A proposal to conserve black-footed ferrets and the prairie dog ecosystem |
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Authors: | Brian Miller Christen Wemmer Dean Biggins Richard Reading |
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Affiliation: | (1) Conservation and Research Center, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, 22630 Front Royal, Virginia, USA;(2) US Fish and Wildlife National Ecology Center, 4512 McMurray, 80525-3400 Ft. Collins, Colorado, USA;(3) Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, 205 Prospect Street, 06511 New Haven, Connecticut, USA |
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Abstract: | Prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) have been poisoned throughout this century because of grazing competition with livestock. Recent evidence showed these early claims were exaggerated, but animal control was already entrenched in government policy. As a result, ongoing government subsidized poisoning has reduced prairie dogs to about 2% of their former distribution. The reduction of prairie dogs diminished species diversity in the arid grasslands of North America, including the potential extinction of the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes). Cost-benefit analysis revealed that poisoning costs more than any grazing benefits accrued. This analysis did not consider the long-term costs of reversing ecosystem degradation, the intangible value of biological diversity as a public benefit, or the depletion of biotic resources as a loss of actual or potential wealth. The government presently finances the poisoning policy and the preservation of endangered species like the black-footed ferret, two apparently conflicting programs. We, therefore, propose an integrated management plan that considers both interests. We propose that federal monies allocated to the poisoning program be converted into a rebate for ranchers who manage livestock while preserving the prairie dog community. This would redirect funds and personnel already allocated to prairie dog eradication to an incentive for ranchers who manage for livestock and wildlife. Livestock interests and grassland biotic diversity would both benefit. |
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Keywords: | Prairie dog ecosystem Black-footed ferrets Animal control policy |
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