Abstract

while spending a year working with the Swedish Hunters Association, I discovered that the Swedish language does not have a word analogous to management. Instead, when talking about wildlife, the Swedes use words that have a root in nursing or caretaking. This orientation leads one to think about being partners with nature rather than controllers of nature. I believe this view of nature puts humans as equals with nature where we are part of the man-land community. Our North American wildlife management focus on control often leads to unrealistic goals and practices. I suggest that for a week, wildlife professionals try to call themselves wildlife "caretakers" rather than "managers" and see what difference it makes. I also suggest that we have much to learn by looking at how other societies relate to wildlife and that our North American perspective might benefit from such interactions. The Wildlife Society could do more to help provide such opportunities

Published in

Wildlife Society Bulletin
2005, volume: 33, number: 1, pages: 378-380
Publisher: WILDLIFE SOC

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