IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Mansfield, T.M. | |
| Role of State Wildlife Agencies in Managing Mountain Lions | |
| 2007 Conference Proceeding | |
The role of state wildlife agencies in managing mountain lions involves a combination of factors unique to each state, including laws, policies, an agency's mission and stakeholder values. Recently, a working group published _Cougar anagement Guidelines _in an effort to synthesize and organize available information on management of the species. Although the western state wildlife agencies recognize that these Guidelines contain useful information, the process used to develop them and the final product raised concerns related, primarily, to failure of the authors to incorporate agency recommendations for changes to the draft document they were asked to review. The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) formally expressed its concerns regarding the Guidelines. In general, they focused on the review process used by the Guidelines' authors, the failure to incorporate agency comments, some management prescriptions promoted in the document and the potential impacts of certain recommendations to ongoing mountain lion management programs. The directors of the member states asked their wildlife chiefs to thoroughly review the Guidelines and to analyze potential problems and conflicts with ongoing programs before taking a position on the document. Their original intent was to offer constructive comments and suggestions in an effort to make the Guidelines more consistent with the real world in which state wildlife agencies must operate and are required to integrate science with stakeholder values and with the legal mandates of the individual states. In my opinion, it is not surprising that state-agency directors were concerned since the overall tone of the Guidelines suggests mountain lions are an at-risk species, yet the document lacks science-based support for that conclusion. In addition, the discussion of sustainable hunting fails to acknowledge the recreational value and tradition for a segment of stakeholders. The authors also speculate the agencies may mislead the public regarding justification for proposing hunting as a management tool. With respect to public safety, the Guidelines fail to put in perspective the risk of attacks on humans with the legal mandates and stakeholder expectations to minimize threats and to remove offending animals. These are but a few of the reasons the WAFWA directors elected to not only formally express their concerns regarding the Guidelines, but to establish an _ad hoc _Cougar Workgroup to develop another document by early 2009 that is related to the initial publication. This workgroup will consult with the authors of the 2005 Guidelines to focus more on integrating and applying relevant information to mountain lion management programs across the diverse spectrum of conditions in which western state agencies operate. At the end of the day, the ultimate responsibility for managing mountain lions rests with the individual state wildlife agencies. The challenge facing each agency is how best to adaptively implement science-based management while maintaining viable populations in conjunction with prey species and responding to stakeholder demands for sustainable hunting opportunities and minimizing conflicts with humans involving livestock damage and public safety. |
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