The Role of Protection 



Protection plays an important part in wildlife management. The best 

 habitats are of no value to wildlife if there are no breeders to occupy 

 them. But to argue that total protection is the answer for all wildlife 

 problems is a dangerous oversimplification. It ignores the differing needs 

 of the various species. 



With the exception of a few species considered pests in certain 

 situations, nearly all birds and mammals receive some degree of legal 

 protection. Songbirds, eagles, hawks, egrets, and many other types of 

 birds are granted continuing protection under state and federal laws. 

 Most states provide full legal protection for endangered species found 

 within their borders. At the federal level, the endangered species pro- 

 grams and the new world treaty governing trade in threatened and 

 endangered species provide additional protection for our less common 

 forms of wildlife. Violators of these laws risk heavy penalties in state 

 and federal courts. 



But the degree of protection needed by the different species varies as 

 widely as their habitat requirements. The loss of only a few individuals 

 of an endangered species like the whooping crane or California condor 

 would be critical. On the other hand, the coyote, in spite of persecution 

 since early times, thrives in the face of adversity. It remains common on 

 most of the western prairies and has extended its original range into the 

 South and East. 



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