Coexisting with wildlife in harmony: a sustainable approach to vertebrate management

Across a broad taxonomic range, free-ranging vertebrates—from small mammals like mice and voles to ungulate species—pose significant challenges to human activities in agricultural landscapes, forestry plantations and even in our domestic dwellings. The problems caused by these wildlife populations are wideranging. In agricultural settings, small rodents can cause substantial pre- and post-harvest crop damage through consumption and contamination. Herbivore species can wreak havoc in forestry by gnawing on the bark of young trees, hindering their growth and potentially leading to mortality. Similarly, birds like geese, corvids and sparrows can decimate crops if unchecked. A large number of vertebrate species can transmit zoonotic pathogens that cause severe diseases in people, livestock and pet animals. These conflicts necessitate the implementation of wildlife management strategies to safeguard human wellbeing and economic interests.