Conservation Challenges

Public Safety
Though they are possibly the most well-known animals in North America, many members of the public are hesitant to support active reintroduction of Apex Predators into the US. Part of this reason is due to the perceived danger that is associated with such large carnivores.

These concerns are not without merit, Herrero et al found that black bear attacks have increased since 1960.

Black Bear Fatalities

However, the human population in the US has been increasing exponentially while bear habitat has been shrinking, increasing the likelihood of a bear/ human encounter.

Plans for the future:
It is not an impossible task for humans to co-exist with large carnivores. For example, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has a list of do's and don'ts for humans living in or passing through the range of cougars. The list includes things like keeping small animals indoors and not feeding pets outside. The complete list can be viewed here: http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/cougars.html

Economics
People are also reluctant to support large predator conservation for economic reasons. In general, the most resistant are those who raise livestock. Predators such as wolves and cougars sometimes prey on livestock, and this can deal quite a blow to farmers or ranchers when each animal killed can cost the farmer or rancher $2,000-2,500. Large carnivores are seen a dangerous nuisance to the livelihood of these professionals.

Plans for the future:
Currently, plans for the gray wolf in the US are highly contested. There is a debate raging as to whether or not wolves should be de-listed as Endangered/Threatened animals from the protection of the Endangered Species Act. Management would then be turned over to individual states, and these management plans would be subject to lobbying and pressure from different groups. One example of this pressure is National Cattlemen's Beef Association, which released a statement in 2010 that supported legislation for wolf de-listing. The point is not to decide if wolf delisting is a good or bad thing, but rather that we recognize that wolf management has an economic aspect, which also subjects it to political motivations.

Ranges- Private Land and Reserves
Another challenge often encountered with conserving Apex Predators is that they have naturally large ranges. The questions then become:
1. How do you conserve such large ranges?
2. Whose land will they primarily use?
3. How do you provide connectivity between fragmented habitat?

Scientists and policy makers alike have to ponder questions like, is it worth it to set up a 500 square kilometer reserve for 2 wolves? All of the animals discussed have extensive dispersal abilities, even if a reserve was established, there are no boundaries keeping wolves off of private property. Private landowners will be weighing in on the subject, even if they have nothing at stake economically, simply because the animals will be on their property and near their homes.

Plans for the future:
Biologists and policymakers alike have been working on plans that balance the best situations for these species with the least inconvenience or cost to humans. One benefit of protecting land for apex predators is that they function as umbrella species, also protecting many plants and other animals that live within their range. However, the probability that large expanses of land will be able to be left untouched by humans is becoming less and less likely. For this reason, many biologists are looking to manage zones of "core reserves" connected by buffer zones and corridors, setting up a  so called reserve matrix (Noss et al.). A visual example of this can be seen below.

Synthesized Graphic- adapted by Caitlin Forster

A serious issue with this land management model is the effect of roads. In buffer zones or land managed for multiple purposes (such as logging), the density of roads increases. Large, mobile predators must cross roads or travel along roads, resulting in accidents (according to Noss et al., road kill is the largest source of mortality in wolves in the Canadian Rockies). Roads also make access to interior wilderness possible, increasing the chance of illegal hunting, trapping and poaching.

Managing wilderness in zones with built in connectivity, sometimes called the meta-population management plan, seems to be the most viable option. Though biologists and policy makers must be careful not to allow remaining habitat to become completely fragmented, this plan strikes a balance, hopefully allowing for the co-existence of large predator and human populations.