Virtual Graphic Facilitation: This session was illustrated in real time. Click for an illustrated summary of this Shout event. Refer to the drawing as a memento of the session and to inspire continued exploration of this topic.
The work of forest conservation can sometimes seem paradoxical. On one hand, conservationists strive to preserve animal populations for the sake of forest diversity. On the other hand, some animal populations can endanger this diversity. In most of the developing world, deer species are endangered; but in developed countries, deer have reached populations levels that make their management necessary to reach other conservation goals. This session explored the question of how forests function under different “densities of deer.”
Dr. Bill McShea
Bill McShea is a wildlife ecologist for the Smithsonian’s Conservation Biology Institute at Front Royal, Virginia. He has edited two volumes on wildlife management and has published more than eighty articles in ecological journals. His current research focuses on the management of animal populations in forested ecosystems, including giant pandas in China, rare deer in Cambodia, large mammals along the Appalachian Trail, and migratory birds at high-elevation sites in Virginia. In addition, he offers courses to teachers on using forests to explain biodiversity concepts to students.