American Bison Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines 2010
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American Bison Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines 2010 Edited by C. Cormack Gates, Curtis H. Freese, Peter J.P. Gogan, and Mandy Kotzman IUCN/SSC American Bison Specialist Group IUCN IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. IUCN works on biodiversity, climate change, energy, human livelihoods and greening the world economy by supporting scientific research, managing field projects all over the world, and bringing governments, NGOs, the UN and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice. IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization, with more than 1,000 government and NGO members and almost 11,000 volunteer experts in some 160 countries. IUCN’s work is supported by over 1,000 staff in 60 offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world. IUCN Species Programme The IUCN Species Programme supports the activities of the IUCN Species Survival Commission and individual Specialist Groups, as well as implementing global species conservation initiatives. It is an integral part of the IUCN Secretariat and is managed from IUCN’s international headquarters in Gland, Switzerland. The Species Programme includes a number of technical units covering Wildlife Trade, the Red List, Freshwater Biodiversity Assessments (all located in Cambridge, UK), and the Global Biodiversity Assessment Initiative (located in Washington DC, USA). IUCN Species Survival Commission The Species Survival Commission (SSC) is the largest of IUCN’s six volunteer commissions with a global membership of 8,000 experts. SSC advises IUCN and its members on the wide range of technical and scientific aspects of species conservation and is dedicated to securing a future for biodiversity. SSC has significant input into the international agreements dealing with biodiversity conservation. Web: http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/species/about_ssc/ IUCN SSC Bison Specialist Group The Bison Specialist Group is a voluntary network of people professionally involved in the study, conservation, and sustainable management of bison in Europe and North America. The BSG consists of two divisions, the European Bison Specialist Group and the American Bison Specialist Group (ABSG). The ABSG is committed to the development of comprehensive and viable strategies and management actions to enhance conservation and achieve ecological restoration of American bison as wildlife where feasible throughout the original range of the species. The ABSG operates under the authority of the Species Survival Commission of IUCN— International Union for Conservation of Nature. ii American Bison: Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines 2010 American Bison Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines 2010 Edited by C. Cormack Gates, Curtis H. Freese, Peter J.P. Gogan, and Mandy Kotzman American Bison: Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines 2010 iii The designation of geographical entities in this report, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN. Published by: IUCN, Gland, Switzerland Copyright: © 2010 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Citation: Gates, C.C., Freese, C.H., Gogan, P.J.P. and Kotzman, M. (eds. and comps.) (2010). American Bison: Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines 2010. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. ISBN: 978-2-8317-1149-2 Cover design by: C. Cormack Gates Front cover photo: Plains bison bull tending a cow (photo Diane Hargreaves/Hargreavesphoto.com) Back cover photo: Wood bison cow with calf (photo Doug Lindstrand) Layout by: Amy Kelley Produced by: IUCN-SSC-American Bison Specialist Group Printed by: Insty Prints, Bozeman, Montana Available from: The websites of IUCN Publications Services, IUCN/Species Survival Commission, World Wildlife Fund, American Bison Society, and Wildlife Conservation Society iv American Bison: Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines 2010 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................................xi Authors, contributors and their affiliations .............................................................................................xii Acronyms ................................................................................................................................................xiii Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................. xv CHAPTER 1 Introduction: The Context ................................................................................................... 1 1.1 The Species Survival Commission and the American Bison Specialist Group ...................... 1 1.2 Context .................................................................................................................................. 1 1.3 Current Challenges for Conservation and Ecological Restoration of Bison as Wildlife ......... 2 1.4 Large Wild Populations ........................................................................................................... 2 1.5 Conserving the Wild Character and Genome of Bison............................................................ 3 1.6 Reportable Diseases ............................................................................................................... 4 1.7 Purpose of this Document ...................................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER 2 History of Bison in North America ...................................................................................... 5 2.1 Palaeobiology and Phylogeny ............................................................................................... 5 2.2 Original Range ........................................................................................................................ 6 2.3 Abundance .............................................................................................................................. 7 2.4 Extirpation .............................................................................................................................. 8 2.5 Early Recovery ........................................................................................................................ 8 2.6 Cultural Significance .............................................................................................................. 9 CHAPTER 3 Taxonomy and Nomenclature ............................................................................................13 3.1 An Historical Misnomer: Bison vs. Buffalo ............................................................................13 3.2 Genus: Bos vs. Bison .............................................................................................................13 3.3 Subspecies ...........................................................................................................................15 CHAPTER 4 Genetics ............................................................................................................................19 4.1 Reduction of Genetic Diversity ..............................................................................................19 4.2 Hybridisation .........................................................................................................................21 4.2.1 Plains bison x wood bison ..........................................................................................21 4.2.2 Domestic cattle x bison ..............................................................................................22 4.3 Domestication ........................................................................................................................24 CHAPTER 5 Reportable or Notifiable Diseases ....................................................................................27 5.1 Diseases of Conservation Concern .......................................................................................28 5.1.1 Anaplasmosis..............................................................................................................28 5.1.2 Anthrax .......................................................................................................................28 5.1.3 Bluetongue ..................................................................................................................29 American Bison: Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines 2010 v 5.1.4 Bovine spongiform encephalopathy ...........................................................................30 5.1.5 Bovine brucellosis ......................................................................................................30 5.1.6 Bovine tuberculosis ....................................................................................................31