Management knowledge through wildlife research: A perspective

Wildlife management is a large, complex, decisionoriented science. Information from research is needed to improve the decisions made by managers. The scope of the research needed to inform typical decisions far exceeds even the most optimistic assumptions about the available funds, time, or human resources. An argument is made that while changes within the current management structures are unlikely, continuing classical experimental research alone will not meet the timely needs of the field or of citizens dependent on wildlife resources. Continuing in such a no-win game seems to be a misallocation of time and funds. Significant changes are called for and suggestions for such changes are made: discussions with people in other broadly defined fields with a similar problem, new sampling strategies, increased use of computer models, use of geobased information systems, use of game theory, nonspecies research grouping, new funding structures, and sharing of facilities and of teams of specialists.