Norman Owen-Smith 
Introduction to Modeling in Wildlife and Resource Conservation 

This book provides students with the skills to develop their own
models for application in conservation biology and wildlife
management. Assuming no special mathematical expertise, the
computational models used are kept simple and show how to develop
models in both spreadsheet and programming language format.

* * Develops thought-provoking applications which emphasize the
value of modeling as a learning tool

* Examines basic descriptive equations, matrix representations,
consumer-resources interactions, applications in simulation,
scenarios, harvesting, population viability, metapopulation
dynamics, disease outbreaks, vegetation stage and state dynamics,
habitat suitability assessment, and model selection
statistics

* Includes a wide range of examples relating to birds, fish,
plants and large African mammals

About the author

Norman Owen-Smith is Research Professor in African Ecology in the School of Animal, Plant, and Environmental Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. He teaches ecology at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and is well-known internationally for his research into all aspects of wildlife ecology and bioresource conservation.