EssayEighteen reasons animal behaviourists avoid involvement in conservation
Highlights
► We collate 18 common misgivings that animal behaviourists raise about becoming involved in conservation. ► Many misgivings are specious or half-truths; many studies of animal behaviour are relevant to solving conservation problems. ► We encourage animal behaviourists to be bolder in addressing the current conservation crisis.
Section snippets
(1) ‘My university does not reward applied biology’
This comment might have been valid two decades ago, but today most academic institutions (especially land grant colleges) have specific faculty positions in conservation biology or environmental science, as well as in animal behaviour. Many institutions have entire departments of applied biology centred on wildlife and conservation (North America) and natural resources and population management (Europe), and there are a good number of endowed chairs in conservation biology. Moreover, there is
(8) ‘I earned my Ph.D. in animal behaviour; I don't know anything about conservation or wildlife biology’
Anyone who studies behaviours of free-living organisms has valuable knowledge of the ecological and social pressures that act on them. Therefore, behaviourists understand some fundamental issues in wildlife biology. Consider a sexually selected trait shaped by female choice. Its exaggeration may be limited by predation pressure that itself may be affected by anthropogenic change. Or consider territorial establishment, the timing of which may be affected by global warming. Or a cryptic
(13) ‘I'm too busy to devote precious time to conservation activities’
We are all desperately busy. Laypeople with knowledge of how academic biologists work and live sometimes find it difficult to comprehend what drives their dedication. But an academic biologist's days are not spent entirely on research and teaching; there are meetings to attend, students to advise, manuscripts to review and grant applications to write. A portion of this time could be redirected to a conservation activity, such as conducting research on how to extricate one's own study organism
Conclusion
In this essay, we have raised and attempted to address 18 general concerns of animal behaviourists about becoming more involved in conservation. We believe that many of these misgivings are specious or are excuses for not tackling problems associated with saving the natural world. We hope that by addressing these issues head on we will motivate readers of Animal Behaviour to be bolder about applying their intellect, love of nature and knowledge to help address the current conservation crisis.
Acknowledgments
Conversations with Tom Seeley inadvertently provided the impetus to write this essay. For comments on the manuscript we thank him, Dan Blumstein, Janet Sherman, Andy Sih, Tim Wright and an anonymous reviewer.
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Cited by (39)
Predator-awareness training in terrestrial vertebrates: Progress, problems and possibilities
2020, Biological ConservationCitation Excerpt :Difficulties in sample size, control groups and experimental design are driven by the problems of conducting experiments with rare and valuable animals. Limitations in resources and time mean that it is not necessarily practical for conservation organizations to run methodologically robust studies themselves, as their attention is necessarily focussed on the preservation of specific threatened populations (Caro and Sherman, 2013; Greggor et al., 2014; Hogg et al., 2017). There may also be differing interests in outcome between managers and researchers, as best practice for preserving a specific cohort or population may not be the best approach for acquiring the most informative data, while methods and outcomes from academic studies may not necessarily be applicable or practical for use in a management setting (Caro and Sherman, 2013; Greggor et al., 2016; Hogg et al., 2017).
How an Understanding of Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo Behavioral Ecology Can Assist Conservation
2020, Tree Kangaroos: Science and ConservationTrends and perspectives on the use of animal social network analysis in behavioural ecology: a bibliometric approach
2019, Animal BehaviourCitation Excerpt :Among behavioural ecologists, understanding conservation implications for species is often cited as an important conclusion of empirical work. Meanwhile, several recent reviews have also highlighted the relative complacency of behavioural ecologists in a conservation context (Caro & Sherman, 2011, 2013), and our findings generally support these views. Despite the paucity of studies quantifying social networks for species of conservation concern, it may not be reasonable to have expected a large number of studies on these species.
Applications of Animal Behavior to Conservation
2019, Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, Second Edition: Volume 1-5Connecting animal and human cognition to conservation
2017, Current Opinion in Behavioral SciencesCitation Excerpt :Scientists studying the cognition and behavior of animals have been slow to engage with today’s pressing need to conserve the very species we find so fascinating. The usual reasons for this reticence, including perceived lack of scientific rigor in applied studies, are easily dismissed [62], and the above examples illustrate many ways in which high caliber research can inform conservation action. We have stressed the utility of research into the learning abilities of animals because these capacities directly affect behavioral flexibility, which is important to a population’s viability in a changing world [63].
Research Priorities from Animal Behaviour for Maximising Conservation Progress
2016, Trends in Ecology and Evolution
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E-mail address: [email protected] (P. W. Sherman).