Evidence is mounting that top carnivores and other large mammals play a pivotal role in regulating ecosystem health and function, yet those are the species that are most likely to have been eliminated by past human activities. In recent decades, numerous efforts have been undertaken to return some of the species that were previously extirpated on local or regional scales.
Large Mammal Restoration brings together for the first time detailed case studies of those efforts, from restoring elk in Appalachia to returning bison herds to the Great Plains to the much-publicized effort to bring back the gray wolf to Yellowstone National Park. Together these case studies offer important lessons and new ways of thinking for wildlife managers and conservation biologists involved with restoration programs. Sections examine:
approaches to determining the feasibility of a restoration program
critical hands-on aspects of restoring large mammals
obtaining public input into the process and gaining community support for programs
the potential of some species to return without direct human intervention, and what can be done to facilitate that natural colonization
An introductory chapter by Reed F. Noss explores some of the reasons for restoring large mammals, as well as some of the ecological and social complications, and a concluding overview by David S. Maehr discusses the evolutionary importance of large mammal restoration. Contributors include Paul C. Paquet, Barbara Dugelby, Steven H. Fritts, Paul R. Krausman, Larry D. Harris, Johnna Roy, and many others.
Large Mammal Restoration brings together in a single volume essential information on the lessons learned from previous efforts, providing an invaluable resource for researchers and students of conservation biology and wildlife management as well as for policymakers, restoration advocates, and others involved with the planning or execution of a restoration program.
Contents
Foreword \ John F. Eisenberg Acknowledgments Introduction: Why Restore Large Mammals?
PART I. Feasibility Chapter 1. Is the Return of the Wolf, Wolverine, and Grizzly Bear to Oregon and California Biologically Feasible? Chapter 2. Feasibility of Timber Wolf Reintroduction in Adirondack Park Chapter 3. Rewilding the Sky Islands Region of the Southwest Chapter 4. Using Public Surveys and GIS to Determine the Feasibility of Restoring Elk to Virginia
PART II. Practice Chapter 5. Returning Elk to Appalachia: Foiling Murphy's Law - Case 1: Restoring of White-Tailed Deer in Kentucky: From Absence to Overabundance Chapter 6. Outcomes of Hard and Soft Releases of Reintroduced Wolves in Central Idaho and the Greater Yellowstone Area Chapter 7. Health Aspects of Large Mammal Restoration -Case 2: Health Aspects of Gray Wolf Restoration Chapter 8. Restoring the Mexican Gray Wolf to the Desert Southwest
PART III. The Human Link Chapter 9. Translocation of Plains Bison to Wood Buffalo National Park: Economics and Conservation Implications Chapter 10. Restoration of Grizzly Bears to the Bitterroot Wilderness: The EIS Approach -Case 3: The Paradigm of Grizzly Bear Restoration in North America Chapter 11. Mountain Sheep Restoration Through Private/Public Partnership
PART IV. Abetting Natural Colonization Chapter 12. Black Bear at the Boarder: Natural Recolonization of the Trans-Pecos Chapter 13. Restorating a Large-Carnivore Corridor in Banff National Park Chapter 14. Tiger Restoration in Asia: Ecological Theory vs. Sociological Reality Chapter 15. The Florida Panther: A Flagship for Regional Restoration -Case 4: Can Manatee Numbers Continue to Grow in a Fast-Developing State? Chapter 16. The Biotic Province: Minimum Unit for Conserving Biodiversity Large Mammal Restoration: Too Real to Be Possible?
