Michael Hutchins

Zoo and aquarium research: priority setting for the coming decades

Scientific study within contemporary zoos and aquariums has developed ad hoc as an extremely broad, academically oriented mixture of basic and applied research spanning a wide array of concepts and disciplines. Several papers have considered prioritization of present or future research efforts within disciplines, but only a few have touched on prioritization across institutions, disciplines, and species. This lack of prioritization across institutions and disciplines is surprising given the growing interdependence of zoos and aquariums to maintain populations through exchange of animals, standardization of animal care procedures, and maintenance of self-sustaining populations. The purpose of this paper is to explore prioritization of scientific research, and support of that prioritized research, within and among the professionally managed zoo and aquarium members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Zoo Biol 27:488-497, 2008. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Marsupials and monotremes: A case study in regional collection planning

Cooperative collection planning is critical to the future of zoological parks and aquariums, yet few published models currently exist for collection plan development and implementation. In particular, there has been little discussion about the relationship between regional and institutional collection planning or about what defines a quality regional collection plan (RCP). This article documents the regional collection planning process adopted by the AZA Marsupial and Monotreme Taxon Advisory Group (TAG). More specifically, it outlines the philosophical foundation of the North American RCP for Marsupials and Monotremes, the organizational structure developed by the TAG to facilitate communication, evaluation and institutional participation, and other important details of the planning process. It also documents how the RCP was used by one institution (Los Angeles Zoo) to formulate its Institutional Collection Plan (ICP). Zoo Biol 17:433–451, 1998.