Behaviour and Conservation

How does an understanding of the behaviour of a given animal species contribute to its conservation? The answer has profound consequences for our efforts to conserve endangered species. Here, evolution and behaviour are used to help solve problems in practical conservation, and to suggest a new direction for behavioural ecology.

How does an understanding of the behaviour of a given animal species contribute to its conservation? The answer to this question has profound consequences for our efforts to conserve endangered species. Behaviour and Conservation links the extraordinary advances that have been made in behavioural ecology over the last 30 years with the new discipline of conservation biology. It uses the power of an evolutionary approach to help solve problems in practical conservation, and suggests a new direction for behavioural ecology. The book addresses the ways in which behaviour and conservation interact, investigating the conservation impact of people, habitat loss and fragmentation, threats to wild populations of animals, conservation priorities and the use of behavioural approaches for conservation applications. Leading authorities in animal behaviour outline the relevance of their work to key problems in animal conservation for all researchers and students in the behavioural sciences and conservation biology.