Lecture 5

Question 1

What is ex situ conservation? (2 definitions)

Answer 1

The process of protecting endangered species, variety or breed, of plant or animal outside of its natural habitat. Or: individuals are maintained in artificial conditions under different selection pressures than those in natural conditions

Question 2

Give 2 examples of Ex situ species conservation

Answer 2

. Kew’s Millenium seed bank

. Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Malaysian Sabah

Question 3

What are captive breeding programs and give 2 examples?

Answer 3

Breeding is carefully managed to control numbers and to prevent inbreeding and is often carried out in zoos and breeding wildlife reserves.
E.g.
. ZSL Amur leopard European breeding programme
. ZSL support for Gazelle conservation breeding in Saudi Arabia

Question 4

When are captive breeding programs useful?

Answer 4

. Approaches in the wild are not always enough, or feasible

. A captive aspect could increase effectiveness (money spent vs impact)

Question 5

What is the decision criteria (DC) for captive breeding programs?

Answer 5

. In situ population in near minimum viable population
. In situ population decline continuing despite action
. In situ population is only living outside protected areas (PAs)
. Saving Extinct in the Wild (EW) species: e.g. Père David’s deer in China; Przewalski’s horse Mongolia; Arabian Oryx

Question 6

What is MVP defined as?

Answer 6

The number of individuals required to have a specified probability of persistence over a given period of time

Question 7

How do zoos see themselves?

Answer 7

1. They keep species that are at risk from extinction alive (Western Gorilla- critically endangered, Sumatran Tiger-critically endangered, European Mink- critically endangered
2. They do and fund research and have extend veterinary knowledge
   . Anatomy, physiology, diet
   . Captive breeding: e.g. to restock wild populations
   . Reproductive management
3. They educate through visitor engagement

Question 8

What is a negative about the way zoos are run based on the idea that they ‘keep species that are at risk from extinction alive’?

Answer 8

Zoos are selective in what they keep: zoos tend to concentrate on large, charismatic mammal species (megafauna), which generate most income

Question 9

What do zoos reflect their focus on?

Answer 9

On large charismatic mammals

Question 10

Give some drawbacks of zoos

Answer 10

. Difficult decisions about which species to concentrate on to maximise conservation effect
. Conservation effect of captive breeding is limited due to:
- limited resources available
- problems of husbandary: stress-related behaviour
(See a lot of institutionalised behaviour patterns that you see in humans-rocking, plucking of hair, boredom and stress- things you don’t see in the wild because there’s so much going on)

Question 11

What should zoos do with their captains breeding programs?

Answer 11

Focus on taxa not threatened by irreversible habitat loss to, allow for successful re-introduction (but they don’t)

Question 12

‘Designing the arc’: zoos captive breeding program should focus on groups that breed rapidly and at relatively low cost. Give examples of some of these species and the side benefits of this

Answer 12

. Invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles and bats
. Increase cost-effectiveness, increase diversity, improve animal welfare e.g. would avoid large cetaceans (ethically not acceptable)

Question 13

What are the guidelines that should for choosing animals for captive breeding programs?

Answer 13

. Body mass, social behaviour, diet
. Probability of success for re-introduction in the wild
. Education awareness flagship
. Species indigenous in region of captive program

Question 14

What are the good things about zoos?

Answer 14

. Research: reproductive knowledge, genetic diversity
. Veterinary knowledge: anatomy, physiology, diet
. Education: lots of visitors who would not normally travel to see wildlife
. Ex-situ conservation: conservation projects

Question 15

How much do the ‘members of world association of zoos and aquariums spend on conservation actions in the wild per year?

Answer 15

£350 mio/ year
(Third major contributor to global conservation after the Nature Conservancy and the WWF global network (Condite et al. 2011)

Question 16

How many individuals and species do botanical gardens?

Answer 16

4 million individuals in 80,000 species (30% of all known)

Question 17

Give an example of some botanical gardens- seed banking and growing species

Answer 17

. Royal botanical gardens at Kew (25,000 species)

. Millennium seed bank

Question 18

What is a problem of botanical gardens?

Answer 18

Problem of ‘recalcitrant’ seed species that have no dormancy (25%, mainly tropical)

Question 19

What have member institutions of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria established?

Answer 19

Members of institutions have established Taxon Advisory Groups for all the different species of animals kept in zoos/ aquariums. They develop Regional Collection Plans

Question 20

What does the Regional Collection Plans that were established by the member institutions of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria do?

Answer 20

. Describes which species are recommended to be kept, why, and how species should be managed
. Identify which species need to be managed in European Endangered Species Programmes and European Studbooks

Question 21

Each European Endangered species Program (EEP) has a coordinator, who is assisted by a species committee. What do they do?

Answer 21

The coordinator collects information on the status of all animals of the species across zoos, produces a studbook, carries out demographically and genetic analyses, and produces a plan for the future management of the species.
With the species committee, recommendations are made each year on which animals should breed/ not breed, which individual animals should go from one zoo to another

Question 22

What is the ‘studbook keeper’ responsible for?

Answer 22

. Is responsible for a certain European studbook and collects all the data from all EAZA zoos and aquariums: births, deaths, transfers, and keep the species
. These data allow the studbook keeper to carry out analyses of the population of that species ->used to evaluate and modify management is needed
. EAZA zoos may ask the studbook keepers for recommendations on breeding or transfers or management as an EEP (European Endangered species Programme)

Question 23

To maintain healthy, self-sustaining populations without sourcing from the wild, what do zoos and aquariums need to have?

Answer 23

Populations that are large enough to prevent inbreeding

Question 24

Give the 5-step decision making process when deciding whether or not ex-situ management is appropriate for a species

Answer 24

. Step 1: compile a status review of the species, including a threat analysis
. Step 2: define the role(s) that ex situ management can play in the overall conservation of the species
. Step 3: determine the characteristics and dimensions of the ex situ population needed
. Step 4: define the resources and expertise needed
. Step 5: make a decision that is formed (i.e. uses the information gathered above) and transparent