations-Policy & Stakeholder Coordination-Licensing & Permitting-Human Resources

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission

State Wildlife ConservationOther Players in Florida

• Florida Department of Environmental Protection– Division of State Lands– Division of Recreation & Parks– Division of Resource Assessment & Management

• Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services– Forest Service (Division of Forestry)

State Wildlife ConservationOther Players in Florida

• Florida Water Management Districts

• University of Florida/Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences– Cooperative Extension Service– Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation

Federal Wildlife Conservation

• From laws established by Congress & policies of the President

• Department of the Interior (USDI)– Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS)– Geological Survey (GS)– National Park Service (NPS)– Bureau of Land Management (BLM)– Bureau of Indian Affairs– Bureau of Reclamation

Federal Wildlife Conservation

• Department of Agriculture (USDA)– Forest Service (USFS)– Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)– Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

• Wildlife Services

• Department of Commerce– National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

• National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)• National Ocean Service

Federal Wildlife Conservation

• Department of Defense (DOD)– Army Corps of Engineers– Defense Agencies

Private Wildlife Conservation

• Ducks Unlimited

• The Nature Conservancy

• Wilderness Society

• Wildlife Management Institute

• The Wildlife Society

• Many more!

Funding for Wildlife Conservation

• Source affects “Politics” & how it is spent

• General tax revenues– Income taxes & fees

• Excise taxes (e.g., P-R $)• Sales taxes• Tax check-offs• License sales

– Special use stamps (e.g., archery stamp)

• Private sector

(from http://duckstamps.fws.gov/federal/stamps/images/2003fedpsa.gif)

So what!