An analysis of the wildlife and fish situation in the United States: 1989-2040

Abstract

Wildlife and fish are an integral component of all environments from pristine wilderness to the most intensively managed urban settings. The values associated with wildlife and fish have broadened from the utilitarian views held by early subsistence and market hunters to the recognition that animals contribute to the overall public welfare in a multitude of ways. This is reflected in part by increased nonconsumptive uses of wildlife and fish, increased memberships in wildlife and fish organizations, increased public interest in policies and programs affecting wildlife and fish, and in the passage of laws intended to ensure protection and stewardship of the resource.A national assessment of wildlife and fish is one of the reporting responsibilities of the USDA Forest Service related to the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act (RPA). The assessment is to serve as the technical basis for developing a national Forest Service Program guiding the management of natural resources. This assessment reports on the current status and recent historic trends of wildlife and fish resources, resource inventory and use projections, and implications and opportunities for resource management programs.

Citation

Flather, Curtis H.; Hoekstra, Thomas W. 1989. An analysis of the wildlife and fish situation in the United States: 1989-2040. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-GTR-178. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 146 p.