Donnamarie O'Connell

Zoo Conservation Biology: Protecting species and habitats

‘The beauty and genius of a work of art may be reconceived…but when the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again’ (William Beebe) Introduction The roots of the modern environmental movement can be traced to nineteenth-century Europe and North America in which a mix of passion, power, calculation and even remorse motivated elites to safeguard wildlife. It was through the emergence of the ‘penitent butcher’ (Beinart & Coates, 1995), epitomised by the ‘repentance’ of prominent hunters, themselves the cause of much megafauna to plummet (tigers, lions, elephants and rhinos in Africa and Asia, bison, moose and bear in North America), that the need for species conservation, albeit only of large-bodied species, emerged (Adams, 2004; MacKenzie, 1988). The result was the creation of influential NGOs such as the Sierra Club in the USA in 1892 (Carter, 2007), or the UKs Society for the Preservation of the Fauna of the Empire (now Fauna and Flora International) in 1903 (Fitter & Scott, 1978).

Zoo Conservation Biology: Captive breeding and zoos

‘What I had in mind was an almost completely new concept of the motivation of a zoological garden…The idea was that the captive colonies should be set up…as a safeguard against extinction, while at the same time the most stringent efforts should be made to preserve the wild habitat and wild populations of the species concerned and to release back to the wild captive-bred animals when their habitat had been made safe. This, it seemed to me, was a zoos major raison d’etre.’ (Gerald Durrell) Introduction There is general agreement that captive breeding, the process of reproducing animals in human controlled environments in zoos or other ex-situ facilities, can save threatened species from extinction. The IUCN technical guidelines on the Management of Ex-Situ Populations for Conservation officially recognise the role that zoos, botanic gardens, aquariums, gene banks and research facilities could play in species conservation (IUCN, 1987a, 1992, 2002). This declaration of intent is believed to indicate an evolution in the strategic application of ex-situ conservation, as well as reflecting the recent developments in the science and practice associated with it (Maunder & Byers, 2005).

Zoo Conservation Biology: Biodiversity and zoo conservation biology

‘It may well be true that Sumatran tigers and Hyacinthine macaws seem to contribute very little to our daily lives. There is, though, a strong group of arguments…which say that wild animals and plants can be good for us and this is a good reason to hang on to them’ (Colin Tudge) Introduction In practical terms, species conservation initiatives must be directed at protecting the largest number of forms as cheaply as possible. Economy, not just in monetary terms but also in achieving parsimonious ways of protecting species, is important, since resources are often limited. Debates rage over whether one or another approach is more appropriate, often with much time and effort expended and little results in hand. Biodiversity conservation has to proceed along various fronts achieved by the integration of methods to halt the current extinction of species. This book attempts to undertake this task for conservation biologists working in zoos. Zoos argue that their role is increasingly concerned with the preservation of species yet the information required for zoo staff to make informed decisions on any aspect of captive animal care, population management, etc., is not readily accessible.