title: International consensus principles for ethical wildlife control.
abstract: Human-wildlife conflicts are commonly addressed by excluding, relocating, or lethally controlling animals with the goal of preserving public health and safety, protecting property, or conserving other valued wildlife. However, declining wildlife populations, a lack of efficacy of control methods in achieving desired outcomes, and changes in how people value animals have triggered widespread acknowledgment of the need for ethical and evidence-based approaches to managing such conflicts. We explored international perspectives on and experiences with human-wildlife conflicts to develop principles for ethical wildlife control. A diverse panel of 20 experts convened at a 2-day workshop and developed the principles through a facilitated engagement process and discussion. They determined that efforts to control wildlife should begin wherever possible by altering the human practices that cause human-wildlife conflict and by developing a culture of coexistence; be justified by evidence that significant harms are being caused to people, property, livelihoods, ecosystems, and/or other animals; have measurable outcome-based objectives that are clear, achievable, monitored, and adaptive; predictably minimize animal welfare harms to the fewest number of animals; be informed by community values as well as scientific, technical, and practical information; be integrated into plans for systematic long-term management; and be based on the specifics of the situation rather than negative labels (pest, overabundant) applied to the target species. We recommend that these principles guide development of international, national, and local standards and control decisions and implementation.
authors.affiliation: British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 1245 East 7th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5T 1R1, Canada.|Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dubois
authors.affiliation: British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 1245 East 7th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5T 1R1, Canada.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fenwick
authors.affiliation: British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 1245 East 7th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5T 1R1, Canada.
authors.forename: Erin A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.affiliation: College of the Environment, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, 06457, U.S.A.|Centre for Compassionate Conservation, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia.
authors.forename: Liv
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Oxfordshire, OX13 5QL, U.K.
authors.forename: Sandra E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.affiliation: Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre, Institute of Veterinary Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Ngaio J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Beausoleil
authors.affiliation: Detroit Zoological Society, 8450 W 10 Mile Road, Royal Oak, MI, 48067, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.affiliation: Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, 30 Concourse Gate, Nepean, ON, K2E 7V7, Canada.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cartwright
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Born Free Foundation, Broadlands Business Campus, Langhurstwood Road, Horsham, RH12 4QP, U.K.|University of Bristol, Bristol, City of Bristol, BS8 1TH, U.K.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Draper
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Protection Department, Humane Society of the United States, 1255 23rd St NW, Washington, D.C., 20037, U.S.A.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.affiliation: RSPCA UK Wildlife Department, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, West Sussex, RH13 9RS, U.K.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grogan
authors.affiliation: Island Conservation, 2161 Delaware Avenue Suite A, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Gregg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Howald
authors.affiliation: RSPCA Australia, P.O. Box 265, Deakin West, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia.|Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: Bidda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Regulation & Assurance Branch, Ministry for Primary Industries, P.O. Box 2526, Wellington, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Kate E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Littin
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7700, South Africa.
authors.forename: Amanda T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Lombard
authors.affiliation: Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre, Institute of Veterinary Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Mellor
authors.affiliation: Centre for Compassionate Conservation, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ramp
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
authors.forename: Catherine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Schuppli
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fraser
mesh_terms: D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D032921:Consensus; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D058735:Environmental Policy; D006801:Humans
keywords: administración; animal welfare; bienestar de los animales; conflicto entre humanos y animales silvestres; control de plagas de vertebrados; human-wildlife conflict; justificación; justification; management; normas; policy; valores; values; vertebrate pest control