Literatura académica sobre el tema "Wildlife tolerance"

Tolerance has become a central position in wildlife conservation thought, and a goal in and of itself. Appeals to tolerance are expected to grow as the planet becomes more crowded, species are lost, and habitat is degraded. The concept has been uncritically adopted in wildlife conservation to mitigate human–wildlife conflicts (HWCs). However, scholars have demonstrated that tolerance is burdened with limitations, paradoxes, and shortcomings. Thus, blind adherence to it is not expected to produce a coexistence design necessary to sustain wildlife populations in the long term. This paper is a conceptual scoping project that engages a summary and critique of tolerance as a design principle within wildlife conservation governance. After introducing a resultant theory of dysfunctional human–wildlife coexistence, a pathway toward hospitality as a social institution is outlined via several commitments societies can make to transition to an era of normalizing a process of sincere welcoming, care, and support. The transition from tolerance to hospitality will entail shifting responsibility to humans to modify their behavior to help keep wildlife invisible where it is essential, learning about what wildlife want and need, and ensuring wildlife is not injured for being themselves.

Human Wildlife conflict is an emerged problem in wildlife today. Our study deals with assessing the tolerance level of human towards wildlife by taking some parts of Coimbatore like Karamdai,Thondamuthur and Periyanaickenpalayam as study area. These are areas where human conflict with wildlife and wildlife conflict with human are often seen. Conflict with animals like wild boar, peacock,elephant and deer are seen here. The aim of our study is to analyze the original tolerance level of people towards human wildlife conflicts, to compare the tolerance level of people towards different animals, to compare the tolerance level of on comparing with different groups on basis of age, gender, occupation,forest area coverage and losses faced. Our study was conducted on December 2018 and about 48 peoples are investigated in our study area. The voices of people were recorded in phone and tolerancepercentages were given. The mean tolerance level of the people was found to be 58.75%. About 23% of people showed 90% level of tolerance. The comparative tolerance levels between different groups of people were discussed. The reasons behind the factors which determine the tolerance level of groups were also discussed.

AbstractHuman–wildlife interactions affect people's livelihoods, attitudes and tolerance towards wildlife and wildlife reserves. To investigate the effect of such interactions on people's attitudes and livelihoods, we surveyed 2,233 households located around four wildlife reserves in Rajasthan, India. We modelled respondents’ attitudes towards wildlife and wildlife reserves, experience of crop damage and livestock predation, and likelihood of mitigation use. Crop damage was reported by 76% of surveyed households, and livestock predation was reported by 15%. Seventy-one percent of households used at least one of eight mitigation measures against crop damage, and 19% used at least one of seven mitigation measures against livestock predation. We found that male respondents and households with a higher level of education valued wildlife and wildlife reserves more. Households at higher elevations and growing a greater variety of crops were more prone to crop damage. Proximity to reserves, elevation and larger livestock herds were associated with a higher incidence of livestock predation. Households in which a member had > 12 years of schooling and households with a history (6–10 years) of interaction with wildlife (i.e. crop damage) were most likely to use mitigation against crop damage. Households that owned more livestock and had a history of interaction (1–5 years and > 10 years) were most likely to mitigate against predation. Our comparative study provides insights into factors that influence interaction and tolerance, which could be used to improve existing management and prevention efforts in Rajasthan.

AbstractWyoming Game and Fish Department depredation payments were established to increase landowner tolerance toward, and thus the supply of, certain types of wildlife. This study examined how socio-economic and demographic characteristics of farmers and ranchers in Wyoming relate to tolerance toward wildlife and depredation claim submission. The severity of depredation and landowner satisfaction with the depredation policy were evaluated. The financial stability and economic intent of farmers and ranchers significantly influenced tolerance toward wildlife. Landowners tended to be less tolerant of depredation ensuing from elk. The complexity of the submission process was a deterrent to damage claim submissions.

AbstractHuman–wildlife conflict has been the focus of much research, and incidents of damage caused by wildlife to communities, as well as damage inflicted on wildlife by people, have been studied extensively to determine causes, conditions, impacts and mitigation strategies. However, few studies have explored the coping strategies employed by communities to deal with these stressful events. Understanding coping is important, as effective coping builds tolerance towards wildlife, whereas poor coping erodes tolerance and thus jeopardizes conservation. Interviews conducted with people who had experienced damage caused by wild elephantsElephas maximusin eight villages of Assam, in north-east India, found that the stress experienced by the communities as a result of the damage was eased by their religious beliefs associated with elephants, and their feelings of empathy towards these animals. Belief in the elephant as God and as avenger of wrong-doing further strengthened people's coping capacity. These findings have positive implications for elephant conservation, showing that people's tolerance towards marauding elephants can be based on religious beliefs rather than compensation for losses.

AbstractHabitat degradation and fragmentation have heightened the importance of understanding human tolerance towards wildlife, as the fate of wildlife in multi-use landscapes depends on people's capacity for coexistence. We applied the wildlife tolerance model to examine drivers of tolerance towards Asian elephants Elephas maximus in rural Bangladesh, interviewing local people in 17 villages. We used structural equation modelling to identify causal pathways in which elephant-related exposure, positive and negative interactions, costs and benefits (tangible and intangible) contributed to tolerance. Contrary to expectations, monetary costs were non-significant in shaping tolerance despite major impacts on livelihoods. Instead, intangible costs and intangible benefits were significant factors determining tolerance. Furthermore, reducing people's exposure to elephants would not necessarily affect tolerance, nor would increasing positive interactions. We discuss how the socio-economic and bio-cultural dynamics of local communities can explain these results, and demonstrate how our model can be used to incorporate such complexities into conservation decision-making. For instance, compensation schemes aim to recompense monetary losses and direct damages, to improve tolerance, whereas our results suggest a more effective approach would be to enhance resilience to non-monetary costs and improve perceived benefits. We conclude that future studies should pay increased attention to intangible costs and consider the less direct drivers of tolerance. Through repeated testing of universal models such as that presented here, broad trends may emerge that will facilitate the application of policies across contexts and landscapes.

Nairobi National Park (NNP) in Kenya was established in 1946 to conserve the abundance and diversity of wildlife in the Kitengela-Athi-Kaputei plains, from excessive exploitation. It is currently fenced except on the Kitengela side across the Mbagathi River due to the sub-division of the group ranches, which commenced in the 1980s, limiting access of wildlife to the migratory corridor and dispersal areas. This paper is based on a study conducted to assess the impacts of the resultant land use changes in the Kitengela dispersal area/ migratory corridor on the migratory fauna of NNP, and to identify appropriate mitigation measures. The findings indicated that increased human settlement, led to changes in land uses which resulted into multiple negative impacts on the migratory wildlife of Nairobi National Park, mainly due to loss of dispersal area and blockage of migratory routes, leading to wildlife confinement, decreased wildlife tolerance and increased incidences of human wildlife conflicts. Data analysis indicated decline in migratory wildlife population thus negative effect (F=, 6.066, p<0.05). The findings also indicated that loss of migratory routes/dispersal area and reduced vegetation cover was regarded by 55% of the local community respondents as one of the main consequences of the land use changes resulting from the subdivision of the group ranches leading to decreased wildlife tolerance (β = 0.246) and wildlife confinement (β = 0.371) in NNP (p= 0.021, < 0.05, F= 2.678; R=0.179, R2= 0.032). The paper also discusses the mitigation measures for the longtime sustainability of the park, the dispersal area and migratory corridor, including holistic implementation of the Kitengela-Isinya-Kipeto Local Physical Development Plan, mapping and protection of the vital wildlife areas within the migratory range, including the wildebeest calving area in North Kaputiei.

The black bear (Ursus americanus) has returned to Kentucky and is now part of a reproducing population in the southeastern Cumberland Mountain region. The broad objective of this project was to examine the interactions between people and bears, with the ultimate goal of improving bear management in a way that addresses stakeholder concerns. Using interviews of regional stakeholders, participant observation, and media reports collected between summer 2003 and fall 2006, I investigated how the presence of black bears in Harlan and Letcher counties in Kentucky has had an impact on area residents. I complemented this information with observations of bear behavior and an analysis of bear capture and handling data collected within the study period. Artificial provisioning of bears was widespread and >60% of black bears captured were confirmed to use anthropogenic foods at least some of the time. I found a significant difference (P<0.0001) in the apparent physical condition of confirmed anthropogenic feeding bears and bears whose feeding behavior was unknown, and similar differences in physical condition between bears captured along traplines in Harlan and Letcher counties when compared to bears captured along traplines in Bell County (P<0.01). Mean litter size was 3.25 ± 0.11 (SE), significantly above average for eastern North America (P<0.05) although cub survival remains unknown. All documented mortality of adult bears was human-caused. Anthropogenic food sources may affect bear behavior, survival, reproduction, and physiology, as well as bring bears into close contact with humans. Artificial provisioning is currently an important part of bear-human interaction in eastern Kentucky, both facilitating bear tourism as well as precipitating nuisance problems. Cessation of provisioning could have important consequences for the developing tourism industry in the region and for the bears themselves. Both the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and many local people have an interest in conserving bears, but problems have arisen due to differing conceptions of appropriate or desirable management. A better understanding of the human dynamics and cooperation taking place in this situation could provide much-needed information both in Kentucky and in other localities where stakeholders are debating how to co-exist with wildlife.

Human-wildlife conflicts (HWC) emerge as complex conservation challenges impairing human livelihood and wildlife populations. Research on HWC, however, has traditionally approached these components apart and focused on single/ similar species, hampering a broader understanding of the connections between ecological drivers and human dimensions of conflicts. We here develop and test a model integrating ecological and human components of HWC, focusing on three species - opossum, crab-eating fox and puma. We investigated the pathways through which the ecological context (forest cover) affects experiences with wildlife (contact and damage), and how such experiences influence tolerance via beliefs, emotions and attitude. We interviewed 114 landowners across 13 landscapes varying in forest cover in a region of the Brazilian Atlantic forest and tested our model using Piecewise Structural Equation Modeling. We found that: i. forest cover negatively affected tolerance, but just towards the largest species; ii. relevance and effects of distinct experiences with wildlife on beliefs and emotions varied across species; iii. beliefs and emotions influenced tolerance, but negative emotions were relevant only for the largest species. Conflicts with larger species can then be understood as disservices provided by forests, indicating the relevance of framing HWC within a broader perspective that consider the trade-offs with ecosystems services. For some species, positive experiences with wildlife may counteract the negative effects of damages to livestock in shaping human behavior. Models such as ours - that structure relationships between ecological and human components - can help identifying deeper, more effective leverage points to improve interventions to mitigate HWC
Conflitos entre seres humanos e fauna silvestre emergem como desafios complexos, ameaçando o sustento de populações humanas e a conservação de populações de animais silvestres. Contudo, pesquisas sobre conflitos tradicionalmente abordam esses componentes separadamente e focam em espécies individuais ou similares, dificultando o entendimento mais amplo das conexões entre determinantes ecológicos e dimensões humanas dos conflitos. Neste estudo, desenvolvemos e testamos um modelo conceitual integrando componentes ecológicos e humanos dos conflitos, focando em três espécies - gambá, cachorro-do-mato e onça-parda. Investigamos os caminhos através dos quais o contexto ecológico (cobertura florestal) afeta experiências (contato e dano), e como tais experiências influenciam a tolerância à fauna por meio de crenças, emoções e atitude. Entrevistamos 114 proprietários rurais em 13 paisagens com diferentes proporções de cobertura florestal em uma região da Mata Atlântica e testamos nosso modelo usando equações estruturais do tipo Piecewise. Encontramos que: i. a cobertura florestal afetou negativamente a tolerância, mas apenas para a maior espécie; ii. a importância e os efeitos de diferentes experiências com a fauna sobre crenças e emoções variaram entre as espécies; iii. crenças e emoções influenciaram a tolerância, mas emoções negativas foram relevantes apenas para a maior espécie. Conflitos com espécies maiores podem então ser entendidos como desserviços providos por florestas, indicando a relevância de inserir os conflitos humano-fauna em perspectiva mais ampla, que considere as relações com serviços ecossistêmicos. Para algumas espécies, experiências positivas podem compensar os efeitos negativos dos danos a criações na formação do comportamento humano. Modelos como o nosso - que estruturem as relações entre os componentes ecológicos e humanos - podem ajudar a identificar pontos de alavancagem mais profundos e efetivos para melhorar intervenções visando a mitigação dos conflitos com a fauna

La thèse étudie la dynamique des interactions homme-faune, en se concentrant sur la relation entre les peuples indigènes Tonga et la faune dans le district de Binga au Zimbabwe. La recherche vise à développer et à mettre en œuvre des stratégies intégrées de conservation et de développement qui favorisent une coexistence humain-faune efficace. Les communautés vivant à proximité des habitats de la faune doivent souvent faire face aux effets négatifs de la faune tels que le pillage des cultures et la prédation du bétail sur une base régulière, ce qui conduit à une confrontation entre les moyens de subsistance locaux et la conservation de la faune. Cette thèse utilise le Wildlife Tolerance Model (WTM) pour explorer les interactions homme-faune, en examinant les facteurs qui influencent la tolérance communautaire envers la faune et les déterminants de ces interactions basés sur des coûts et des bénéfices tangibles et intangibles.Le travail est divisé en trois parties principales. La première partie explore l'application du WTM dans le contexte des peuples Tonga résidant dans la partie zimbabwéenne de la zone de conservation transfrontalière Kavango-Zambèze. Elle identifie également les principales espèces de faune à l'origine de conflits et examine comment les coûts et bénéfices tangibles et intangibles influencent la tolérance des peuples indigènes Tonga locaux envers ces espèces. La deuxième partie présente une étude de cas sur les interactions homme-éléphant dans la zone du projet. Elle évalue comment la proximité avec des caractéristiques environnementales et anthropiques propices aux conflits telles que les forêts, les zones protégées et les points d'eau influence les interactions homme-éléphant et les perceptions communautaires envers les éléphants. La troisième partie évalue les impacts de certaines interventions du Programme de Gestion Durable de la Faune (Sustainable Wildlife Management) en utilisant l'approche Before-After-Control-Impact intégrée avec le WTM. Elle fournit également un cadre à la pointe de la technologie pour l'évaluation des impacts des projets de conservation, mettant en évidence les changements dans les perceptions communautaires et la tolérance envers la faune après l'intervention.Les principales découvertes indiquent que, bien que les coûts tangibles comme la prédation du bétail et le pillage des cultures soient importants, les facteurs intangibles tels que les perceptions et attitudes communautaires envers la faune sont plus cruciaux pour les interactions homme-faune. Les interventions centrées sur la communauté, bien planifiées, ont mené à des résultats positifs marquants, augmentant les émotions positives et la tolérance envers la faune. Malgré des défis liés aux interactions complexes et culturelles, l'efficacité de ces interventions a été validée par des résultats globalement positifs.La thèse contribue au domaine en fournissant une compréhension complète des complexités impliquées dans la coexistence homme-faune et en offrant des recommandations fondées sur des preuves pour des stratégies de conservation qui peuvent être adaptées à des contextes socio-écologiques spécifiques. Cette recherche souligne l'importance d'intégrer la psychologie de la conservation et les approches communautaires pour aborder les défis des conflits homme-faune, en plaidant pour une approche multidimensionnelle qui prend en compte à la fois les dimensions écologiques et sociales de la gestion de la faune.Enfin, les résultats de cette recherche devraient informer la politique et la pratique en matière de gestion de la faune, en particulier dans les régions où les moyens de subsistance humains sont étroitement liés aux écosystèmes naturels. La thèse non seulement avance notre compréhension des relations homme-faune mais propose également un cadre pour une coexistence durable qui peut être appliqué dans des scénarios de conservation similaires à l'échelle mondiale
The thesis investigates the dynamics of human-wildlife interactions, focusing on the relationship between the Tonga indigenous people and wildlife in the Binga district of Zimbabwe. The research aims to develop and implement integrated conservation and development strategies that promote effective human-wildlife coexistence. Communities that live close to wildlife habitats often have to deal with the negative effects of wildlife such as crop raiding and livestock predation on a routine basis, which leads to a confrontation between local livelihoods and the conservation of wildlife. This thesis uses the Wildlife Tolerance Model (WTM) to explore human-wildlife interactions, examining factors that influence community tolerance towards wildlife and the determinants of these interactions based on tangible and intangible costs and benefits.The work is divided into three main parts. The first part explores the application of the WTM in the context of the Tonga people residing within the Zimbabwean part of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. It also identifies the major conflict-causing wildlife species and examines how tangible and intangible costs and benefits influence the tolerance of the local Tonga indigenous people toward these species. The second part presents a case study on human-elephant interactions within the project area. It assesses how proximity to conflict-prone environmental and manmade features such as forests, protected areas, and water points influence human-elephant interactions and community perceptions towards elephants. The third part evaluates the impacts of some of the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme interventions using the Before-After-Control-Impact approach integrated with the WTM. It also provides a state-of-the-art framework for impact evaluation of conservation projects, highlighting the changes in community perceptions and tolerance toward wildlife post-intervention.Key findings reveal that while tangible costs such as livestock predation and crop raiding are significant, intangible factors like community perceptions and attitudes towards wildlife play a more crucial role in shaping human-wildlife interactions. Moreover, we highlight how well-planned interventions that keep the community at the center can yield significantly positive results and promote human-wildlife coexistence. The research shows how these interventions led to an increase in positive emotions toward wildlife, perceived intangible benefits from wildlife, and subsequently wildlife tolerance. Despite facing challenges due to complex and culturally influenced human-wildlife interactions, the overall positive outcomes validate the effectiveness of these interventions.The thesis contributes to the field by providing a comprehensive understanding of the complexities involved in human-wildlife coexistence and offering evidence-based recommendations for conservation strategies that can be tailored to specific socio-ecological contexts. This research highlights the importance of integrating conservation psychology and community-based approaches to address the challenges of human-wildlife conflicts, advocating for a multidimensional approach that considers both the ecological and social dimensions of wildlife management.Lastly, the findings from this research are expected to inform policy and practice in wildlife management, particularly in regions where human livelihoods are closely tied to natural ecosystems. The thesis not only advances our understanding of human-wildlife relations but also proposes a framework for sustainable coexistence that can be applied in similar conservation scenarios globally

Master of Science
Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources
Ryan L. Sharp
Elk in Kansas were an abundant tallgrass prairie species prior to European settlement. Elk were extirpated in the 1870s and reintroduced in the late 1980s. After three decades, wild populations continue to be low in spite of good biological conditions. Broad, low stakeholder acceptance are a suspected limiting factor. Wildlife stakeholder acceptance capacity (WSAC) and tolerance models helped to frame results from an internet based survey (n=460) directed to all Kansas counties. Respondents reported high mean positive wildlife values, acceptance for elk population increase, and significantly (p<0.05) higher personal acceptance for elk than the level of acceptance they perceived in others. Encountering wild elk in Kansas was unrelated to acceptance but strongly predicted providing wildlife habitat on private land. Hunters reported the strongest wildlife attitudes but this result was not correlated with elk acceptance. Intangible benefits (e.g. positive meaningful experiences) strongly affected (p<0.00) wildlife attitudes and elk acceptance. Tangible benefits (e.g. money) was unrelated to wildlife values but respondents who reported tangible benefits from four or more wildlife species showed higher acceptance for elk on personal property than groupings based on other variables. WSAC theory suggests social carrying capacity for elk is significantly above the current population and Kansans are more accepting of wildlife than previously thought. Wildlife managers may be encouraged by these results to conduct their own social feasibility study regarding increasing the elk population to a more ecologically sustainable level.

Mayflies are important macroinvertebrate members of steam communities and are highly sensitive to agricultural insecticides. In this dissertation I sought to explore whether Heptageniidae mayflies in Indiana have evolved greater tolerance to clothianidin, a neonicotinoid insecticide that has been widely applied over the predominant corn and soybean crops of the state for the last 20 years. Over the five chapters of this dissertation, I investigate different aspects of the effects of clothianidin on mayfly populations. First, I collected mayfly populations from streams around the state across a gradient of agricultural landscape to see if proximity to corn and soybean crops was associated with tolerance to the insecticide. I found significant variation in tolerance between the populations but only connected it to land use for one species and one insecticide. Second, I investigated the potential for increases in predation rates due to exposure to low concentrations of clothianidin by both a vertebrate and invertebrate predator. Sublethal exposure did increase the risk of predation by the invertebrate predator but not the vertebrate. Third, I collected four populations of mayflies and placed them in a common stream which is heavily impacted by agricultural runoff. The most tolerant of the four populations had the highest survival rates and was native to the polluted stream, suggesting that it was best adapted to the local conditions. Finally, the last chapter is a discussion of the factors influencing the evolution of contaminant tolerance, the implications for biomonitoring, and a series of recommendations for incorporating evolved tolerance into biomonitoring practices. Collectively, this work suggests that the lethal and sublethal effects of clothianidin exposure create conditions suitable for the evolution of tolerance in Heptageniid mayflies. While there are already differences in tolerance between populations, it seems likely that mayfly pesticide tolerance will continue to increase as pesticides continue to impact aquatic ecosystems.

AbstractMeasuring climate change impacts on forest ecosystems can be challenging, as many of these changes are imperceptible within the typical time scale of short-term (e.g., 3–4 years) funding of research projects. Boreal trees are notoriously imperturbable, given their tolerance to harsh conditions and their adaptability. However, the buildup of decades of warming should now translate into measurable alterations of boreal ecosystem processes. The boreal forest is host to numerous northern animals; therefore, any change in boreal forest dynamics should affect wildlife. In this chapter, we aim to provide a nonexhaustive synthesis of documented impacts of climate change on selected key processes driving boreal forest ecosystem dynamics. We focus on the themes of plant and wildlife range shifts and stand growth and death, as they are keystone parameters of boreal forest ecosystem health that are symptomatic of climate change impacts on the boreal biota. For each theme, we introduce the general concepts and processes, convey some of the limitations of current assessments, and suggest future pressing challenges.

AbstractManagement of avian predators in western rangelands is uniquely challenging due to differences in managing for/against particular species, management of sensitive prey species, long-standing human/wildlife conflicts, and the unique legal protections within this ecological group. In general, many avian predator species considered rangeland specialists have been declining due to habitat loss, fragmentation, human sensitivity, and direct persecution. Conversely, avian predators that are more human-tolerant and/or are subsidized by human activities are significantly increasing across rangelands. The complicated nature of inter- and intra-species guilds, coupled with human dynamics has created a challenging scenario for both management for avian predators, as well as their prey. Human-mediated population control, both legal and illegal, continues for avian predators to reduce livestock conflict, aid sensitive prey populations, and/or because of general predator persecution. Conversion of rangeland to development for energy, cultivation, and urbanization remains the largest impediment to maintaining viable, historical assemblages of avian predators. Large-scale habitat protections, reduction of invasive plants, and reducing wildfire will continue to enhance at-risk populations of predators and their prey. Further, mediating human-induced mortality risks will also aid at-risk predator populations, such as reducing direct killing (poisoning and shooting), secondary poisoning from varmint control and lead ammunition use, electrocutions, and vehicle strikes, while reducing anthropogenic subsidies can help curtail population expansion of corvids. Additional understanding of long-term, successful predator control efforts for corvids and mitigation options for declining raptors is needed to help balance the avian predator–prey dynamic in western rangelands.

Abstract Behavioral change is frequently identified as quintessential in facilitating urban living, yet simultaneously linked to human–wildlife conflict. Changes to behaviors (e.g., boldness, movement, dietary flexibility), cognition, and learning can be near-instantaneous, enabling urban animals to effectively deal with novel environmental stressors. However, behavioral innovations that increase the likelihood of human–wildlife conflict potentially jeopardize fitness gains. Moreover, some species in urban areas are behaviorally inflexible or intolerant of humans, presenting a different set of challenges to conserving such species in cities. This work explains how the principles of conservation behavior and cognition present a multifaceted toolkit for bolstering urban biodiversity while minimizing the detrimental impacts of human–wildlife conflict. Management and conservation strategies will also vary according to the perceived threat and valuation of certain wildlife species. As such, this work additionally explores how social and urban heterogeneity coalesce to influence the spatial and temporal nature of human–wildlife interactions in cities. Tolerance of certain wildlife species by people creates invisible “human shields,” in which species perceived as benign (e.g., eastern grey squirrels or eastern cottontail) in turn demonstrate increased human tolerance relative to those considered high threat (e.g., mountain lions, coyotes). The combination of participatory surveys and conservation behavior allows us to build models that predict and prevent impending conflicts based on: (1) how various wildlife utilize urban space in human-dominated environments; and (2) how human residents vary in their perceptions of those wildlife.

This article describes how fault tolerance is an essential issue for many WSN (Wireless Sensor Network) applications such as wildlife monitoring, battlefield surveillance and health monitoring. It represents a great challenge for researchers regarding to the characteristics of sensor nodes which are prone to failures due essentially to their limited resources. Faults may occur, not only when sensor nodes exhaust their energy, but also when the congestion phenomenon emerges, because of a high traffic in the network and limited storage capacity of the sensor nodes. In order to support fault tolerance in WSNs, the authors propose a new scheme which incorporates a link quality estimation algorithm and a congestion detection mechanism to enable nodes that present high quality links to be chosen for routing in a non-congested area in case of faults. Evaluations through simulations under NS2 show that our proposed protocol tolerates faults with a minimum cost relatively to HEEP protocol and improves network's performances comparatively to other fault tolerant protocols such as EF-LEACH.

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a fungal skin disease that has killed millions of bats since its introduction to North America around 2007. Despite rapid and unprecedented mortality of multiple bat species from WNS, some bats suffer little to no impact. While a conservation physiology approach has allowed for tremendous progress connecting WNS pathophysiology with population impacts, a fundamental question about the disease remains: why does a simple skin infection disrupt hibernation behaviour and energetics in some bats but not others? Here we review what is known about pathophysiological processes in hibernating bats with WNS, and connections between these processes and population impacts. We then outline how a conservation physiology approach has been useful for informing our understanding of resistance and tolerance mechanisms, and conclude by showing how conservation physiology could help with the design of mitigation strategies and treatments for WNS and other infectious diseases of wildlife.

For many wildlife disease situations, it can be near impossible to eradicate the pathogen on anything other than a local scale. This can be due to a number of causes, including the lack of necessary epidemiological information, or, even if the information is available, a lack of resources or access to the animals. In these cases an alternative epidemiological goal is to reduce the harm caused by the pathogen, in part by reducing the transmission and intensity of infection. Transmission can be attenuated through environmental manipulations or culling. The latter approach, while often utilized, is often not as effective as expected and careful consideration is needed before using it. Host resistance and tolerance can be improved by reducing other stressors on the population, for example, via food supplementation. Vaccination, even if administered at levels insufficient to eliminate a disease, can help the host population persist in the face of infection. Lastly, more rarely used approaches include the use of probiotics and genetic management of either the host or vector populations.

After DDT, EDF’s next pesticide targets were aldrin and dieldrin, both made by Shell Chemical Company. We had sought to block a dieldrin application in Michigan in late 1967, shortly after EDF was founded. That action was partly successful, delaying the application for many months and resulting in the application of less dieldrin. EDF was often accused of being against all pesticides, but that was never true. We were against DDT and several other persistent chlorinated hydrocarbons. Those pesticides were uniquely hazardous because they lasted for many years, traveled freely in the environment, and were ingested by animals and humans everywhere. They were very damaging to wildlife and—as we discovered along the way—they posed cancer hazards to humans. We were also against a purely chemical approach to pest control because integrated control techniques were more effective in controlling pests and contaminated the environment with less chemicals. We had a short list of pesticides that we identified as “bad actors”—all of which were persistent chlorinated hydrocarbons—and we eventually succeeded in getting all of them banned, although this took several years and an immense effort by our attorneys and scientists. On October 16, 1970, EDF filed a legal petition with HEW requesting the establishment of zero-tolerance levels for aldrin and dieldrin in human foods. The petition was written by attorney Edward Berlin and included a comprehensive review affidavit by me with numerous scientific references (Wurster, 1971). A few weeks later, pesticide regulation was transferred from HEW to the new EPA, and from then onward the action was pursued through EPA. I was not present during the hearing that followed. Instead Dr. Ian C. T. Nisbet, then the director of science for the Massachusetts Audubon Society, provided scientific support and attended the hearing. He wrote the next two sections (on aldrin and dieldrin and on heptachlor and chlordane), in which he describes what followed. On March 18, 1971, EPA issued notices of cancellation for all registrations of aldrin and dieldrin (A/D), but the marathon hearings did not begin until July 1973.