Wildlife Research in a changing world Piran C. L. White A,F , Andrea C. Taylor B , Stan Boutin C , Camilla Myers D and Charles J. Krebs E A Environment Department, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK. B Australian Centre for Biodiversity, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Vic. 3800, Australia. C Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Cananda. D CSIRO Publishing, PO Box 1139, Collingwood, Vic. 3066, Australia. E Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. F Corresponding author. Email: pclw1@york.ac.uk Abstract. Wildlife populations on both land and in the sea are under increasing pressure from both direct and indirect anthropogenic impacts. Threats to wildlife, such as over-exploitation, habitat loss, invasive species, infectious disease and climate change persist; yet in some situations, wildlife populations are the subject of management to reduce their unwanted impacts on economic, agricultural and conservation interests. The contrasting requirements of declining and overabundant populations, sometimes existing as part of the same ecosystem, mean that wildlife management needs to be viewed increasingly as part of an integrated social–ecological system. Moreover, solutions to wildlife-management problems may require new combinations of ecological knowledge, technological innovation and an understanding of the social and economic factors involved. The disciplinary scope of Wildlife Research will be broadening to reflect these changes. Wildlife Research has tended to focus on terrestrial systems in the past, but research approaches and findings are increasingly relevant across different environments, and consequently, we will also be expanding our coverage of freshwater and marine systems. We are planning to publish at least one Special Issue each year, to highlight new areas of research and the increasing internationalisation of wildlife management, and we welcome suggestions for these. We are also pleased to be able to offer fast-track publication of papers that contain results of high topical significance or policy relevance. We hope that the increased topical, disciplinary and geographical coverage of Wildlife Research will enhance its position as one of the leading international journals in applied ecology and environmental management. Introduction At a time when we are experiencing an unprecedented rate of anthropogenic environmental change, human pressures on ecosystems worldwide continue to increase. In less developed countries, growing populations combined with the need for economic growth to enhance basic standards of life and health are giving rise to a greater frequency and intensity of human- wildlife conflicts, with negative consequences for both humans and wildlife (Baker et al. 2008; White and Lowe 2008). We have made considerable progress in protecting wildlife both on land and in the sea through legislative controls of exploitation and the establishment of protected areas (Roberts et al. 2001; Dryden et al. 2008; Caro et al. 2009). However, in many countries, wildlife outside protected areas and in the areas immediately surrounding the protected areas is under greater pressure than ever before (Gadd 2005; Wittemyer et al. 2008). Threats to our wildlife, such as over-exploitation, habitat loss, invasive species (Clout and Russell 2008), infectious disease (Smith et al. 2009) and climate change (Brook 2008), persist despite global recognition of the importance of biodiversity for the provision of ecosystem functions and services on which human health and wellbeing depend (Hooper et al. 2005; Balvanera et al. 2006; Boyd and Banzhaf 2007; Luck et al. 2009). Yet, in some situations, such as the spread of disease (White et al. 2008a; Kilpatrick et al. 2009) and species introductions (Dolman and Wäber 2008), wildlife populations may have considerable adverse impacts on economic, agricultural and conservation interests. The contribution of Wildlife Research Research published in Wildlife Research has made significant contributions to reducing some of these problems in the past, in particular in the area of invasive species. For example, research published in the journal on the biological control of rabbits using disease has enhanced our ability to control rabbit populations in areas such as Australia (e.g. Myers 1962; Parer et al. 1985; Cooke and Fenner 2002; Bruce and Twigg 2005; Henzell et al. 2008). The journal has been at the forefront of developments in technological innovations in wildlife management such as fertility control (Caughley et al. 1992; Barlow et al. 1997; Kerr et al. 1998; Chambers et al. 1999; Cowan et al. 2008; Fagerstone et al. 2008; Humphrys and Lapidge 2008; Gionfriddo et al. 2009; Lohr et al. 2009), as well as in considerations of welfare issues in management (Marks et al. 2000, 2009; Littin et al. 2002; Gigliotti et al. 2009; Marks 2009). These fields of research are likely to grow in importance as the actions of wildlife managers come under increasing scrutiny from the public, and wildlife conflicts arise increasingly in areas with high human population densities (Baker et al. 2008; Cowan and Hinds 2008; Markovchick- Nicholls et al. 2008). CSIRO PUBLISHING Editorial www.publish.csiro.au/journals/wr Wildlife Research, 2009, 36, 275–278 Ó CSIRO 2009 10.1071/WRv36n4_ED 1035-3712/09/040275