Bison Conservation Initiative: Bison Conservation Genetics Workshop: Reports and Recommendations

摘要

Bison are an iconic animal of the American frontier, represented on both the Department of the Interior (DOI) seal and the National Park Service (NPS) arrowhead. The first principle of DOI Bison Conservation Initiative was to base management of its herds on the best available science. One of the priorities of the initiative was to convene a conservation genetics workshop focused on bison to develop genetic management guidelines, including the appropriate role in future conservation actions for bison with cattle ancestry. The NPS organized the workshop at the Lied Lodge on September 25, 2008, and brought together a diverse group of scientists to identify and recommend management actions and research needs important to the conservation genetics of DOI bison herds. The DOI Bison Genetics Workshop came out of significant recent developments in North American bison conservation. Renewed public interest in bison, both as a natural food source and for their historic ecological role in western landscapes, underscored the importance of the DOI bison herds in conservation of the species. At the same time, recent published studies advanced understanding of the genetic status of these bison herds.