Flagship v landscape conservation

Question 1

A review of indicator, umbrella, flagship, ecosystem services, and keystone species-based conservation techniques. Keystone and umbrella species seem to make the most sense.

Answer 1

Simberloff 1998

Question 2

A review of orangutan rehabilitation programmes and their worth.
Most organutan programmes do not put a focus on conservation goals (such as strengthening wild populations or introducing new ones, education of local communities etc.), but focus on rehabilitation of individuals and holdings. This is getting better however.

Useful outcomes of projects: genetic studies, footage in documentaries, behavioural studies… but none really conservation related??

Huge influx of ex-captives and not enough space for their rehabilitation or suitable sites of release

Answer 2

Russon 2009

Question 3

Merging introduced orangutans with wild populations can increase stress and spread disease
There are probably already too many wild orangutans for remaining habitat (they don’t work as a flagship if the focus is not being put on habitat as well as species conservation!)

Answer 3

Rijksen 1982

Question 4

Most reintroductions cannot be considered a success, across all taxa

By IUCN standards, the primary goal of great ape reintroductions should be to establish self-sustaining
populations in the wild, by re-establishing extinct
wild populations or supplementing wild populations
that are under carrying capacity, not viable,
or not maintaining viability

Answer 4

Beck et al 1994, Beck et al 2007

Question 5

Example of keystone conservation success: protection of gophers in longleaf pine - gopher holes are home to 332 other species

Answer 5

Jackson & Milstrey 1989

Question 6

Case study of Gibbons as flagship species: SImilar problems to orangutans but with less funding/attention, focus on conservation practices outside of rehabilitation, e.g. educating public, raising awareness about pet trade etc.

Answer 6

Cheyne 2009

Question 7

Uses of captive orangutan studies - genetics (used for revision of orangutan taxa, spotting that many of the re-introduced orangutans were different to wild populations, whoops!), also lots of behavioural & ecological studies

Answer 7

Muir et al. 2000, Russon 2009

Question 8

Review of mammal rehabilitation& reintroduction for conservation: High costs, logistical difficulties, and the shortage of habitats often make reintroduction infeasible.

Answer 8

Kleiman 1989

Question 9

About 90 per cent of the gibbons did not survive long after release in Sarawak

Answer 9

Bennett 1992