Human-wildlife interactions: Using models to determine optimal management strategies
As the human population grows and encroaches on the natural landscape, human-wildlife interactions increase. Management of these interactions can be costly and, sadly, can too often result in the termination of animal lives. Municipalities, always with limited funds, must choose from an array of management strategies, often in the absence of the kind of information that would allow for the informed selection of an optimal approach. We present a model for the movement of bears in and around the Resort Municipality of Whistler, along with the human-bear interactions that result, and evaluate the effect of several management approaches on the number of human-bear interactions that occur. This work illustrates how models could be used to inexpensively and ethically test various management strategies, and provide municipalities with the information they need to choose an optimal approach.