Much has changed in the world since the first edition of Sharing the Skies became available. In particular, the events of September 2001 had a profound impact on airports in virtually every nation. From a wildlife-management perspective, these impacts constitute fresh hazards—not of aircraft strikes against birds or mammals, but of airport owners and operators whose broader safety concerns may be eclipsed by terrorism-related security issues. (This distinction between preventing damage to life and property on the one hand (safety), and preventing acts of aggression on the other (security), is entirely my own, but seems accurate in the current climate.)
In preparing this second edition—examining emerging wildlife-management tools and techniques, reviewing facts and figures, and revisiting issues that were ongoing as we prepared the first edition—I have been reinvigorated by the conviction of airport wildlife-management teams at Canada’s airports and in Transport Canada. The sheer weight of evidence, as it is revealed in this book, confirmed for me again that the risks of wildlife strikes at airports are real and growing.
More than ever, I believe that, as members of the aviation community, we must re-commit ourselves to addressing this issue. With a duty to uphold both safety and security, we must not be distracted from confronting the real risks posed by wildlife in the airport environment.
Bruce MacKinnon
March 2004
Ottawa