Large carnivore management at odds: Science or prejudice?

Abstract

Large terrestrial carnivores are now widely recognized as essential components of ecosystems. However, the management of large carnivores varies greatly at national and international scales, and some management decision processes do not seem to be informed by scientific evidence. We discuss the ongoing debate on wolf management in Europe, the recent development of wolf management in Spain, and some controversial issues affecting the management of several large carnivores in North America. In Europe, the level of wolf protection may be reduced by the European Commission without robust scientific evidence. In Spain, the debate over wolf conservation continues in the courts, rather than on the basis of scientific arguments, and in several North American areas, intensive management killing has continued for decades, despite its failure to meet intended goals. Overall, we argue that decision-making processes for reducing wolf protection at the international level are less restrictive than those for increasing it, and that such processes would be more defensible if they were scientifically informed and if they applied the precautionary principle. This issue applies to wildlife management of several species on different continents and urges agencies to make responsible decisions that typically affect transboundary populations.