9th International Deer Biology Congress

AUTHORS: J. Alfonso Ortega-S., Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville; Jorge G. Villarreal G., Consejo Estatal de Flora y Fauna de Nuevo Leon

ABSTRACT: White-tailed deer was almost extinct in Mexico in the 1970’s because of excessive harvesting and other problems like the screwworms. One of the major challenges for wildlife sustainability in general is the impact of the growth of the population on the environment; most of the landscapes in Mexico have been modified to be used by humans. Habitat deterioration and fragmentation is one of the most important problems for wildlife sustainability. Approximately, 70% of the country shows some level of desertification and 50% of the original plant communities have been lost. Introduction of exotic grasses such as buffelgrass (Penisetum ciliare) to improve forage productivity for feeding domestic animals is an activity that negatively affects habitat for wildlife species. However, introduction of exotic grasses will continue for as long as livestock production remains an important economic activity. Information to determine the middle point to optimize cattle production and wildlife is necessary to implement management programs to achieve this objective. Some examples of successful habitat and wildlife restoration in cattle operations include the case of the “Cuenca Palo Blanco” in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, where owners of 130,000 ha comprised of 51 management units were organized to manage habitat, cattle, and wildlife with specific objectives and have shown excellent results. The awareness of the importance of wildlife conservation in Mexico has increased, however, education efforts focusing on land owners, managers, wildlife professionals, as well as politicians and government employees that participate in policy development and wildlife conservation decisions is crucial. Natural resources education from elementary to high school need to be considered in education programs to develop conservation principles in the new generations. The need for wildlife professionals is unquestionable, one of the main reasons for this is the lack of institutions offering degrees in wildlife management, some universities in the country in an attempt to solve this problem offer some specific courses in wildlife management, which is good but not enough. In terms of generation of knowledge, many of the basic questions pointed out by Leopold in the 50’s  still valid especially in tropical regions even when in the last 25 years the understanding and interest for conservation and sustainable wildlife management has increased dramatically. Groups of researchers in different areas of the country continue working on specific regional problems on wildlife management and the efforts to build strong relationships among institutions to solve common problems are commendable, however, a stronger and stable support is needed to consolidate these relationships.