Students, university faculty, and wildlife professionals now have an
indispensable book that provides a full and accurate account of natural
resource policy and law as it relates to wildlife in North America and
beyond. The comprehensive text begins with an in-depth examination of
wildlife policy and law, creating a foundation for the subsequent
detailed material. This introductory section covers the need and history
of wildlife policy and law, wildlife and gun ownership, history of
wildlife law and law enforcement, jurisdictional issues among federal,
state, provincial, and indigenous peoples as they relate to natural
resource management, processes by which policy and laws are formed at
various levels of government, statutory law and agency rule-making,
relationships of indigenous peoples to natural resources, and usage of
natural resources for subsistence. With this foundation set, readers are
greeted with informative sections covering: - The North American Model
of Wildlife Conservation and Public Trust Doctrine, - Federal and
Canadian jurisdiction, with detailed discussions on dozens of acts
including their impacts and challenges, ranging from the Lacey Act to
the Wilderness Act, Endangered Species Act, Clean Air Act, and others, -
The how and why behind federal, state and provincial agencies, and
conservation organizations, - An overview of international wildlife
conservation and how it contrasts with North American policy, - The
policy job in conservation and what processes are involved when
developing and implementing policy and law, and - The various roles of
the citizenry and wildlife professionals in policy making. The book
concludes with an informative discussion of the politics of managing
wildlife and natural resources, including roles of political parties,
elected officials, government agencies, the courts, non-profit
organizations, the public and the media. Contributors include professors
from prominent wildlife programs across the country and throughout the
world, biologists holding top-level jobs in government agencies, and
current natural resource professionals on the ground in Washington, D.C.
