Premium
A Conservation Institution for the 21st Century: Implications for State Wildlife Agencies
Author(s) -
JACOBSON CYNTHIA A.,
ORGAN JOHN F.,
DECKER DANIEL J.,
BATCHELLER GORDON R.,
CARPENTER LEN
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the journal of wildlife management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1937-2817
pISSN - 0022-541X
DOI - 10.2193/2008-485
Subject(s) - public trust doctrine , institution , legitimacy , wildlife , wildlife conservation , ideal (ethics) , public administration , corporate governance , wildlife management , state (computer science) , political science , public relations , resource (disambiguation) , public trust , sociology , business , law , ecology , computer network , algorithm , politics , computer science , biology , finance
The wildlife conservation institution (Institution) needs to reform to maintain legitimacy and relevancy in the 21st century. Institutional reform is inherently slow. Limitations resulting from historical and resource dependencies between state wildlife agencies and hunters have left the Institution poorly positioned to meet changing ecological and social complexities. In this paper, we suggest that an ideal Institution would have the following 4 components: broad‐based funding, trustee‐based governance, multidisciplinary science as the basis of recommendations from professional staff, and involvement of diverse stakeholders and partners. Our suggestions reflect the fundamental tenets of the Public Trust Doctrine, which we believe is the foundation of the Institution. In bringing forth these ideas, we hope to encourage discussion about how the Institution should reform to meet the changing needs of society.