North American Wildlife Policy and Law / Edited by Bruce D. Leopold, Winifred B. Kessler, James L. Cummins

Students, university faculty, and wildlife professionals now have an indispensable book that provides a full and accurate account of natural resource policy and law as it relates to wildlife in North America and beyond. The comprehensive text begins with an in-depth examination of wildlife policy and law, creating a foundation for the subsequent detailed material.

This introductory section covers the need and history of wildlife policy and law, wildlife and gun ownership, history of wildlife law and law enforcement, jurisdictional issues among federal, state, provincial, and indigenous peoples as they relate to natural resource management, processes by which policy and laws are formed at various levels of government, statutory law and agency rule-making, relationships of indigenous peoples to natural resources, and usage of natural resources for subsistence.

With this foundation set, readers are greeted with informative sections covering:

• The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and Public Trust Doctrine,
• Federal and Canadian jurisdiction, with detailed discussions on dozens of acts including their impacts and challenges, ranging from the Lacey Act to the Wilderness Act, Endangered Species Act, Clean Air Act, and others,
• The how and why behind federal, state and provincial agencies, and conservation organizations,
• An overview of international wildlife conservation and how it contrasts with North American policy,
• The policy job in conservation and what processes are involved when developing and implementing policy and law, and
• The various roles of the citizenry and wildlife professionals in policy making.

The book concludes with an informative discussion of the politics of managing wildlife and natural resources, including roles of political parties, elected officials, government agencies, the courts, non-profit organizations, the public and the media.

Contributors include professors from prominent wildlife programs across the country and throughout the world, biologists holding top-level jobs in government agencies, and current natural resource professionals on the ground in Washington, D.C.