Doctoral Dissertation Research: Making Space for Mexican Wolves: Technology, Knowledge, and Conservation Politics

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Doctoral Dissertation Research: Making Space for Mexican Wolves: Technology, Knowledge and Conservation Politics AbstractThe use of geospatial technologies has proliferated in efforts to reintroduce and conserve wildlife. Radio and GPS collars are being used to track wildlife, in the hopes that removing nuisance animals will defuse conflicts between wildlife and land users and lead to increased tolerance for endangered species. Problems persist, nevertheless, as these new technologies are adopted, and adapted, and learned through out land management agencies and the general public. Notably, captive-bred Mexican wolves (Canis lupus baileyi) have been reintroduced to the Apache, Sitgreaves and Gila National Forests in Arizona and New Mexico. The project, which involves extensive use of collaring, tracking, and mapping technologies, has not met its goal of 102 wolves and 18 breeding pairs in the wild, nor has consensus been achieved among key actors. Illegal shootings and removals of nuisance wolves have likely contributed to stagnated population growth. This research examines the Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project to answer three primary questions: 1. How has geospatial technology influenced the governance of Mexican wolves and the construction of a Mexican wolf territory? 2. How has the governance of Mexican wolves and the construction of a wolf territory impacted land use in the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area? 3. How is spatialized knowledge constructed by diverse publics and represented in particular Mexican wolf policy agendas? GIS analysis will be combined with a qualitative study of the processes influencing the management of wolves and the creation of spatial knowledge. The qualitative study will consist of interviews, participant observation with the Mexican wolf field team, and content analysis of archival documents. The GIS analysis will compare conceptual maps drawn by research participants with wolf location data to produce a map that shows priority areas for reducing people-wolf conflicts. The research will advance understandings of the role of geospatial technologies in conservation. Results will inform policies to successfully conserve Mexican wolves and reduce people-wolf conflicts, contribute technical resources to the analysis of Mexican wolf distribution and provide an avenue for the incorporation of community perspectives in Mexican wolf management.