The ecological future of the North American bison: conceiving long-term, large-scale conservation of wildlife.
Many wide-ranging mammal species have experienced significant declines over the last 200 years; restoring these species will require long-term, large-scale recovery efforts. We highlight 5 attributes of a recent range-wide vision-setting exercise for ecological recovery of the North American bison (Bison bison) that are broadly applicable to other species and restoration targets. The result of the exercise, the "Vermejo Statement" on bison restoration, is explicitly (1) large scale, (2) long term, (3) inclusive, (4) fulfilling of different values, and (5) ambitious. It reads, in part, "Over the next century, the ecological recovery of the North American bison will occur when multiple large herds move freely across extensive landscapes within all major habitats of their historic range, interacting in ecologically significant ways with the fullest possible set of other native species, and inspiring, sustaining and connecting human cultures." We refined the vision into a scorecard that illustrates how individual bison herds can contribute to the vision. We also developed a set of maps and analyzed the current and potential future distributions of bison on the basis of expert assessment. Although more than 500,000 bison exist in North America today, we estimated they occupy <1% of their historical range and in no place express the full range of ecological and social values of previous times. By formulating an inclusive, affirmative, and specific vision through consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, we hope to provide a foundation for conservation of bison, and other wide-ranging species, over the next 100 years.
Sanderson
Eric W
EW
Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460, USA. esanderson@wcs.org
Redford
Kent H
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Weber
Bill
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Aune
Keith
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Baldes
Dick
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Berger
Joel
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Carter
Dave
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Curtin
Charles
C
Derr
James
J
Dobrott
Steve
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Fearn
Eva
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Fleener
Craig
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Forrest
Steve
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Gerlach
Craig
C
Gates
C Cormack
CC
Gross
John E
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Gogan
Peter
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Grassel
Shaun
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Hilty
Jodi A
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Jensen
Marv
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Kunkel
Kyran
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Lammers
Duane
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List
Rurik
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Minkowski
Karen
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Olson
Tom
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Pague
Chris
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Robertson
Paul B
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Stephenson
Bob
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D000818:Animals; D016164:Bison; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D003710:Demography; D017753:Ecosystem; D009656:North America; D011157:Population Dynamics