The practice and philosophy of wildlife management in Australia has been strongly influenced by an historical orientation toward vertebrate pest management. The training and experience of many managers has been dominated primarily by biological and technical aspects, with little or no attention to social issues. Nonetheless, many managers find their daily work increasingly preoccupied with what may be termed 'people problems.' These problems are associated with, among other influences, greater public scrutiny of wildlife management actions and increased involvement of social groups in decision making. Typically managers are poorly equipped to deal with this 'human dimension' of their work. In North America, workers have been investigating the human dimensions of wildlife management for over two decades. Using a variety of social science techniques, researchers and wildlife managers often have collaborated to integrate highly relevant social information into wildlife management decision­making. Furthermore, public involvement in decision making in many situations has evolved toward sharing responsibilities between professional managers and communities. The authors draw on a body of North American studies to provide an overview of the emerging field called Human Dimensions, with an emphasis on findings of broad applicability to wildlife management in Australia. In particular, the importance of assessing assumptions and of investigating social values are explored. Finally, the importance of and benefits associated with the integration of human dimensions in wildlife management are discussed.