The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR) provides funding to States through multiple grant programs to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, their habitats, and the... [ view full abstract ]
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR) provides funding to States through multiple grant programs to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, their habitats, and the recreational opportunities they provide. Three major grant programs administered by WSFR include the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration (WR), Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration (SFR), and State Wildlife Grant (SWG) programs, all of which can be used by States to fund wildlife and/or fisheries research. WR and SFR grants restore, conserve, manage, and enhance wild birds, wild mammals, and sport fish; provide for public use and benefit from these resources; educate responsible hunters, trappers, anglers, and archers; and enhance the public's understanding of water resources and aquatic life forms. SWG funds can be used for developing and implementing programs that benefit wildlife and their habitats, with priority given to projects that benefit species of greatest conservation need. The WR and SFR programs are funded through excise taxes on shooting, archery, and angling equipment and fuel and electric motor taxes; SWG is funded through annual appropriations. In 2016 alone, SFR, WR, and SWG funding allocated to States totaled over one billion dollars. Between 1937, when the first program (WR) began, and 2016, more than $19 billion were distributed through the 3 grant programs. During that same time period, the United States population nearly tripled and became over 80% urban. In addition, the number of stakeholder groups interested in wildlife increased, stakeholder values became more diverse, and society began to demand greater input into decision-making regarding wildlife and fisheries management. As a result of these changes, interest in human dimensions research within the wildlife profession has grown and the arena has steadily expanded. Research related to human-wildlife interactions has increased in diversity and complexity. We use WSFR-funded research projects in the Northeast as a lens through which to examine how human dimensions research has changed from the 1930s to today. We compare the abundance and diversity of research projects undertaken, as well as the percentage of research funding dedicated to human dimensions versus other types of research.
Topics: The Changing Nature of Wildlife Conservation , Topics: Improving HDFW Science , Topics: Increasing HDFW Capacity
