From climate to caribou: How manufactured uncertainty is affecting wildlife management
ABSTRACT Over the past decade, declines of Canadian populations of boreal caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) have received considerable attention from scientists, government agencies, environmental nongovernmental organizations, Indigenous communities, and the forest industry. Boreal caribou (also...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2018-06-01
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| Series: | Wildlife Society Bulletin |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.891 |
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| author | Julee J. Boan Jay R. Malcolm Mallory D. Vanier Dave L. Euler Faisal M. Moola |
| author_facet | Julee J. Boan Jay R. Malcolm Mallory D. Vanier Dave L. Euler Faisal M. Moola |
| author_sort | Julee J. Boan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Over the past decade, declines of Canadian populations of boreal caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) have received considerable attention from scientists, government agencies, environmental nongovernmental organizations, Indigenous communities, and the forest industry. Boreal caribou (also known as boreal woodland caribou) was listed as a threatened species in Canada when the Species at Risk Act came into force in June 2003. Many boreal caribou populations have been shown to be decreasing, in some cases precipitously, and empirical evidence from adult survival and calf recruitment surveys indicates that the cumulative effect of habitat disturbance, including that which results from industrial development, is a key driver in the decline. Yet, as scientific understanding of the decline has become clearer, and agreement among scientists and governments about habitat management requirements has increased, campaigns of denial have intensified in the public sphere. In this paper, we examine parallels with climate change rhetoric prolific in the 2000s and show that willful ignorance disguised as skepticism has resulted in public uncertainty despite robust scientific evidence. We show how these strategies of manufactured uncertainty used in climate change denial campaigns have seeped into wildlife management debates, with pernicious results. In this case, it has successfully delayed efforts to effectively address the decline of boreal caribou, which is protected under federal, provincial, and territorial legislation, and inhibited meaningful dialogue about socially acceptable conservation solutions. © 2018 The Wildlife Society. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b10bd55bbe1d4813b7ed83e9726bee41 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2328-5540 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2018-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Wildlife Society Bulletin |
| spelling | doaj-art-b10bd55bbe1d4813b7ed83e9726bee412024-12-16T13:06:07ZengWileyWildlife Society Bulletin2328-55402018-06-0142236638110.1002/wsb.891From climate to caribou: How manufactured uncertainty is affecting wildlife managementJulee J. Boan0Jay R. Malcolm1Mallory D. Vanier2Dave L. Euler3Faisal M. Moola4Ontario Nature10 Cumberland Street NThunder BayOntario P7A 4K9CanadaFaculty of ForestryUniversity of Toronto33 Willcocks StreetTorontoOntario M5S 3B3CanadaEnvironmental and Sustainability Education (Master of Education student)Lakehead University955 Oliver RoadThunder BayOntario P7B 5E1CanadaFormerly Dean of the Faculty of ForestryLakehead University (Retired)103 Birch Point DriveEcho BayOntario P0S 1C0CanadaDepartment of GeographyUniversity of Guelph50 Stone Road EGuelphOntario N1G 2W1CanadaABSTRACT Over the past decade, declines of Canadian populations of boreal caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) have received considerable attention from scientists, government agencies, environmental nongovernmental organizations, Indigenous communities, and the forest industry. Boreal caribou (also known as boreal woodland caribou) was listed as a threatened species in Canada when the Species at Risk Act came into force in June 2003. Many boreal caribou populations have been shown to be decreasing, in some cases precipitously, and empirical evidence from adult survival and calf recruitment surveys indicates that the cumulative effect of habitat disturbance, including that which results from industrial development, is a key driver in the decline. Yet, as scientific understanding of the decline has become clearer, and agreement among scientists and governments about habitat management requirements has increased, campaigns of denial have intensified in the public sphere. In this paper, we examine parallels with climate change rhetoric prolific in the 2000s and show that willful ignorance disguised as skepticism has resulted in public uncertainty despite robust scientific evidence. We show how these strategies of manufactured uncertainty used in climate change denial campaigns have seeped into wildlife management debates, with pernicious results. In this case, it has successfully delayed efforts to effectively address the decline of boreal caribou, which is protected under federal, provincial, and territorial legislation, and inhibited meaningful dialogue about socially acceptable conservation solutions. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.891caribouforest managementhabitat managementnatural resource controversyRangifer tarandusscience–policy interface |
| spellingShingle | Julee J. Boan Jay R. Malcolm Mallory D. Vanier Dave L. Euler Faisal M. Moola From climate to caribou: How manufactured uncertainty is affecting wildlife management Wildlife Society Bulletin caribou forest management habitat management natural resource controversy Rangifer tarandus science–policy interface |
| title | From climate to caribou: How manufactured uncertainty is affecting wildlife management |
| title_full | From climate to caribou: How manufactured uncertainty is affecting wildlife management |
| title_fullStr | From climate to caribou: How manufactured uncertainty is affecting wildlife management |
| title_full_unstemmed | From climate to caribou: How manufactured uncertainty is affecting wildlife management |
| title_short | From climate to caribou: How manufactured uncertainty is affecting wildlife management |
| title_sort | from climate to caribou how manufactured uncertainty is affecting wildlife management |
| topic | caribou forest management habitat management natural resource controversy Rangifer tarandus science–policy interface |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.891 |
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