To build a stronger, more inclusive, and adaptive framework that sustains wildlife, wild places, and the many benefits they provide to people (health, food security, inspiration, and more), we need your voice.
Take just a few minutes to complete this questionnaire. Thank you for helping unite diverse perspectives in this deliberative, inclusive process. Every response matters.
Foundational Elements of conservation are the core principles, ethics, laws, policies, and governance doctrines that underpin North American wildlife conservation — from the public trust doctrine and Fair Chase ethic to landmark laws like the Lacey Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Leopold Land Ethic, and the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.
Historic Conservation Policy Documents
Dive into the policies and declarations that built modern wildlife conservation. Review the original documents fueling our work to articulate and adapt the foundational elements.
View Wildlife Policy Archive →
Trace the evolution of North American wildlife conservation
Follow the arc of North American wildlife conservation from the pioneering 1930 American Game Policy and the expansive 1973 North American Wildlife Policy to today’s candid reflections on expanding the vision and repairing foundational cracks.
The Foundational Elements Effort
WMI has a primary purpose in serving our profession by advancing conservation.
Conservation is in a new and different era, and without proactive reflection and refinement, we all risk missing opportunities to advance fish and wildlife conservation.
WMI is a storied institution of historical significance in the conservation policy arena, speaking from a third-party, neutral voice and providing critical capacity to address unique challenges while maintaining the necessary separation to secure broader stakeholder approval.
The concept of a comprehensive curation of contemporary and foundational elements of conservation has been socialized at least since 2022 at national, regional, and conservation-organization gatherings, with a supportive tenor from the conservation community.
There is significant concern that the current state of turmoil in government policies could unduly influence the outcomes of this effort. This concern is often expressed anytime calls for innovation/change occur. However, others have answered the concern in this way: Canadian politician Jean Chretien, while addressing the annual convention of the Canadian Wildlife Federation at the Chateau Laurier in March 1969, said: “It has been said that the best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago, the second best time is today. The same is true for conservation. The best time to conserve the habitat necessary for our wildlife would have been 50 or 100 years ago. The second-best time is now.”
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) passed a resolution in September 2023, specific to the Foundational Elements of conservation effort in Calgary, that acknowledged WMI's pursuit of a new “continental conservation framework.”
The 2024 plenary at the North American announced and socialized the concept of a “broader conservation vision,” but perhaps because it lacked process specificity, it captured less attention.
At least six similar, potentially competitive, or redundant undertakings are under development by a range of interests and perspectives.
WMI intends for the outcome of the effort to include highlighting and strengthening the ability and capacity to address contemporary conservation challenges. The outcome is intended to provide non-prescriptive conservation guidance and support to publics, legislatures, and commissions on all wildlife agency policies, programs, and organizational actions that reaffirm jurisdictional authorities and facilitate mission fulfillment. Actions will be designed and implemented by state fish and wildlife agencies and other conservation-related organizations, with relevant authorities or with their support.
WMI is convening this effort and will not serve as the sole author. WMI will engage professional facilitators to support the development process.
WMI is not “reforming natural resource management” or suggesting transformation of agency structures or authorities.
This effort is a reflection, refinement, and reaffirmation of existing elements and the addition of new or missing elements to guide and support modern conservation.
“Foundational elements” refer to the basis or groundwork on which something rests or is built, according to Dictionary.com (accessed 3/10/25). Leopold’s American Game Policy lists just seven statements (plus a page of unresolved issues). Durwood Allen’s 1973 policy also has seven principles and premises, and Geist and Mahoney’s North American Model of Wildlife Conservation similarly has seven pillars of conservation policy. WMI anticipates the list of Foundational Elements will be refined to a small number of elements, but may certainly exceed the numbers found in previously published efforts.
No. The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation (Geist V. 1995. North American Policies of Wildlife Management. In Wildlife Conservation Policy, ed. V Geist and I. McTaggert-Cowan, Detselig. See also: Mahoney S.P. and V. Geist. 2019. The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. Johns Hopkins University Press) is an essential document in the history of wildlife management, just as the American Game Policy (Leopold A. 1930. The American Game Policy in a Nutshell. Transactions of 17th American Game Conference) and the North American Wildlife Policy (Allen, D.L. 1973. Report of the Committee on North American Wildlife Policy. Wildlife Society Bulletin 1(2):73-92)) are also important and essential. There are many documents scattered across time and space that should be reviewed to identify concepts and elements to bring forward, and those that should remain in the annals of history, reflecting the societal context in which they were developed.
Drawing on both history and the latest scientific research and technological innovations, the framework will clearly define the foundational elements of wildlife conservation policy. An additional focus of deliberations will be on contemporary issues such as government credibility, evolving social attitudes concerning wildlife and the environment, emerging species and habitat issues, and the integration of new technologies, and consider how social science and social media fit into wildlife conservation efforts.
Interestingly, Leopold in 1930 believed it was important to create a wildlife management profession that was distinct from forestry and agriculture, with its own training program and funding mechanisms. Today, we know that wildlife management requires a multi-disciplinary approach to be successful, incorporating concepts and processes from many disciplines. The scope could be as broad as to incorporate environmental concepts, or as narrow as just fish and wildlife species.
WMI announced that it would present the final product at a future North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference. We are planning for the 2027 conference, although current disruptions may delay the project's completion, as we need broad and thoughtful consideration and input. We anticipate starting the first phase of the process in early 2026.
We are creating a new compilation of foundational elements in four phases.
Phase 1 - Gathering Perspectives
The first phase will be to develop draft foundational elements with a broad solicitation of thoughts and ideas via a questionnaire. WMI will engage an array of people and organizations, including state and tribal wildlife management agencies, conservation organizations, and policymakers to ensure that all perspectives are considered in the development of the new framework. Please engage by providing thoughts and ideas on possible foundational elements via this questionnaire.
Phase 2 - Draft Document
The second phase will be to develop a draft document with an opportunity for review. We will solicit a broad review from the conservation community. Please check back here regularly for project updates and opportunities to engage.
Phase 3 - Final Draft
The third phase will be creating a final draft document. That draft will be presented at a future North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, with another opportunity for input either at the conference or through this website.
Phase 4 - Communicating and Integrating
The fourth phase will be to communicate and integrate this new statement of foundational elements broadly within the conservation community and beyond.
