Wildlife Politics
This site is dedicated to the dissemination of information about how wildlife issues become involved in the politics and public policy of nations throughout the world. If you would like to contribute a blog on wildlife politics and conservation policy, send me an email and I will give you editor capacity to contribute blog posts: brucerocheleau@gmail.com
- This site is run by Bruce Rocheleau. I am Professor Emeritus at Northern Illinois University. I have a forthcoming book titled "Wildlife Politics" to be published by Cambridge University scheduled for March 30, 2017. I retired from the Public Administration Department at Northern Illinois University in 2007. During my thirty-three years as a professor at NIU, I researched and published many articles, chapters, and three books in the areas of governmental information management and health policy. By the 1980s I had become interested in nature and wildlife, and traveled and read about these topics as an “avocation” joining the Audubon Society, Sierra Club, and National Wildlife Federation, among other organizations. In the years before my retirement, I formed the idea of undertaking research on political and public policy issues concerning wildlife as a retirement project. I had noticed that there was very little systematic research about wildlife done by political scientists and public policy researchers in general, outside of a few books that concentrated on case studies involving the Tellico Dam-snail darter, spotted owl, and wolf controversies. I found wildlife politics to be fascinating and decided to write a book that covers broadly all major aspects worldwide. My resume is available here. /uploads/9/2/1/7/92174584/rocheleau_vita_2016.pdf Information on the availability of the book that will be published on March 30, 2017 is available at www.cambridge.org/978110718730
- During my research for the book, I have not come across any mechanism for those interested in wildlife politics to share information about these issues so I have created a blog associated with this website in order for anyone interested in the topic to share posts. I welcome feedback from users of the site.
- The journal Biological Conservation (Vol. 224, 2018, 47-49) published a review of the book by Professor David Johns that concludes as follows: "Eminently readable and thoroughly referenced, Wildlife Politics fills a great void in the literature. It will make an excellent primary text in classes on conservation politics and an excellent supplementary text in survey courses on conservation, which usually give short shrift to politics and thus leave students unprepared."
- The Quarterly Review of Biology Vol. 19 (2019) published following review of the book:
"This is an incredibly well-researched overview and
survey of the factors, issues, and considerations that
are relevant to conservation of biological diversity in
the United States and around the world. This book
would be an excellent reference and starting point
for students, policy practitioners, and wildlife managers
who want to gain a greater appreciation for the
complexities of wildlife politics." - The Journal of Wildlife Management, Vol. 82, Issue 2, p. 502: described the book as follows:Wildlife Politics explores a series of themes on political action that include the cyclic pattern of priorities in public policy, economic or market influences, governmental procedures, and the characteristics of private stakeholder groups. Rocheleau provides numerous compelling examples with a variety of evidence from press articles and scholarly publications. Wildlife biologists and managers should find the reviews a useful source of new perspectives and novel sources.
- Bruce Rocheleau brucerocheleau@gmail.com
