Wildlife and the Public Interest, James A. Tober, (New York: Praeger, 1989), 220 pp.
Understanding environmental problems; identifying stakeholders; politics; applicable to endangered species and habitat preservation issues; written for first and third party participants.
Wildlife and the Public Interest studies the role of nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in collective decision making regarding wildlife policy. It particularly emphasizes the nonprofit form of organization, and evaluates the benefits of this form for wildlife advocacy.
Wildlife and the Public Interest will be of interest to those who wish to understand the roles and strategies of nonprofit, nongovernmental groups in shaping wildlife policies. This work is divided into six chapters, with bibliography and index. The first chapter describes in broad terms the history of property rights in wildlife. It describes this history in terms of two stages or "debates." The first debate assigned the states' property rights to wildlife, emphasizing the management of game animals and pests. The second debate shifted attention to a broader range of species and nonconsumptive uses. This chapter also sketches the role played by NGOs in these broad debates.
In Chapter Two the authors describes origins, scope and context of what he referrs to as the "wildlife industry." The wildlife industry includes "individuals, organizations, and institutions that, through private action or public participation, demonstrate their interest in wild plants and animals." It describes the political climate which has encouraged the proliferation of wildife NGOs, and offers a typology of the various groups. Their memberships, startegies and tactics, and budgets are explored. Finally, the relation between the wildlife industry and business or corporate organizations is explored.
Chapters Three and Four explore the impact of wildlife NGOs on public policy via two case studies. Chapter three dicussses the California condor. It describes disagreements within the wildlife industry, between the National Audubon Society and Friends of the Earth for example, over the most approppriate approach to preserving the condor. And it examines the relation between the wildlife industry and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Chapter Four discusses policy debate surrounding the bobcat and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The author points out the tension between issues of fact and values inherent in these cases.
Chapter Five reviews the activities of wildlife NGOs. It first examines direct communication between NGOs and governments. It discusses NGO influence and tactics in the legislature, in executive agencies, and in the courts. Secondly it examines forms of indirect influence on the government, via encouraging public participation, and education. Thirdly, it examines extra-governmental market activities, such as cause-related marketing and direct purchase of habitat. This chapter concludes by examining the advantages of nonprofit status for wildlife advocacy groups and activities.
The author broadens his analysis in Chapter Six to examine the relationships between wildlife NGOs, and assesses the collective performance of the wildlife industry. The analysis opens with a discussion of the mobility of individuals within the environmental issues area. It then discusses the factors which lend legitimacy to the wildlife industry, and promote increased participation in policy decisions. Information is key to maintaining power and legitimacy. maintaining the confidence and explicit support of a constituency is also important. In his Conclusion, the author returns to the case of the condor, and considers the factors which prompt policy attention to one species rather than another, or to species rather than habitats.
Wildlife and the Public Interest explores the role of the wildlife industry in shaping wildlife policy. It describes the history, strategies and goals of nonprofit wildlife advocacy groups, and discusses their relations to the government, corporate and public sectors.
E1TOBE (1A)
E3TOBE (3B)
E13TOBE(13A)