Wildlife Management, Conservation and Sustainability

Dear Colleagues,

Wildlife management is becoming increasingly critical to improving the sustainability of biodiversity and the welfare of human beings.  Wildlife management is the science and practice of species conservation and restoration, as well as active management for the wise use of renewable natural resources. The management and use of wild animals generate ethical disagreements and dilemmas including human needs, preferences and interests, concern for individual animal welfare, and the value of biodiversity. Conservation is becoming an increasingly important component in the management of animal populations and their habitats. All wildlife problems have to be addressed in the context of the whole ecosystem, and cannot be solved in isolation of other species and environments. The skills in the field of wildlife management and conservation, complemented by specific issues related to the sustainable management of terrestrial and aquatic fauna resources, along with the impact of climate change, have made the conservation and management of wild areas and wild animals a top priority. They concern the effects on wildlife and ecosystems that are related to human activities, possible interactions between humans and wildlife, and the perspectives on wildlife and ecosystem management. Moreover, a special chapter will be dedicated to the African swine fever (EFSA) because of its serious socio-economic consequences and the strategies for managing wild boar at different stages of an epidemic of ASF: what should be done before, during, and after.

This Special Issue is focused on highlighting the different aspects surrounding wildlife management referring to terrestrial and aquatic fauna resources as well as chiropterans and birds, mustelids, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. In this context, special attention will be given to faunistic monitoring and managing, eco-ethologic studies and research, hunting management and planning, prevention of damages caused by wild animals, and the use of digital cartography through GIS.

This Special Issue is focused on highlighting the different aspects surrounding wildlife management related to terrestrial and aquatic fauna resources with particular attention to species of conservation interest of each class. In this context, we want to deepen the monitoring and wildlife management, eco-ethological studies and research, hunting management and planning, the interactions between wild animals and anthropogenic activities, and the use of models on distribution and population dynamics.

Suggest themes:

• Management of conflicts among wildlife, territory, and anthropogenic activities;
• Wild species and ecosystems;
• Management/conservation;
• Biodiversity conservation;
• Biological diversity;
• Wild fauna and protected areas;
• Evaluation of damages determined by wild ungulates to vegetation in forests and in agricultural exploitation;
• Relationship predator/prey and evaluation of the trophic cascade;
• Strategies for managing wild boar at different stages of an epidemic of ASF;
• Wildlife and zoonotic disease.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: management of wild ungulates with particular reference to census systems, data collection, and prevention of conflict with anthropogenic activities.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Nicoletta Miraglia
Dr. Paolo Varuzza
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• wildlife management
• biodiversity conservation
• sustainability
• damages caused by wild animals
• zoonotic diseases
• wildlife diseases
• veterinary parasitology
• animal ecology
• wildmeat