Eighteen reasons animal behaviourists avoid involvement in conservation

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.11.007

Animal Behaviour

Volume 85, Issue 2, February 2013, Pages 305-312

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.11.007 Get rights and content

We summarize 18 common misgivings that animal behaviourists raise about becoming involved in conservation. We argue that many of the supposed institutional and interdisciplinary differences break down under scrutiny; that the supposed basic-applied dichotomy is often imaginary or insufficient to prevent interchange of ideas between behaviour and conservation; and that arguments about professional lifestyle, scientific inflexibility and despair are not adequate justifications for remaining on the sidelines. We suggest that many studies of animal behaviour are relevant to solving conservation problems, and we therefore encourage behaviourists to contribute more strongly to finding practical solutions to the contemporary conservation crisis.

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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Conservation behavior is the interdisciplinary field that integrates animal behavior into species and biodiversity conservation. It deals with the proximate and ultimate causes of behavior and is linked with disciplines such as genetics, physiology, ecology, and evolution. Its relevance for species preservation has become recently more important as landscapes change dramatically, and climate change is looming. Various attempts have been made to collect information on behavioral traits of the Lumholtz’s tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus lumholtzi), an endemic species of far North Queensland, Australia. Although most of the current knowledge comes from pilot studies, observations of captive animals, and incidental observations, this chapter will summarize behavioral traits of this species and how this knowledge can assist in conservation measures, including predator control and rehabilitation. The chapter intends to identify knowledge gaps and to encourage more research into the field of behavioral ecology of tree kangaroos to assist in their conservation.
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The increased popularity and accessibility of social network analysis has improved our ability to test hypotheses about complex animal social structures. To gain a deeper understanding of the use and application of animal social network analysis, we systematically surveyed the literature and extracted information on publication trends from articles using social network analysis. We synthesize trends in social network research over time and highlight variation in the use of different aspects of social network analysis. The use of social network analysis in empirical articles has increased over time. In the context of social network methods, we found that many studies did not use an association index to account for missing individuals or observations of individuals; that the number and type of social network metrics calculated in a given study varied substantially (median = 2); and that focal observation was by far the most common method used to generate social networks, although the use of biologging devices increased over time. We also observed that most species studied using social networks are mammals (55%) or birds (23%), and that the majority are species of least concern (59%; International Union for the Conservation of Nature, IUCN, www.iucn.org). Based on our findings, we highlight four key recommendations for future studies: (1) the use of association indices is almost always necessary; (2) the a priori selection of specific network metrics and associated hypotheses increases transparency; (3) combination of focal observation with biologging devices could improve our understanding of remotely sensed behaviours; and (4) because most studies rarely study species of conservation concern, it may be practical to generate networks for similar species or populations, which could help inform management decisions. We highlight emerging trends in social network research that may be valuable for distinct groups of social network researchers: students new to social network analysis, experienced behavioural ecologists interested in using social network analysis and advanced social network users interested in trends of social network research. Our findings also shed light on past research and provide guidance for future studies using social network analysis.
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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].
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View all citing articles on Scopus

¹: E-mail address: [email protected] (P. W. Sherman).

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EssayEighteen reasons animal behaviourists avoid involvement in conservation

Highlights

Section snippets

(1) ‘My university does not reward applied biology’

(8) ‘I earned my Ph.D. in animal behaviour; I don't know anything about conservation or wildlife biology’

(13) ‘I'm too busy to devote precious time to conservation activities’

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Forest Ecology and Management

Animal Behaviour

Biological Conservation

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Biological Conservation

Biological Conservation

Ecological Modelling

Biological Conservation

Journal of Theoretical Biology

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Biological Conservation

Animal Behaviour

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Selecting flagships for invertebrate conservation

Biodiversity and Conservation

Global conservation significance of Ecuador's Yasuni National Park

PLoS One

Physiological effects of hunting red deer (Cervus elaphus)

Proceedings of the Royal Society B

When good animals love bad habitats: ecological traps and the conservation of animal populations

Conservation Biology

Population Viability Analysis

Critical assessment of the delta smelt population in the San Francisco estuary, California

San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science

Integrating animal behavior and conservation biology: a conceptual framework

Behavioral Ecology

A Primer on Conservation Behaviour

Adjustment to climate change is constrained by arrival date in a long-distance migrant bird

Nature

Experience and learning in changing environments

Natural history, field ecology, conservation biology, and wildlife management: time to connect the dots

Herpetological Conservation and Biology

Behavioural Responses to a Changing World: Mechanisms and Consequences

How physiological methods and concepts can be useful in conservation biology

Integrative and Comparative Biology

Conservation by Proxy: Indicator, Umbrella, Keystone, Flagship and Other Surrogate Species

Biodiversity: need for balanced reports of solutions and failures

Nature

Vanishing behaviors

Conservation Letters

Adaptive phenoptypic plasticity in response to climate change in a wild bird population

Science

Adaptation, plasticity, and extinction in a changing environment: towards a predictive theory

PLoS Biology

Hundred-year decline of North Atlantic predatory fishes

Fish and Fisheries

Roads, interrupted dispersal, and genetic diversity in timber rattlesnakes

Conservation Biology

Flagship species on covers of US conservation and nature magazines

Biodiversity and Conservation

A method for quantifying conservation value in lentic freshwater habitats using desmids as indicator organisms

Biodiversity and Conservation

Undesirable evolutionary consequences of trophy hunting

Nature

Effects of habitat fragmentation on effective dispersal of Florida scrubjays

Conservation Biology

Evolutionary responses to changing climate

Ecology

Warmer springs, laying date and clutch size of tree sparrows Passer montanus in Croatia

Current Zoology

Positive and negative effects of widespread badger culling on tuberculosis in cattle

Nature

Essay
Eighteen reasons animal behaviourists avoid involvement in conservation