Harvesting can magnify the destabilizing effects of environmental
perturbations on population dynamics and, thereby, increase extinction
risk. However, population-dynamic theory predicts that impacts of
harvesting depend on the type and strength of density-dependent
regulation. Here, we used population models for a range of life
histories and an empirical reindeer case study to show that harvesting
can actually buffer populations against environmental perturbations.
This occurs because of density-dependent environmental stochasticity,
where negative environmental impacts on vital rates are amplified at
high population density due to intra-specific resource competition.
Simulations from our population models show that even low levels of
proportional harvesting may prevent overabundance, thereby dampening
population fluctuations and reducing the risk of population collapse and
quasi-extinction induced by environmental perturbations. Thus, depending
on the species' life history and the strength of density-dependent
environmental drivers, harvesting can improve population resistance to
increased climate variability and extreme weather expected under global
warming.