Misuse of Habitat Terminology by Wildlife Educators, Scientists, and Organizations

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

ABSTRACTWe analyzed the use of habitat terminology in articles from the Journal of Wildlife Management (JWM) each year (1998–2017) in course descriptions from 1 wildlife biology degree program in each state within the United States, and by wildlife‐related non‐profit organizations and state and federal agencies. Sixty‐five percent of JWM articles fluctuated in their correct use and 31% incorrectly used the term habitat and there was no significant decrease in the misuse of the term since 1998. Habitat type was used in 46% of the papers analyzed and was always used incorrectly. Misuse of the term habitat type in JWM articles decreased since 1998, from 70% of articles using the term from 1998 to 2002, 50% from 2013 to 2016, and no papers using the term in 2017. From the course descriptions using the term habitat, 75% fluctuated in their correct use and 13% incorrectly used habitat terminology. When considering only the management course descriptions and the term wildlife habitat as correct, 28% of programs fluctuated in their correct use and 31% incorrectly used habitat terminology. All wildlife‐related organizations fluctuated in their correct use of the term habitat. Our results demonstrate that the misuse of habitat terminology is still being missed during the JWM editorial process, at least until very recently. In combination with the continued misuse of habitat terminology in the primary literature, our results suggest an underlying reason for the continued incorrect use of habitat terminology is the misuse of the terms by educators within wildlife degree programs and by wildlife‐related organizations. By dealing with misuse of habitat terminology at the undergraduate level concurrent with misuse in the primary literature and by wildlife‐related organizations, we should begin to see a shift in the correct use of habitat terminology in current and future generations of natural resource professionals. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.