Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference

Papers presented at two long-running conferences, the Australasian Vertebrate Pest Conference and the USA Vertebrate Pest Conference, were reviewed to examine changes in the field of vertebrate pest management over the last few decades. At both conferences, there has been a shift in focus from pest impacts on production (crop, livestock, forestry etc.) to impacts on conservation values. Papers have also become more focussed with a decrease in papers on pest problem overviews. There were surprisingly few papers focussing on the human dimensions of vertebrate pest management, despite general acknowledgment that the public have become more involved in pest management decision-making. The number of papers presented and number of pest species addressed has also increased, indicating the importance of these conferences to pest management professionals for sharing information and ideas.