Wildlife Services Methods Risk Assessments

WS conducts wildlife damage management (WDM) activities to:

• protect human health and safety, such as on airports and in urban areas
• manage invasive species, such as feral swine, European starlings, and brown treesnakes
• protect agricultural and natural resources, such as livestock, crops, and threatened and endangered species
• protect property, and
• monitor wildlife diseases that impact people, domestic pets, livestock, and wildlife.

In support of WDM activities, APHIS prepared risk assessments on many of the methods it uses. The risk assessments analyze the impacts of these WDM methods on people and the environment. To ensure the scientific rigor of the risk assessments, non-federal professionals, with knowledge of the methods and risks associated with their use, have conducted, or will be conducting, peer reviews of the assessments. The peer reviewers were selected by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the organization of state, provincial and territorial fish and wildlife agencies in North America, entrusted with primary stewardship over vital wildlife resources.