For the present purpose, we may state that "wildlife management" means "the management of animal populations within the framework of the environment." Some would find it too narrow, arguing that wildlife management should also include education, outreach, park management, law enforcement, economics, and land appraisal since so many management issues are rooted in interactions between humans and animals. Many of the most pressing questions in wildlife ecology may be reduced to numbers, such as the rate of population increase, the extent of dispersion, or the effects of interactions with other species and the surrounding environment. A conceptual grasp of quantitative ecology is necessary for dealing with these issues. Because we can't always depend on past experience to determine the most suitable options, mathematical models are also a vital part of decision-making in wildlife conservation and management. The book also demonstrates that a comprehensive approach is necessary to deal with environmental problems, as opposed to a piecemeal, single-pollutant, or single-medium approach.
