The Wildlife Society (TWS) is an international

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

association involved in

wildlife Wildlife refers to undomesticated animal species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous to game: those birds and mammals that were hunted ...

stewardship Stewardship is an ethical value that embodies the responsible planning and management of resources. The concepts of stewardship can be applied to the environment and nature, economics, health, property, information, theology, cultural resources e ...

through science and education. The Wildlife Society works to improve

wildlife conservation Wildlife conservation refers to the practice of protecting wild species and their habitats in order to maintain healthy wildlife species or populations and to restore, protect or enhance natural ecosystems. Major threats to wildlife include habita ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

by advancing the science of wildlife management, promoting continuing education of wildlife professionals, and advocating for sound, science-based wildlife

policy Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an orga ...

. The organization also encourages professional growth through certification,

peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer revie ...

publications, conferences, and

working groups A working group, or working party, is a group of experts working together to achieve specified goals. The groups are domain-specific and focus on discussion or activity around a specific subject area. The term can sometimes refer to an interdis ...

. Society members are dedicated to

sustainable Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...

management of wildlife resources and their

habitats In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

Ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...

is the primary scientific discipline of the wildlife profession; therefore, the interests of the Society embrace the interactions of all

organisms In biology, an organism () is any living system that functions as an individual entity. All organisms are composed of cells ( cell theory). Organisms are classified by taxonomy into groups such as multicellular animals, plants, and fu ...

with their

natural environment The natural environment or natural world encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally, meaning in this case not artificial. The term is most often applied to the Earth or some parts of Earth. This environment encompasses t ...

s. The Society supports the belief that wildlife, in its myriad forms, is basic to the maintenance of a human culture that provides quality living.

Overview

The Wildlife Society, initially known as The Society of Wildlife Specialists, was launched at the North American Wildlife Conference in Washington, D.C., in 1936. A year later, in St. Louis, Missouri, the Specialists became The Wildlife Society. A constitution and bylaws were adopted in 1937, and the Society was incorporated on March 25, 1948.Swanson, G.A. 1987. Creation and early history. ''Wildlife Society Bulletin'', 15(1):9–14. Over time, The Wildlife Society has broadened its programs beyond its original focus on scientific publications to include education and certification of wildlife biologists and advocacy.

Publications

The society publishes three scientific journals: '' Journal of Wildlife Management'', ''

Wildlife Society Bulletin The ''Wildlife Society Bulletin'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal devoted to the ecology of non-domesticated animal species. It is published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of The Wildlife Society. See also * ''Journal of Wildlife Managem ...

'', and ''

Wildlife Monographs The ''Wildlife Monographs'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal devoted to the ecology of non-domesticated animal species. It is published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of The Wildlife Society. See also * ''Journal of Wildlife Management Th ...

''. In addition to these scholarly journals, the Society publishes ''The Wildlife Professional'', a popular magazine for members. Other important publications include technical reviews featuring analyses of current issues in wildlife conservation that are written by expert panels.

Awards

In 1950 the Society created the annual

Aldo Leopold Award Aldo may refer to: * Aldo (given name), male given name ** Aldo (footballer, born 1977) ** Aldo (footballer, born 1988) * Aldo Group, a worldwide chain of shoe stores * Aldosterone Aldosterone is the main mineralocorticoid steroid hormone pro ...

References

External links

The Wildlife Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wildlife Society Environmental organizations based in Maryland Organizations established in 1937