Animal Behavior Society Conservation Committee

The Conservation Behaviorist, an electronic news‐update, informs ABS members about the Conservation Committee’s activities, research trends in behavior and conservation, and relevant scientific news in conservation research where behavior plays an important role. www.animalbehavior.org/Committees/Conservation

Interact with The Conservation Behaviorist The ABS Conservation Committee Send letters, announcements, comments and contributions Created in 1997, the Conservation Committee aims to to The Conservation Behaviorist [email protected] th encourage ABS members to participate in research Deadlines for articles are the 15 of the month preceding th programs addressing the interface between animal the next news update. The next deadline is April 15 . behavior and conservation science. By identifying and Contributions submitted by members of the Animal evaluating the areas in which behavioral research has Behavior Society and judged by the Conservation contributed to conservation, as well as the fields that Committee to be appropriate will be published in The need development, the Committee seeks to generate Conservation Behaviorist. The publication of such material discussion and promote studies in behavior and does not imply ABS or Conservation Committee conservation. endorsement of the opinions expressed by contributors.

Editor Guillermo Paz­y­Miño C. Associate Editor Debra M. Shier * * * * *

ABS Conservation Committee Members

Colleen Cassady St. Clair, Chair Where does the University of Alberta, Canada Guillermo Paz­y­Miño C., Past Chair University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Daniel T. Blumstein conservation University of California Los Angeles Richard Buchholz University of Mississippi behaviorist fit in? John Eadie University of California, Davis FORUM: contrasting views by Richard Buchholz and Esteban Fernández­Juricic Colleen Cassady St. Clair, page 7

California State University, Long Beach Elizabeth V. Lonsdorf Lincoln Park Zoo In this issue Debra M. Shier Zoological Society of San Diego Bruce A. Schulte A Conversation with Daniel T. Blumstein: Georgia Southern University Ronald R. Swaisgood “…Society should care about conservation Zoological Society of San Diego behavior because behavioral may have Ilonka von Lippke tools that can be used to help manage animal University of California Los Angeles Jessica Ward populations but have not yet been used. University of Toronto Understanding how animals choose mates, select Mark L. Wildhaber , and avoid predators are all useful things Columbia Environmental Research Center that behavioral biologists study…,” page 2

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A CONVERSATION WITH Society should care about conservation DANIEL T. BLUMSTEIN behavior because behavioral biologists may have tools that can be used to help manage animal “Society should care about conservation populations but have not yet been used. Understanding how animals choose mates, select behavior because behavioral biologists habitat, and avoid predators are all useful things may have tools that can be used to help that behavioral biologists study. Behaviorally manage animal populations but have ‘naïve’ management –derived from the fact that not yet been used. Understanding how many managers have never taken a animals choose mates, select habitat, behavior course and, therefore, do not to include and avoid predators are all useful things behavior in conservation decisions­ may be improved by applying the knowledge that we that behavioral biologists study…” says take for granted. Let's not get too cocky though; Blumstein. most behavioral biologists have never taken an environmental law or Dan Blumstein has always been interested course and many know little about on­the­ in animals and their behavior. During his ground wildlife management problems or undergraduate studies at the University of realities. Colorado Boulder, he discovered that it was possible to study both behavior and I believe that whether or not behavior can help . He has been doing that save species and/or be useful to management is ever since. His PhD combined behavioral an empirical question. I don't believe that we studies of marmots with community‐based should be forcing behavior into all in Northern Pakistan. During problems, but rather that there are some cases postdoctoral work in Australia, he began to where conservation outcomes may be improved focus on conservation behavior (a term he by applying tools that emerge from behavioral coined in a 2001 book review). He joined the biology. University of California Los Angeles in 2001, where he is now an Associate Professor of Q: You raise a crucial point, the importance of and Evolutionary Biology. conservation behavior for most conservationists. But, shouldn't most The Conservation Behaviorist interviewed conservation problems be minimized, and some Dan Blumstein; here is a summary of this perhaps even solved, if society at large leads dialog: itself to sustainability, economic growth, and ? Isn't a common Q: Why is conservation behavior important? phenomenon among scientistS who are really Why should society care about conservation committed to conservation to abandon research behavior? and join conservation action at governmental or non‐governmental levels? Blumstein: Let's not lose track of the problem: conservation behavior isn't important per se, Blumstein: Of course, if we addressed the root conservation is important. Preventing or causes of our problems (over­consumption, slowing the rate of species is population growth, and habitat destruction) we important. Recovering extinct populations is would have fewer conservation problems; important. And, managing populations can be however, we'd still have to deal with invasive important if, by doing so, we help maintain species. And, while living in sustainable ways may . be the ultimate solution to much of our biodiversity crisis, there's still going to be single Page 3 of 12 The Conservation Behaviorist Vol. 6, No. 2, 2008

species management that needs to be done to particularly vulnerable to the introduction of save what we're losing now, and that's well new (or former) predators to their range. When I within the realm of conservation behavior. was thinking about the problem I was simultaneously thinking of the interesting conceptual problem and the applied problem.

‘Adaptive management’ has come from conservation/management. We have insights about ‘mate choice’ from those studying . An understanding of ‘endocrinology’ comes from . ‘Habitat selection’ theory comes from . ‘Learning and habituation’ has its roots in psychology. While none of these fields have been developed by conservation behaviorists, each includes specific sub­fields that might be useful when applied to a behavioral problem.

Q: Scholars in conservation behavior seem to struggle bringing their work, not only to the public, but to their own audiences? Why is it so difficult to publish scientific articles about conservation behavior in the conservation or behavior journals?

Blumstein: My opinion: because old guard behavioral biologists often are not interested in Daniel T. Blumstein © photo by M. Abt conservation and because conservation biologists Q: What major conceptual paradigms has are often not interested in behavior. Thus, conservation behavior generated to guide submissions to behavioral journals are often both the theoretical and empirical work in this perceived as too applied, and submissions to area? conservation journals are often perceived as too theoretical and irrelevant for conservation. This Blumstein: That's a hard question. Certainly, may change as we have more people who value managers should know about ecological traps, conservation behavior involved in editing and but I'm not sure the idea was specifically reviewing for the behavioral journals, but it’s – developed to solve a conservation problem. The still­ an uphill battle with the conservation more academic conservation behavior that journals. excites me is that which makes conceptual Studying advances and simultaneously offers suggestions tammar wallabies at for management. different sites that either had or did not have I believe my ‘multi­predator hypothesis’ is sympatric one of those ideas as it addresses the question predators, inspired of why there is variation in how long Blumstein to antipredator behavior persists, despite the loss propose the multi­predator of predators, and this principle can be applied hypothesis © to help understand which species might be photo by D T. Blumstein Page 4 of 12 The Conservation Behaviorist Vol. 6, No. 2, 2008

At some level, it's similar to the problem that And it seems that many of the people working in plagued the birth of conservation biology: conservation biology don't even come from a conservation was perceived as not being natural resource background! Conservation sufficiently academic. Of course conservation behavior works in the realm of single­species biology can be very academic and there are management problems. As long as there are conservation programs both in historically individual species that are being managed, there wildlife management departments as well as should be a need to see if knowledge of behavior more theoretically focused biology can be fruitfully applied to help improve departments. management.

These difficulties are calls for us to work I think there are examples where innovative harder to make the biological questions we're application of theory to solve a specific problem asking relevant, as well as being sure that we're is indeed much more generalizable to solve other really addressing a concrete conservation problems. These are the studies that will warrant problem. I would suggest that a paper that is publication in higher profile general interest entirely focused on a single­species journals. This is not to say that the twentieth management problem may indeed not be study that illustrates how feeding young with a publishable in Animal Behaviour unless there hand puppet, rather than by a person, reduces are some important take­home lessons for habituation to humans is unimportant. Rather it other species. The same paper may or may not says that higher impact publications will be publishable in Conservation Biology­where demonstrate the effectiveness of a particular they look for generalizations as well. Exciting method which can be applied to other systems. and generalizable science, whether it has a conceptual or applied focus, should be Q: What do the research funding agencies say published in the best journals. about sponsoring conservation behavior studies? What about big funding for such Q: But conservation biology has changed studies? much during the past decades. When looking at the journal Conservation Biology, for Blumstein: It seems hard to justify NSF example, readers can tell that the field‐based proposals with a behavioral conservation focus. studies, fragmentation oriented research, GIS, But, if conservation is a broader impact, and and others common a decade ago, have been there is a strong conceptual focus in such outnumbered by essays on conservation proposals, then the conservation part might just policy, management of urban‐influenced fly, and indeed be perceived as strength. Of course areas, modeling environmental changes at a NIH doesn't care about . global scale (climate), to mention a few. Isn't And, my experience with NGOs is that they're conservation behavior perceived as classical each focused on a very well­defined problem and research on, somehow, applied behavioral thus don't have the latitude to support more ecology of local relevance? Journals usually conceptually illuminating applied work. ask authors to work on articles about big‐ or small‐scale case studies but always keeping in My current pet peeve is that conservation mind a broad impact to a particular field. Do behavior illustrates what I'll call translational we have a broad area where conservation wildlife research. In NIH­speak, translational behavior has consistently made a unique research is fundamental research which also has difference? a clear human health benefit (they use the phrase "from the bench to the bedside"). As behavioral Blumstein: Yes, the field of conservation biologists, many of us engage in translational biology has changed a lot in the last decade. research with a clear wildlife conservation Page 5 of 12 The Conservation Behaviorist Vol. 6, No. 2, 2008

benefit. The field of conservation behavior is reproduction from the animal's perspective is explicitly translational in that it translates essential. fundamental advances in behavioral biology to help conserve or manage wildlife populations. Q: You are working on a textbook on behavior and conservation. What will your work offer Sadly, we don't have a funding body which that is missing in the classical animal behavior has a clearly defined objective to support such or behavioral ecology texts? translational research. I hope that with the development of the field of conservation Blumstein: Esteban Fernandez­Juricic and I are behavior we will see interest in explicitly writing ‘A Primer on Conservation Behavior’ for supporting translational behavioral ecology. At Sinauer. Our goal is to show readers (behavior this stage, I believe we need to use and define students, wildlife biology students, conservation the term whenever possible. Such lobbying is biology students, and managers) specifically how the first step towards developing a funding behavioral knowledge has been used, and could stream. be used, to help conserve and manage threatened or vulnerable species. We aim to help develop our The real irony is that even those that are readers' intellectual toolkits so that they may funded to do translational research often fail at have behavioral insights that may be useful when the translation part of the equation; the NIH facing a specific conservation problem. funds an extraordinary amount of basic science, much of which never makes it to the bedside. Thus, we're trying to hit a market that lies This does not justify our failings (which may between formal behavior courses (which have mean species !), but it does put things little conservation), and formal conservation or into perspective; it's hard to apply fundamental wildlife management courses (which have little knowledge. behavior). We're trying also to make it tutorial­in that someone with little knowledge of behavior Q: Tell us about success stories where wildlife could be introduced to a potentially useful toolkit. conservation and management have benefited directly from conservation‐behavior research. Q: You have been a contributor to The Conservation Behaviorist since Volume 1, and Blumstein: I really like the kakapo story where we have highlighted your ‘Ten Things a researchers applied sex allocation theory to Behaviorist Can do To Help Conservation’ in better manage the sex ratios of offspring. These various issues. What problems in the field of were managers with a broad fundamental conservation or its practice led you to training that realized, hey, this theory might conceptualize these ten tips? Is there anything just help us better breed our parrots! I really missing in these ten ideas that now should be like the conspecific attraction literature being addressed, or revised? applied to black­capped vireos. Vireos don't just nest anywhere; they're looking (listening) Blumstein: Conservation behavior is about for other conspecifics to find places to nest. I action. If we're going to do something, making like too the ideas being demonstrated with simple declarative lists really cuts to the chase of prairie dogs and other species where social what could or needs to be done. These were some species do better when translocated as family of the things that I'd been thinking of at the time. groups. And the literature on early experience Of course there can be many things added to this being important for later survival upon list but at the time I was thinking 'what are the reintroduction is both fascinating and impediments to action and what can individuals illustrates many successes. do to circumvent them'.

There's a whole literature It's still essential for behavioral biologists who that illustrates how thinking about want to translate knowledge of behavior into Page 6 of 12 The Conservation Behaviorist Vol. 6, No. 2, 2008

conservation outcomes to work with th conservation biologists. We may have a useful 46 Annual Meeting tool (or not) but we can't do conservation behavior in a vacuum. Conservation behavior, Animal Behavior Society as a field, will be useful as we continue to help June 22 to 26, 2009 solve real­world conservation problems. Pirenópolis, Brazil

Q: A broad and final question, where is the

'field' of animal behavior going, particularly considering the new technology available to field work and lab research, and where should conservation behavior go?

Blumstein: I've got two approaches to this. A very pragmatic and a more conceptual; both parallel my interests.

The pragmatic one is that conservation Distinguished Animal Behaviorist

behavior should address problems that Richard Dawkins, Oxford University conservation biologists and wildlife managers Plenary Lectures face. Controlling predation, managing population sizes, managing habitat use, are a Daniel Rubenstein, Princeton University few of many things that wildlife managers do Marlene Zuk, University of California – UC Riverside

on a day­to­day basis. ABS Presidential Symposium

Conceptually, there are a lot of new tools and Beyond the Selfish Gene: Research Inspired by the Contributions of Richard Dawkins; organizers: Jerry methods available today (e.g., the field of Wilkinson, University of Maryland & Jane Brockmann, genomics is starting to generate novel University of Florida.

behavioral insights), but we still don't have Symposia predictive models to explain a lot of behavior. Interacting Phenotypes: Applying Indirect Genetic Effects to For animal behavior in general, I question Behavioral Ecology; organizers: Bronwyn H. Bleakley, University of Exeter & Stephen Shuster, Northern Arizona whether chasing the newest hot idea is the University. really the best way to make fundamental An Integrative Evaluation of the Production, Perception, advances. If we step back and note that while Transmission, and of Color Visual Signals; we might be able to explain variation in mating organizers: Marina Anciães, Instituto Nacional de success in some species, we can't predict what Pesquisas da Amazonia & Kevin McGraw, Arizona State traits might be sexually selected. These sorts of University.

foundational questions have gone unanswered. Pre‐Meeting Workshops

Sibling Competition: Hugh Drummond, Universidad I think we can gain a lot by developing Nacional Autónoma de México. predictive models. If we develop predictive, Sexual Selection: Marlene Zuk, University of California, mechanistic models, we can clearly identify Riverside. consequences of behaviors and by doing How to Become More Certain about Uncertainty: An this we'll identify links to population biology Introduction to Biostatistics: Donald Blomqvist, Göteborg and ultimately management. Why are some, University

but not all, species vulnerable to human Behavioural Endocrinology: An Integrative Approach: Rui activities? What makes species vulnerable? If Oliveira, Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada

we can predict vulnerability, we can identify Coloration and Visual Communication: Stephanie Doucet, species that require extra management help University of Windsor

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FORUM Yes, specialized graduate training is necessary to become a Where does the Conservation Behaviorist

conservation By Richard Buchholz*

Despite being a relatively new discipline, conservation behaviorist fit in? behavior has an abundant theoretical literature recommending it as a tool to help stop extinctions (see “…as trained experts in the evolution of references in Buchholz 2007 and Caro 2007). The actual execution of conservation behavior in the realm of communication, animal personalities conservation management, however, remains rare. and the structure of dominance Arcese et al. (1997) point out why conservation teams should include behaviorists, but a decade later Angeloni hierarchies, [behaviorists] should be et al. (2008) conclude that conservationists and animal prepared to work with society at large to behaviorists are not showing much evidence of ensure positive outcomes for protecting interacting to save biodiversity. The reason for this disconnect, I believe, is that specialized training is biodiversity…” says Richard Buchholz necessary for the conservation behaviorist to successfully translate his/her research into conservation action. “…conducting effective Conservation Conservation biology is inherently multidisciplinary; disparate fields from the social, biological and other Behavior is more likely with broad sciences contribute data and methodology that are used training, on­going flexibility, and a focus to conserve species. on the ends rather than the means… The activity of actually saving a habitat patch behavior will nearly always contribute or threatened only partially to conservation population requires that this team of says Colleen Cassady St. Clair solutions…” disparate experts, along with policy As the field of Conservation Behavior makers and local continues to develop, graduate students are ‘stakeholders,’ agree beginning to ask how to prepare for a career to an effective plan of in this highly rewarding but specialized action. Where does the conservation subfield. Should they attempt to tailor their behaviorist fit in? He graduate training to Conservation Behavior? or she is an expert Or should they get a solid foundation in team member whose Animal Behavior and plan to branch into expertise comes from research with a conservation application after integrative training in . graduate school? These questions are often Richard Buchholz © Olemiss PPRR posed to ABS Conservation Committee members and the issue sparked a lively To be an effective conservation behaviorist requires discussion among our membership last spring. training in Tinbergen’s four approaches to ethology (see We found that there were many different Buchholz 2007 for an explanation), experience with case studies where animal behavior has been used to help views on the topic and a more thorough develop solutions to conservation management problems, discussion was necessary. The following and an understanding of how to connect behavioral essays by Richard Buchholz and Colleen information to population viability issues. Typically, a Cassady St. Clair explore the pros and cons of graduate program in ecology and evolution, or one in specialized training in Conservation Behavior. wildlife management, would be lacking in one or more of these areas. For example, a graduate program in ecology and evolution might not place much emphasis on Page 8 of 12 The Conservation Behaviorist Vol. 6, No. 2, 2008

behavioral mechanisms, such as the sensory systems, grant‐getting. As a result departments can be less even though these proximate causes of behavior are neophobic about new disciplines such as conservation intimately linked to conservation issues such as human‐ behavior. wildlife conflict and the non‐lethal impacts of pollutants. Wildlife biologists might not be trained in I think the harder ‘sell’ for the conservation behaviorist the ontogeny of behavior, despite its importance to will be to get hired by state and federal wildlife agencies, managing the anti‐predator tactics or migratory and non‐governmental environmental organizations. movements of reintroduced captive‐bred wildlife. Even These employers may have established tasks that are programs in animal behavior may be lacking in the required of the employee, and it is unlikely that they will elements necessary to link behavioral study to be immediately receptive to overhauling their data conservation action. Thankfully, some graduate animal collection procedures to incorporate behavioral variation. behavior programs have anticipated this problem. For agency positions, I suspect, it will be much more Students in the Behavior and Conservation of Wild critical to have prior connections with existing personnel Animals option of the graduate Animal Behavior than would be required to get a faculty position in program at the University of California, Davis, for academia. Unfortunately, the aspiring conservation example, are required to take course‐work in behaviorist is unlikely to meet very many US Fish and population‐level processes, such as population viability Wildlife Service researchers at an Animal Behavior analysis (PVA). Programmatic limits are notable Society meeting. They’ll need to attend regional wildlife impediments at smaller universities where such management conventions and forge research alliances courses are not readily available in other departments with local agency personnel in order to develop a in the same institution. For example, a student in the network of colleagues that can assist in finding Animal Behavior and Conservation concentration of the employment. Master of Arts in Psychology at Hunter College in New York might need to look to other local institutions to Because zoos and aquariums often have a stronger find a course on PVA. focus on individual animals under their care, I think they will be more open to the idea of hiring a conservation Thus conservation behavior training is unique (and behaviorist. Many zoos and aquariums have active perhaps a bit odd) in that it should be integrative conservation programs for the in‐house propagation and within its focus on behavior, and interdisciplinary in care of (e.g. CRES at the San Diego that it must link to population‐level and landscape‐level Zoo in California), as well as for field‐based management ecological, evolutionary and human economic of threatened animals (e.g. the Wildlife Conservation consequences. A conservation behaviorist serving on a Society’s international field programs based at the Bronx conservation management team is likely to be the only Zoo, New York). Again, I don’t think it is likely that they person present with exhaustive training in how and will advertise for a conservation behaviorist per se any why animals behave. It is crucial that they are able to time soon. The zoo conservationist position description, explain to non‐behaviorists comparable conservation however, almost certainly will mention an emphasis on problems that have been aided by behavioral hiring a candidate experienced in behavioral biology. knowledge, and can translate behavioral information into the population level currency of decision‐makers. In conclusion, I believe that specialized training is required of the conservation behaviorist. Because the Is it possible to get a job as a conservation conservation behaviorist is likely to be the sole behavior behaviorist? More than likely, it will be sometime expert on a conservation team, it is essential that they are before we see employment opportunities titled this well‐versed in all areas of ethology (i.e. the mechanisms, way. It is important to keep in mind that ‘conservation ontogeny, adaptive function and phylogeny of behavior), ’ jobs in academia were rare at the outset of even if they specialize in only one of these. In addition, this new discipline, and the same is likely to be true of they have the burden of convincing others on the team conservation behavior. Fortuitously, the beauty of that variation in the behavior of individual animals is of being trained as a conservation behaviorist is that one significance to the population‐ and landscape‐level is suitable for related job titles as well: mammalogist, phenomena that determine whether threatened animal entomologist, vertebrate ecologist, reproductive species can be managed so that they can thrive despite endocrinologist, zoo curator and comparative anthropogenic threats. The last kind of training that psychologist are all possible employment positions, for conservation behaviorists should have may not be example, depending on one’s area of research ‘specialized’ in any scientific sense, but it is nonetheless specialization within behavior. If conservation critical to conservation success. That is, the conservation behaviorist positions are advertised in academia, they behaviorist must develop a penchant and desire for will most likely occur first in smaller, regional colleges outreach to wildlife managers, policy makers and the and universities. Success at smaller schools might not general public. Conservation projects are easily scuttled be as dependent on multi‐million dollar biomedical by legal, political and biological misunderstandings. As Page 9 of 12 The Conservation Behaviorist Vol. 6, No. 2, 2008

trained experts in the evolution of communication, bust building economy, John mentioned that he’s applied animal personalities and the structure of dominance for some research assistantship positions with his honors hierarchies, we should be prepared to work with sociology degree. John is a passionate specialist while society at large to ensure positive outcomes for maintaining the option value of a generalist. protecting biodiversity. I think similar logic applies to a prudent student of *Richard Buchholz is at the Department of Biology, The University of Conservation Behavior. Like West Indian steel drums, Mississippi, [email protected] Conservation Behavior is a specialization within a specialization. Degree designations in my own References Department of Biological Sciences suggest just how Angeloni, L. et al. 2008. A reassessment of the interface between specialized it is. Despite being the largest biology conservation and behaviour. Animal Behaviour, 75: 731‐737. department in Canada (with ~70 faculty members), and Arcese, P. et al. 1997. Why hire a behaviorist into a conservation or offering undergraduate specializations in 13 sub‐ management team? In Behavioural Approaches to Conservation in the Wild (Clemmons, J.R. and Buchholz R. eds), pp. 48‐71, Cambridge disciplines, ‘Ecology’ is the most relevant distinction it University Press. can offer to a budding Conservation Behaviorist. The

Buchholz, R. 2007. Behavioural biology: an effective and relevant options for degree designation in Behavior are no better. conservation tool. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 22: 401‐407. But even without this apparent lack of degree

Caro, T. 2007. Behaviour and conservation: a bridge too far? Trends specialization, the diverse course offerings in this Ecology and Evolution, 22: 394‐400. department (~120) provide surprisingly comprehensive coverage of the biological disciplines relevant to Conservation Biology. Both characteristics are mirrored for graduate students, but that doesn’t seem to matter to Training in Conservation and the practice of producing conservation research. A recent survey identified this university as being the most Behavior is only the beginning productive in Canada for its conservation publications (Grant et al. 2007), but I know of only two individuals By Colleen Cassady St. Clair* who were hired as conservation biologists. Recently we hired our first Conservation Behaviorist, Peter Biro. Peter Highly specialized training in Conservation Behavior is passionate about is not only difficult to achieve, it’s counter‐productive to the link between the employment prospects and potential contributions conservation and of a would‐be Conservation Behaviorist. In Canada, for behavior, but he example, with a tenth of the US population and won the position as correspondingly fewer positions for participating in a conservation solutions, a Conservation Behaviorist Ecologist for his needs to be flexible and very broadly trained. In this solid contributions essay, I’ll explain why I think that broader education is to fish ecology and an asset and I’ll retrace some of the developmental conservation. Like steps of this nascent discipline to offer my opinion as to John the drummer, why a need for breadth is likely to remain. Then I’ll many of us have suggest that a primary focus on conservation outcomes favorite specialties, can guide both education and career choices. By the but we can wear end, I hope to convince the reader that Conservation many hats. Behavior is best served by the same principles that

benefit all conservation endeavors: flexibility, breadth Colleen Cassady St. Clair of expertise, and a focus on the ends rather than the means. The short history of our discipline has a lot to do with the lack of specificity in degree designations and job My position about the limitations of specialization is advertisements. Conservation Biology itself dates only illustrated by my friend John who is a drummer. John is from the mid 1980’s (Soule´ 1985). Conservation not just a drummer, but a specialist in steel drums. Not Behavior followed as a recognizable sub‐discipline barely just steel drums, but big West Indian steel drums, a decade ago (Clemmons & Buchholz 1997), but in that which he especially loves. John plays and teaches time it has mushroomed in both scope and application. drumming professionally but, predictably, this is not an Conservation Behaviorists, as we’ve only recently begun easy way to make a living in a northern Canadian city. to call ourselves, are justifiably excited about the Luckily, John is also skilled at carpentry and he does prospects. Four edited collections, a handful of synthesis that professionally as well. When we chatted last week articles, and dozens of research contributions support about the recent downturn in Edmonton’s boom and this enthusiasm (Buchholz 2007). Nonetheless, the real Page 10 of 12 The Conservation Behaviorist Vol. 6, No. 2, 2008

test of the importance of Behavior to Conservation will It wants tangible solutions to specific problems by the be the frequency with which knowledge of animal fastest route possible. behavior is integral to conservation solutions. Experts differ in their views of this frequency. Tim Caro thinks The urgency with which conservation solutions are that such examples are quite rare (Caro 2007). And, invariably sought further supports my contention that indeed, examples of conservation behavior are rare in every working conservation biologist, behaviorally‐ some of the quarters where we would most like to see inclined or otherwise, needs a broad tool kit of expertise. I them thrive. A decade ago, Bill Sutherland showed that think that this breadth is compromised by overly‐specific there were no examples of Conservation Behavior in training at undergraduate or graduate levels. My own the journal Animal Behaviour (Sutherland 1998). graduate students demonstrate the need for breadth well. Recently, Angeloni et al. (2008) revealed that the In our studies of movement behavior in fragmented situation hasn’t changed much despite the support of , we concentrate principally on the behavioral our parent Animal Behavior Society (Conservation processes of movement and habitat selection. But my Behavior: From Implications to Applications 2007). students also need advanced skills in GIS, GPS, statistics, and vegetation measurements. This need for breadth Why don’t more behaviorists value conservation increases exponentially when students enter the real research? Although the total suite of reasons is as world. Several of my former students work for private diverse as the individuals who study behavior, two consulting companies, provincial or federal agencies, or main problems are usually apparent. Both are also non‐governmental organizations devoted to conservation among the reasons that Conservation Behaviorists need issues. None works exclusively with behavior and too very broad training in Ecology. First, conservation is much specialization in it would be a liability. A consulting necessarily focused on the viability of populations in a company with a single biologist could not afford for that way that smacks of group selection to many senior person to provide only behavioral expertise. A provincial behaviorists. These are people who cut their teeth in species at risk biologist could not expect to apply a the hay‐day of optimality when it founded the still‐ behavioral component to every population decline or its young discipline of Behavioral Ecology. Conservation recovery. Those employed by NGO’s, which have endeavors geared to the benefit of populations and notoriously thin budgets, would need to address species are inherently uninteresting to many people conservation problems with every disciplinary tool at who have spent entire careers exploring the fascinating their disposal, reaching well outside of biology let alone intricacies of individual variation. This difference in the Behavior or Conservation Behavior. biological units of study promotes a second reason that Conservation and Behavior are difficult to integrate: the As I mature in my own career and have more theoretical underpinnings of the two disciplines are involvement in civic, provincial, national, and radically different. Most behaviorists are not interested international conservation initiatives, I realize even more in management problems like population viability and how essential it is to have broad expertise in a range of reserve design. They never talk about social‐science ecological domains. Sometimes I need to know about things like conservation values and market stream hydrology, plant succession, predator‐prey externalities. Conservation theory just doesn’t offer dynamics, taxonomy, or genetic introgressions; topics I many academic attractors for classically‐trained have not studied since I was an undergraduate, if at all. behaviorists. This enduring bias makes a primary focus National and international conservation involvement on conservation a much safer bet for those with interest takes me even farther from my comfort zone and into the in both conservation and behavior. realm of policy, sociology, and advocacy. Practically every day of my working life I find myself wishing I knew more Staking a primary claim in conservation requires real about more disciplines. It doesn’t happen very often that breadth of training for a budding conservation I feel the same urgency to know more about Behavior, behaviorist. She cannot expect to impress except out of interest and for the purposes of keeping my conservationists, or make important contributions to Behavioral Ecology course fresh and current. When I need conservation problems, with behavior training alone. to know more about a specific behavioral domain for Just as classical behaviorists don’t value conservation research purposes, I know exactly where to look and I am applications, conservationists do not have much time well‐armed with a library of resources and well‐ for the theoretical basis or history of behavior. connected to a network of experts. Somewhat counter‐ Conservationists don’t think about Tinbergen’s intuitively, I can afford to be less immediately informed questions, levels of analysis, reproductive skew, or sex about every dimension of my specialization precisely ratio evolution unless these issues are made relevant to because I know enough to get more informed easily and specific conservation problems and solutions. Because quickly. conservation biology is such a crisis discipline, it never has the luxury of spending time, money, or education The final component of my position on Conservation on tangential issues of potential or historical relevance. Behavior is the importance of approaching conservation Page 11 of 12 The Conservation Behaviorist Vol. 6, No. 2, 2008

with a solid focus on identifying problems and finding In Behavioral Ecology and Conservation Biology. Oxford University Press, edited by T. Caro. solutions, not the methods by which we do so. If we want to halt the decline of a species in a particular Grant J.B. et al. 2007. Academic institutions in the United States and region, we need to know two things: what is causing the Canada ranked according to research productivity in the field of conservation biology. Conservation Biology 21: 1139‐1144 decline and how can it be stopped. Behavior plays a role in understanding both the problems and the solutions Soule´, M.E. 1985. What is conservation biology? Bioscience, 35: 727‐ 734. of a large percentage of conservation problems, particularly when we include human behavior, but it is Sutherland, W.J. 1998. The importance of behavioural studies in conservation biology. Animal Behaviour, 56: 801‐809. almost never the elegant panacea provided by the famous wood duck example (Eadie et al. 1998). In many instances, behavior is likely to play a more minor or convoluted role. Every one of my students measures The E. O. Wilson biological phenomena beyond behavior despite sharing with me that primary interest. I firmly believe that Conservation Award 2009 without this multi‐pronged approach, we could not provide balanced descriptions of conservation The Edward O. Wilson ABS Student Research problems or their solutions. I think this practice is Grant for Conservation seeks to encourage widespread. Indeed, one reason that behavior appears graduate students of animal behavior to not to be more integrated in conservation research may actually be an issue of prevalence rather than presence participate in meaningful conservation‐related when we survey the literature. research. The award is part of the ABS Student Research Grant Program and it supports a In this essay, I’ve tried to convince readers that proposal considered meritorious for its science conducting effective Conservation Behavior is more and conservation component. likely with broad training, on‐going flexibility, and a focus on the ends rather than the means. I suggest we E. O. Wilson, professor at Harvard University, all benefit in our current studies from the broader who in 2002 received the ABS Distinguished training we acquired in the parent disciplines of Animal Behaviorist Award, is one of the world's Conservation and Behavior and that behavior will most eminent scientists and pioneers in nearly always contribute only partially to conservation biodiversity conservation. solutions. Conservation Behavior is a passion for a growing cadre of Behaviorists, all of whom have wider dimensions to their interests and research programs. Award Recipients

But like my friend John, who really enjoys playing West Indian steel drums, these behaviorists do not need to 2008: Julie Jedlicka make their entire living with Conservation Behavior to enjoy advancing that passion. And like John, they would University of California Santa Cruz be foolish to try. The very process of trying to make Conservation Behavior fit every conservation context 2007: Jordan Thomson would deny us of the pleasure of recognizing the rarer – but still common enough– instances of a perfect fit. Simon Fraser University

*Colleen Cassady St. Clair is at Department of Biological Sciences, 2006: Alysa Remsburg University of Alberta, [email protected] University of Wisconsin References

Angeloni, L. et al. 2008. A reassessment of the interface between 2005: Heidi Fisher conservation and behaviour. Animal Behaviour, 75: 731‐737. Boston University Buchholz, R. 2007. Behavioural biology: an effective and relevant conservation tool. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 22: 401‐407.

Caro, T. 2007. Behaviour and conservation: a bridge too far? Trends 2004: Jason Munshi­South in Ecology & Evolution 22: 394‐400. University of Maryland College Park

Clemmons, J.R. & Buchholz, R., eds. 1997. Behavioral Approaches to Conservation in the Wild, Cambridge University Press. For additional information on this award visit Conservation Behavior: From implications to applications. A symposium at the 2007 meeting of the Animal Behavior Society, see www.animalbehavior.org/ABSGrants or http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSConservation. contact the Conservation Committee

Eadie J.M. et al. B 1998. Conspecific brood parasitism, population [email protected] dynamics, and the conservation of cavity‐nesting birds. Pp. 306–340 Page 12 of 12 The Conservation Behaviorist Vol. 6, No. 2, 2008