Wildlife Disease Management: A Manager's Model

Abstract

Wildlife disease management (WDM) is one of the great challenges of contemporary wildlife management. Experience with chronic wasting disease (CWD) indicates the importance of human dimensions in WDM. Wildlife management and disease specialists created a concept map (manager's model) of the WDM system that depicts the human dimensions considerations involved in WDM and how they may affect management objectives and actions. The WDM model includes risk perception, impact tolerance, and social acceptability of management actions that contribute to perceived impacts of wildlife disease and management responses. The manager's model of WDM is an experience-grounded, normative framework for discussing management of CWD.