VIRGINIA
TECH PROFESSOR CHAIRS
ECONOMIC GROWTH AND
WILDLIFE REVIEW
BLACKSBURG,
April 5, 2003 - David
Trauger, a fisheries
and wildlife professor
and head of the College
of Natural Resources
program at Virginia
Tech's Northern Virginia
Campus, led a technical
review of the relationship
between economic growth
and wildlife conservation.
Sponsored by the Wildlife
Society, the review
examined the compatibility
of economic growth
and wildlife.
"The
economy throughout
our nation's history
has grown steadily,
fueled by technological
progress of human
desires," explains
Trauger. "This growth
has been accompanied
by a general decline
in habitats and populations
of wild creatures,
so this review poses
the question: is there
an alternative to
this fundamental and
inevitable conflict?"
The 22-page technical
review, published
in March 2003, was
written by a committee
of six authors. The
review explores the
relationship between
economic growth to
consumer trends, social
values, human population,
ecological principles,
technological progress,
and wildlife conservation.
This politically sensitive
issue is one the organization
has looked at for
many years, with findings
culminating in the
recent Wildlife Society
Symposium and a series
of articles in the
journal Wildlife
Society Bulletin.
Trauger
said that the economic
review "is a very
important step for
the Wildlife Society
because of the high
degree of correlation
between economic growth
and increasing numbers
of threatened and
endangered species."
The review will act
as a form of outreach
communication to other
organizations and
professionals in the
wildlife field for
increasing awareness
about the fundamental
conflict and for identifying
potential solutions.
The
Wildlife Society is
an association of
professionals dedicated
to excellence in wildlife
stewardship through
science and education.
To receive an electronic
copy of this technical
review contact Bill
Rooney, managing director
of The Wildlife Society,
at (301) 897-9770
or bill@wildlife.org.
