Hi all,
I thought I'd alert you to this recent journal article, which looked at all published research on predator controls in Europe and North America to determine how robust the studies were:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fee.1312/full
It found that most studies were not rigorous in their design, methods and/or analyses, which means that it is difficult to ascertain the real effectiveness of the intervention schemes. In particular, there was a real lack of robust studies looking at lethal control methods, but this was also a problem for those looking at non-lethal controls.
A call for action for those of you who are trying to demonstrate effectiveness of interventions - ensure you are following rigorous scientific procedures to ensure robust results and valid conclusions.
Best wishes,
Niki
WWF-UK