11 Jun Ottawa BIO 3124 -CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
Question
BIO 3115 CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2017 ASSIGNMENT 1:
REWILDING
Rewilding is large-scale conservation aimed at restoring and protecting natural processes and
core wilderness areas, providing connectivity between such areas, and protecting or
reintroducing apex predators and keystone species. A number of rewilding projects have been
proposed and indeed, undertaken, including: the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone
National Park in the United States; reintroducing beaver to Wales; and reintroduction of jaguar
into the southern United States and Mexico. In the view of George Monbiot, in rewilding is the
salvation of the natural world (http://www.monbiot.com/2013/05/27/a-manifesto-for-rewildingthe-world/ ).
The idea of rewilding has been extended to the (re)creation of extinct ecosystems with the
idea of reintroducing species to areas from which they – or their evolutionary ancestors – have
been extirpated for millennia. The concept of “Pleistocene” rewilding, for example, considers
the idea of introducing tigers and elephants, to replace the sabre-tooth cats and mastodons that
once roamed the Great Plains of North America.
Using information from the primary literature (several references have been provided as a
starting point below) please answer the following question:
Based on your review of the literature on rewilding, what are the major scientific pros and cons
for rewilding?
Please note that the focus of this assignment are the scientific concerns associated with the
rewilding agenda. As discussed (ad nauseam?) in class, there are a number of non-scientific
issues involved or implicated in rewilding, all ultimately affecting the public acceptability of
rewilding. Although these issues are important – indeed, critical – in this assignment you should
focus on the scientific issues and questions.
Your answer should be no more than 500 well-chosen words, excluding references. Think
carefully about how best to organize and structure your answer. Aim for high information
density: say a lot, but say it succinctly. Recall Nietzche’s famous remark: It is my ambition to
say in ten sentences what others say in whole books – what other’s don’t say in whole books.”
Include a complete set of references, and cite them appropriately in your text, using the style and
format of a scientific article. For a concise and readable guide to scientific writing, see
http://www.bms.bc.ca/resources/library/pdf/GuidelinesScientificPapers.pdf .
Respect the submission deadlines. Late or missed assignments will receive a grade of zero,
unless you have discussed the issue with me beforehand. DO NOT wait until the last minute to
submit, as network and communication glitches often (apparently) occur.
Submit your answer using the textbox provided on Virtual Campus. Do not submit an attached
file. 1 Make sure you are familiar with, and understand, the university’s policy on academic fraud. As
you are probably aware, there are various tools available to instructors for checking for
plagiarism – forewarned is forearmed. Evaluation rubric
The assignment is graded out of 10. Minimum mark resolution is 0.5 marks. In general, the
grade will depend on how comprehensively the student has enumerated and described
(succinctly!) the pros and cons that have been discussed in the scientific literature.
Grading element Total
possible
score
Evidence that student has consulted primary literature in addition to that 1
provided in the question itself
Proper use and formatting of citations and references
1
Rewilding pros. In describing each pro, students should state the “pro” as well 4
as providing an empirical example of a situation (study) where the benefits
(“pros”) have been realized. In other words, the focus here should be primarily
on “pros” for which there is empirical evidence
Rewilding cons. In describing each con, students should state the “con” as well 4
as providing an empirical example of a situation (study) where the costs (“cons”)
have been realized. In other words, the focus here should be primarily on “cons”
for which there is empirical evidence
Bibliography (to get you started)
Caraco, T and P. Sherman. 2007. Rewilding can cause rather than solve ecological problems.
Nature 462: 985| doi:10.1038/462985b; Published online 23 December 2009.
Donlan, J. et al., "Re-wilding North America," Nature 436 (18 Aug. 2005): 913-914.
Luiz G. R. Oliveira-Santos and Fernando A. S. Fernandez, "Pleistocene Rewilding, Frankenstein
Ecosystems, and an Alternative Conservation Agenda," Conservation Biology 24: 4.
Michael Soulé and Reed Noss, "Rewilding and Biodiversity: Complementary Goals for
Continental Conservation," Wild Earth 8 (Fall 1998) 19-28.
Lorimer, J.A. et al. 2015. Rewilding: science, practice and politics. Annual Review of
Environment and Resources 40: 39-62. For an interesting popular account of rewilding in the UK, see:
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