Stephen Decker

• BA, Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland
• MA, Memorial University
• PhD, ABD – Wilfrid Laurier University

My research specialty is Integrated Resource and Environmental Management (IREM) with a focus on the human dimensions of wildlife management. My particular focus on the human dimensions of wildlife management is especially relevant in Newfoundland and Labrador as provincial wildlife managers are faced with a number of contentious management issues which demand the formulation and effective application of integrated management responses. Some of the most prominent of these issues include, but are certainly not limited to, significant declines in caribou (Rangifer tarandus) populations in both the Newfoundland and Labrador portions of the province, several hundred vehicle – moose (Alces alces) collisions annually, the impact of hyper-abundant moose on native vegetation and the resulting cull of moose in Gros Morne and Terra Nova National Parks, and the range expansion and impacts of the eastern coyote (Canis latrans). Specifically, my doctoral research is focused on exploring trends toward integrative approaches in wildlife management using caribou management in insular Newfoundland as a case study of such trends.

Examples of Recent Courses Taught:

• Environmental Studies 1000: Intro to Environmental Studies
• Environmental Studies 4010: Seminar in Environmental Studies
• Geography 1050: Geographies of Global Change
• Geography 2302: Issues in Economic Geography
• Geography 3222: Research Design and Quantitative Methods in Geography
• Geography 4405: Outdoor Recreational Resources and Planning
• Sustainable Resource Management 4010: Research Seminar