Transcript Slide 1

Cologne Zoo
-
nature conservation projects,
especially in Vietnam
Theo Pagel, CEO Cologne Zoo
• Achim Steiner, the former Director General of
the IUCN – The World Conservation Union -,
said concerning the World Zoo and Aquarium
Conservation Strategy (WZACS):
“It is a timely document that refines the previous
thinking of the 1993 World Zoo Conservation
Strategy and brings ex situ institutions into the
mainstream of biodiversity conservation and
sustainable development. This Strategy provides
a common philosophy for zoos and aquariums
across the globe and defines the standards and
policies with which you hope to achieve your
conservation goals.“
We all know the four main goals of
the WZACS:
•
•
•
•
Recreation
Education
Science
Nature conservation (in situ & ex situ)
Education is an essential tool to
fullfill our goals:
„Zoos and aquaria should make a significant
conservation contribution by acting as leaders
and mentors in socially - and culturally - relevant
formal and informal education, thereby
influencing people's attitudes and behaviour
toward wildlife and environments, local and
global!“
That is absolutely right!!
In our own EAZA education
standards we say:
• „Educational components might include
such topics as:
• animal behaviour,
• zoo animal management,
• variety of life,
• a variety of animal-based topics,
• global or local conservation in situ and ex
situ issues,
• threats to species,
• the role of zoos in conservation,
• sustainability and a respect for and appreciation
of wildlife.“
So the goals of the committee are:
• „The EAZA Education Committee will focus on
educational programmes, activities and interpretive
communication in EAZA member institutions.
• The objective of the Committee is to stimulate and assist
EAZA members in meeting the demands of the World
Zoo & Aquarium Conservation Strategy (2005) as well as
the EAZA Education Standards (2001).
• In general, this means that zoo visitors should be
informed and educated in such a way that their interest
in, their appreciation of and their love for living nature
and their awareness of the necessity of nature
conservation and of sustainable solutions to the
global environmental changes, increases during their
visit.“
• But, what do we do???
• On the way towards a centre of nature conservation and
to live the goals of modern zoos and the education and
exhibit design committee, Cologne Zoo does not only
keep and breed endangered species such as Bali
starlings, Douc langurs, Okapis or elephants. No, we are
also active in in situ projects….
nature conservation projects
Cologne Zoo supports actually
Our main nature conservation project is
going on in Vietnam
• How did it start?
• All activities are related to our tropical house at Cologne Zoo “DER
REGENWALD”, which we were able to open in April 2000.
• Our idea was that building a house for about 12 Mio. DM should
have a strong link to nature conservation work. And because the
theme of the house is the Asian rainforest we needed a project in
this area.
• Prof. Dr. Niekisch, who is now the director of Frankfurt Zoo,
suggested to go to Vietnam – a hot spot of diversity.
• And in 1998 we went to Vietnam for the very first time, looking for an
area (Herrmann, Niekisch, Nogge, Pagel)
• 1999 first Memorandum of Agreement was signed, till that time the
area was just a nature reserve (Herrmann, Pagel).
• First partner: Center for Natural Resources and Environmental
Studies (CRES).
• 2001 Phong Nha – Kẻ Bàng National Park was
established (85.754 ha, District Bố Trạch, Province
Quảng Bình, Central- Vietnam)
• 2003 world heritage site (geology)
• 2003 New Memorandum of Agreement
• 2008 New Memorandum of Agreeement, now with PPC
and NP as partners
• They try to get the accreditation as a world heritage site
for their biodiversity
• Enlargement of the park is planned
National Park - Zones
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Different ecosystems,
caves, rivers, forests,
grasslands….
- 400 Mio. years
- a limestone area
- also on the other side of
the border in Lao
- up to 1128 m
- 70 km cave systems
- still primary forests
flora
plants = 2.651 species
taxon
Psilotophyta (Ngành Quyết lá thông)
Lycopodiophyta (Ngành thông đất)
Equisetophyta (ngành mộc tặc)
Polypodiophyta (ngành dương xỉ)
Pinophyta (Ngành Hạt trần)
Magnoliophyta (Ngành Hạt kín)
Magnoliopsida (Lớp 2 lá mầm)
Liliopsida (Lớp 1 lá mầm)
family
1
2
1
23
6
160
131
29
193
genus species
1
4
1
73
10
817
638
179
906
1
16
2
176
19
2.437
1.909
528
2.651
fauna
vertebrates = 735 species
No.
class
order
family
species
1
mammals
11
30
132
2
birds
18
57
338
3
reptiles
2
15
96
4
amphibians
1
06
45
5
fishes
10
34
124
42
142
735
Hatinh langur
(Trachypithecus laotum hatinhensis),
Douc langur (Pygatharix nemaeus)
In 5 years over 20 new species have been
described:
fishes:
9 species
amphibians: 1 species
reptiles:
11 species
and others will follow…..
2003
Phong Nha - Ke Bang Gecko
(Cyrtodactylus phongnhakebangensis)
Nine years ago, we published a
first, preliminary list of the area's
herpetodiversity, based on own
fieldwork and first Vietnamese
reports, thus comprising 96
amphibian and reptile species.
Some years later, we could bring
the total number of amphibian and
reptile species known for this
unique karst forest ecosystem as a
result of further field work to 128,
of which approximately 20 % were
listed in the Red Data Book of
Vietnam.
photo: Th. Ziegler
Abenteuer-Wissen Gecko (Gekko scientiadventura)
In 2005, mediated by BIOPAT,the
German scientific programme
“Abenteuer Wissen” (“adventure
ofknowledge”) of the second German
television (ZDF), took over the
sponsorship for the latter gecko
species, which was named then as
Gekko scientiadventura, from Latin
"scientia" = knowledge and
"adventura" = adventure. Thus, it
was the objective of a diploma
thesis, that was conducted in 2006,
to learn more about the ecology of
this and further barely known lizard
species in Phong Nha – Ke Bang.
photo: Th. Ziegler
2004
Trimeresurus truongsonensis
• In a recently published, third list the
total number of the herpetofauna
known from Phong Nha - Ke Bang
National Park was brought to 140,
representing more than 30 percent of
the 458 amphibian and reptile species
listed in the current checklist for
Vietnam. Up to now, six new lizard and
five new snake species including a
new genus have been described by us
from Phong Nha - Ke Bang and
adjacent areas.
photo: Th. Ziegler
Tropidophorus noggei
photo: Th. Ziegler
Calamaria thanhi
2005
photo: Th. Ziegler
Amphiesma leucomystax
2007
photo: Th. Ziegler
Lygosoma boehmei
photo: Th. Ziegler
2007
However, we are still far away
from having the National Park's
herpetodiversity completely
inventoried. And of course is the
same for a lot of other taxa,
such as small mammals.
Additionally, we develop
identification keys as basis not
only for the ranger’s work but
also for the authorities engaged
with the implementation of
nature and species
conservation.
From the German side,
the project was
coordinated from the
beginning by the
curators of the Cologne
Zoo's tropical house
"The Rainforest" and
Aquarium.
Subsequently it was
supported in addition
by two further
collaborators, Dr.
Martina Vogt and
Bernhard Forster. Both
are being permanently
on site.
problems
like
everywhere
- erosion
- tourists
forest protection!
new ranger station
training
•Rescue and release center
Golden cat
new activities
• since 2005 ZGF-Cologne Zoo primate
project
• since 2006 cooperation with IEBR
(Institute of Ecology & Biological.
Resources)
• since 2006 surveys in other areas, e.g. on
Cat Ba
ZGF – Kölner Zoo – primate project
• Since 2005 the Cologne Zoo in cooperation with the
Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) furthermore
engages in a reintroduction programme for endangered
primate species. Ha Tinh langurs (Trachypithecus
laotum hatinhensis) and Red-shanked Douc langurs
(Pygathrix nemaeus) from the Endangered Primate
Rescue Centre (EPRC) in Cuc Phuong, northern
Vietnam, shall be released. A single forested hill of 18
ha in size was chosen as adequate place for the semiwild enclosure.
ZGF – Cologne Zoo – primate project
A group of 8 Hatinh-langurs has
been transferred from the PPRC at
Cuc Phuong National Park to a
semi-wild enclosure in Phong NhaKe Bang in 2007.
Semi-wild
enclosure for
langurs
Additionally, in cooperation with
the University of Bonn, a first
diploma thesis focusing on the
occurrence and group structure of
Ha Tinh langurs in their natural
environment in Phong Nha has
been done.
Rangers help to
secure the area
It was a lot of work to fence
the area
In cooperation with the amphibian
breeding station of the Institute of
Ecology and Biological Resources
(IEBR), Vietnamese Academy of
Science and Technology, in Hanoi,
and together with our new
amphibian breeding section in the
Cologne Zoo's aquarium we are
also prepared for combinations of
in situ with ex situ breeding and
preservation efforts.
Theloderma corticale
Rhacophorus dennysi
Cat Ba island
We need to get awareness to promote such activities:
• We try to succeed awareness by:
– Cologne Zoo’s publications,
– our homepage,
– the Vietnam project panels in the zoo,
– TV documentations in the Aquarium and in "The
Rainforest„ to inform the visitors of the Cologne
Zoo about the progress in our nature conservation
efforts and diversity research in Phong Nha – Ke
Bang.
– In the Cologne Zoo's Aquarium, the visitors are
furthermore able to “hear” species diversity due to a
self-made interactive computer containing mating
calls of Vietnamese frogs.
– Press conferences and press articles, even TV-films
– Newly discovered species bring awarness to the
Vietnam project, such as a new gecko species that
was recently discovered in Phong Nha - Ke Bang.
– In 2005, mediated by BIOPAT, the German scientific
programme “Abenteuer Wissen” (“adventure
ofknowledge”) of the second German television
(ZDF), took over the sponsorship for the latter gecko
species, which was named then as Gekko
scientiadventura, from Latin "scientia" = knowledge
and "adventura" = adventure.
– Furthermore, we try to improve public awareness not
only in the Cologne Zoo but also in Vietnam.
• In 2007 the Cologne
Zoo received the
Conservation Award
of the European
Association of Zoos
and Aquaria (EAZA)
for its engagement
with biodiversity
conservation and
research in Phong
Nha – Ke Bang.
• That makes us very
proud and shows us
that we are on the
right way.
The role of zoos in biodiversity conservation
• The contribution of zoos for nature and biodiversity
protection is often neglected in the political debate
about these issues.
• Nevertheless, zoos play an important role by raising
people's awareness for the need to protect species
and their habitats. This importance was recognised by
the 1992 UN Convention on Biological Diversity, which
led to the World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation
Strategy, as well as in European legislation. Even
though zoos only can give cover to only few individual
animals, their educational value is considerable.
• "Zoo animals are ambassadors for their conspecifics
in the wild and can motivate people to support the
protection of their habitats“ – so let us work for and
with them.
and of course thank you
for your attention !!!
•Thanks to all our supporters/sponsors, such as: the Kölner Kulturstiftung der
Kreissparkasse Köln, BIOPAT,GEO schützt den Regenwald for financial support, the
Universities of Bonn, Braunschweig, Cologne, and Hanoi, the European Union of
Aquarium Curators (EUAC), the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft (AKG), the Alexander
Koenig Stiftung (AKS), and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Herpetologie und
Terrarienkunde (DGHT), Bushnell Performance Optics Germany, Köln, and others…