Abstract
Red wolves (Canis rufus) are critically endangered, and currently the only wild population exists in northeast NC (“Red Wolf,” FWS, n.d.). Here, I use geospatial analysis to investigate the potential for another wild population to establish in the Delmarva Peninsula. I consider land ownership and protection status because these factors influence local public support (Nie, 2001; Naughton-Treves et al., 2003; Berger-Tal et al., 2020), as well as reintroduction success (Carroll et al., 2003; Wolf & Ripple, 2018). I compare the ownership and protection status of land in the Delmarva Peninsula to that in the Albemarle Peninsula, where the red wolf recovery program is generally considered successful, despite the recent decline in the red wolf population due to illegal killings, vehicle strikes, and interbreeding with coyotes (“Red Wolf,” FWS, n.d.). The results of this study could be used to inform biologists, conservationists, and politicians in their search for a new reintroduction site for red wolves.
Paper prepared for the Environmental Studies Senior Seminar/Geography Capstone.
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Peter Smallwood.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-25-2022
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2022, University of Richmond.
Recommended Citation
Frisbie, Anna. "Red Wolf Reintroduction: Land Ownership and Protection Status Analysis". Paper for Environmental Studies Senior Seminar/Geography Capstone, University of Richmond, April 2022.
Included in
Environmental Studies Commons, Nature and Society Relations Commons, Physical and Environmental Geography Commons, Spatial Science Commons