Wildlife For All is a national campaign to reform state wildlife management to be more ecologically-driven, democratic, and compassionate.
We advocate for a new paradigm in wildlife management that:
- Prioritizes conservation of all species – not just game animals – as part of natural ecosystems;
- Is aligned with public trust principles, i.e. that the government has a duty to protect wildlife as a public trust for the benefit of all life, including future generations;
- Is responsive to the broad public interest in wildlife, not just hunters, anglers and trappers;
- Considers and respects the interests of individual animals, not just populations and species.
Looking for the Southwest Environmental Center? You’re at the right place. We have changed our name to Wildlife for All to focus on the critically important need to transform state wildlife management so that all wildlife is protected in every state for future generations. This is not a new venture for us–we have been getting more involved in this work gradually for a number of years. The importance of this effort is becoming increasingly apparent to anyone who cares about wildlife in America. Welcome to our new website!
The Problem with State Wildlife Management Today
- If the vast majority of the public abhors wildlife killing contests, why are they still legal in most states?
- If the people who watch wildlife far outnumber those who hunt and fish, why do our wildlife agencies still focus most of their efforts on game species?
- Why is it that at a packed state Game Commission meeting, everyone in the room can advocate for one thing but the Commission will still do the opposite?
The short answer is: our wildlife is being held hostage by a broken and antiquated system that needs our help.
Solutions: What would the ideal system of state wildlife management look like?
- It would be aligned with the Public Trust Doctrine.
- There would be statutory language declaring it to be the policy of the state to protect wildlife within a public trust framework.
- Individuals would have a right guaranteed in the state’s constitution to bring legal action against authorities to enforce compliance with the public trust doctrine.
- The state’s wildlife agency would have the legal authority to regulate the take of all species and their habitats, including invertebrates.
- State funding for wildlife conservation would be broad-based and robust, and not connected to any particular “use” of wildlife, e.g. hunting, fishing or backpacking.
Public Trust Doctrine: a better paradigm for wildlife conservation
The Public Trust Doctrine (PTD) offers an alternative framework to the status quo in wildlife management that more compatible with modern ecological and societal goals. PTD is a legal doctrine with its roots in Roman and English common law. It holds that nature, including wildlife, is a public trust that the government has a “fiduciary” duty to protect for the benefit of the beneficiaries, including those not yet born.
Biodiversity, the extinction crisis, and why it matters
The world’s wildlife faces a grim future. Species and populations everywhere are disappearing at a rapid rate due to human activities. Vertebrate populations have declined worldwide by an average of 68 percent since 1970. Numbers of North American birds have dropped by nearly three billion birds over the same period. Eighteen percent of animal species in the U.S. are currently threatened with extinction.
New campaign with New Mexico roots pushes for wildlife management reform
By Hannah Grover. Originally published in The New Mexico Political Report.
A newly launched initiative seeks to reform wildlife management not only in New Mexico, but across the nation.
Does culture war fit with the state’s hunting values?
By Henry Redman. Reprinted by permission.
This article from the Wisconsin Examiner illustrates how wildlife issues are about much more than wildlife. They are about values, identities and power, and ultimately about who gets to decide what our relationship with non-human nature and the planet will be.
Opinion: Fighting Hate With Love and Lawsuits
By Michelle Lute. Originally published in Earth Island Journal.
Wisconsin’s war on wolves is a war on its people, particularly the disenfranchised voices that speak up for a moral, just life. But their voices will not be silenced.
Opinion: Missouri’s upcoming black bear trophy hunt is reckless and irresponsible
By Cody Atkinson. Originally published in the Missouri Independent
With its trophy hunt on black bears in the state set to begin in a few days, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has taken a reckless and irresponsible turn. A turn against science. A turn against ecology. A turn against public values.
Like many wildlife agencies around the country, and driven by its governor-appointed commission, the MDC is trapped in a century-old mindset, one that assumes we must kill bears to conserve them.
Opinion: Nevada’s wildlife commission is broken. Is it beyond repair?
By Patrick Donnelly. This piece originally appeared in the Nevada Independent
Nevada’s Board of Wildlife Commissioners is intentionally designed to protect the entrenched interests of people who shoot wildlife. By promoting policies exclusively designed to improve opportunity for hunters, they have perpetuated an unjust system which benefits a small number of Nevadans.
Wildlife For All is a national campaign to reform state wildlife management to be more ecologically-driven, democratic, and compassionate.
We advocate for a new paradigm in wildlife management that:
- Prioritizes conservation of all species – not just game animals – as part of natural ecosystems;
- Is aligned with public trust principles, i.e. that the government has a duty to protect wildlife as a public trust for the benefit of all life, including future generations;
- Is responsive to the broad public interest in wildlife, not just hunters, anglers and trappers;
- Considers and respects the interests of individual animals, not just populations and species.
Looking for the Southwest Environmental Center? You’re at the right place. We have changed our name to Wildlife for All to focus on the critically important need to transform state wildlife management so that all wildlife is protected in every state for future generations. This is not a new venture for us–we have been getting more involved in this work gradually for a number of years. The importance of this effort is becoming increasingly apparent to anyone who cares about wildlife in America. Welcome to our new website!
The Problem with State Wildlife Management Today
- If the vast majority of the public abhors wildlife killing contests, why are they still legal in most states?
- If the people who watch wildlife far outnumber those who hunt and fish, why do our wildlife agencies still focus most of their efforts on game species?
- Why is it that at a packed state Game Commission meeting, everyone in the room can advocate for one thing but the Commission will still do the opposite?
The short answer is: our wildlife is being held hostage by a broken and antiquated system that needs our help.
Solutions: What would the ideal system of state wildlife management look like?
- It would be aligned with the Public Trust Doctrine.
- There would be statutory language declaring it to be the policy of the state to protect wildlife within a public trust framework.
- Individuals would have a right guaranteed in the state’s constitution to bring legal action against authorities to enforce compliance with the public trust doctrine.
- The state’s wildlife agency would have the legal authority to regulate the take of all species and their habitats, including invertebrates.
- State funding for wildlife conservation would be broad-based and robust, and not connected to any particular “use” of wildlife, e.g. hunting, fishing or backpacking.
Public Trust Doctrine: a better paradigm for wildlife conservation
The Public Trust Doctrine (PTD) offers an alternative framework to the status quo in wildlife management that more compatible with modern ecological and societal goals. PTD is a legal doctrine with its roots in Roman and English common law. It holds that nature, including wildlife, is a public trust that the government has a “fiduciary” duty to protect for the benefit of the beneficiaries, including those not yet born.
Biodiversity, the extinction crisis, and why it matters
The world’s wildlife faces a grim future. Species and populations everywhere are disappearing at a rapid rate due to human activities. Vertebrate populations have declined worldwide by an average of 68 percent since 1970. Numbers of North American birds have dropped by nearly three billion birds over the same period. Eighteen percent of animal species in the U.S. are currently threatened with extinction.
New campaign with New Mexico roots pushes for wildlife management reform
By Hannah Grover. Originally published in The New Mexico Political Report.
A newly launched initiative seeks to reform wildlife management not only in New Mexico, but across the nation.
Does culture war fit with the state’s hunting values?
By Henry Redman. Reprinted by permission.
This article from the Wisconsin Examiner illustrates how wildlife issues are about much more than wildlife. They are about values, identities and power, and ultimately about who gets to decide what our relationship with non-human nature and the planet will be.
Opinion: Fighting Hate With Love and Lawsuits
By Michelle Lute. Originally published in Earth Island Journal.
Wisconsin’s war on wolves is a war on its people, particularly the disenfranchised voices that speak up for a moral, just life. But their voices will not be silenced.
