Wildlife in Airport Environments: Chapter 7 Population Management to Reduce the Risk of Wildlife-Aircraft Collisions

Authors

Richard A. Dolbeer, USDA Wildlife ServicesFollow
Alan B. Franklin, USDA/APHIS/WS National Wildlife Research CenterFollow

Date of this Version

2013

Citation

From Wildlife in Airport Environments: Preventing Animal-Aircraft Collisions through Science-Based Management, ed. T.L. DeVault, B.F. Blackwell, & J.L. Belant (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013).

Comments

U.S. government work.

Abstract

Four basic control strategies mitigate the risks to aviation caused by wildlife at airports: (1) aircraft flight schedule modification (primarily at military airbases) and enhancement of aircraft visibility to avoid interactions with wildlife (e.g., Blackwell et al. 2009b, 2012); (2) habitat modification and elimination of food, water, and cover that attract wildlife (Cleary and Dolbeer 2005, Blackwell et al. 2009a; Chapters 5,8-10); (3) repellent and harassment techniques to disperse wildlife (Cleary and Dolbeer 2005; Chapters 2-4); and (4) wildlife population management (e.g., Dolbeer 1998). As discussed throughout this book, successful efforts to mitigate the risk of wildlife-aircraft strikes at airports usually involve programs that attempt to integrate these strategies. This chapter focuses on wildlife population management.