the florida panther is a natural symbol of Florida, in much the same way that the bald eagle is a natural symbol of the United States. Yet, only approximately 40 members of the endangered subspecies remain, largely in the swampy, southern parts of Florida. An important question faced by many ecologists, both within and outside the state, is whether it is possible to save the Florida panther in the wild. In this chapter, we shall attempt to create a version of this question that can be evaluated scientifically and then answer it.

One might argue that the Florida panther is not an especially good subject for a case study. Ecology probably cannot do much for it, because it is too close to extinction. Perhaps the manatee or black bear might provide a better example from Florida. We maintain, however, that the case-study approach is applicable to any phenomenon, irrespective of differences of opinion regarding the importance of the phenomenon being investigated. Moreover, the mood surrounding Florida-panther preservation is emotionally charged, and the subject is of great interest to the public. Both of these conditions beg for the rational, cautious approach offered by the case-study method. In any event, our goal here is primarily to illustrate what ecology can do, particularly in a case that is of public, as well as scientific, interest. Although ecology has neither general theories nor exceptionless empirical laws capable of providing precise predictions for environmental decisionmaking, it can help provide answers to particular questions of conservation. As this chapter illustrates, applied ecology is not primarily a hypothetical-deductive science.