Transcript On the Role of Ex-Situ Management in the Conservation of

The Role of Ex-Situ Management in
the Conservation of Amphibians
Kevin Zippel Bob Lacy
IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group
The uncomfortable truth …
• Although there is much uncertainty,
many species of amphibians are at
very high of extinction in the wild,
and may be lost forever if effective
ex situ programs are not initiated
very soon.
• 100? 500? 1000? 2000?
• Precautionary Principle
What is being done?
• “... it is morally irresponsible to
document amphibian declines and
extinctions without also designing and
promoting a response to this global
crisis.”
• … and the ex situ community is
responding!
• 1990s – DAPTF
– the declines are real and serious
• 2004 – GAA results announced
– we are in an extinction crisis
• May 2005 – ARAZPA/SEAZA/CBSG
• August – CBSG convenes planning meeting
• September – Amphibian Conservation Summit
– call to action
– designation of Amphibian Specialist Group
• October – WAZA/CBSG annual meeting
• November – CBSG hires APO
• February 2006 – Panama meeting
• April – AZA Training, with sponsorships
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May – PAAZAB
May – Mexico Training and Strategy
June – ASA structure meeting
August - WAZA/CBSG annual meetings
September – AZA, EAZA
September – Madagascar
October – Costa Rica
Colombia, Tanzania, …
The Mandates
• 2005 IUCN ACAP White Papers:
– “Survival assurance colonies are mandatory for amphibian species
that will not persist in the wild long enough to recover naturally
once environments are restored; these species need to be saved
now through ex-situ measures so that more complete restoration of
ecosystems is possible in the future”
• 2005 IUCN ACAP Declaration:
– “The ACAP recommends prioritized ... captive survival assurance
programs ... to buy time for species that would otherwise become
extinct...”
• 2006 IUCN ACAP Report:
– “The only hope for populations and species at immediate risk of
extinction is immediate rescue for the establishment and
management of captive survival-assurance colonies”
Making the Mandate Tangible
To save from immediate extinction every species
that needs ex situ conservation, ...
• … each zoo must commit to secure the future for
one amphibian species.
• ~500 zoos working individually and together =
~500 species saved
Are zoos and aquariums ready to respond?
• Currently very limited capacity to hold and breed
amphibians in the world’s zoos (10/60, 10%)
• Most collections are cosmopolitan mixes with
inadequate attention to hygiene and biosecurity
• Limited numbers of staff with amphibian skills
Do we have the resources?
• If each visitor contributes just 2 cents for
amphibian conservation, then we will have
all the funds that we need.
• If each zoo would devote to amphibians the
resources that are devoted to the care of one
high-profile, big mammal species in your
collection, then we will have all the resources
that we need.
We do have (or can have) the needed
financial resources!
• Direct allocation from existing
conservation or collection budgets
• Special fund-raising, individually and
collectively
We do have (or can have) the needed
financial resources!
• Direct allocation from existing
conservation or collection budgets
• Special fund-raising, individually and
collectively
But the rest of the task will be
challenging!
Challenges: We need more …
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Facilities
Expertise
Knowledge
Techniques and standards
Communication and coordination
Partnerships
Public awareness, support, and action
Challenges: We need more …
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Facilities
Expertise
Knowledge
Techniques and standards
Communication and coordination
Partnerships
Public awareness, support, and action
Help is on the way!
WAZA and CBSG are together taking
responsibility for helping to coordinate the
global amphibian ex situ conservation response
WAZA and CBSG are together taking
responsibility for helping to coordinate the
global amphibian ex situ conservation response
Working in close
partnership with the
IUCN Amphibian
Specialist Group
WAZA/CBSG Amphibian Ex situ
Conservation Workshop
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13-15 February, 2006, El Valle Panama
CBSG facilitated
50 participants from 14 countries
4 Working Groups focusing on two of
ACAP topics
Working Group Themes
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Organization
Best Practices
Species Selection
Rapid Response
But how do we decide
how many resources to allocate,
which species to save,
and what receives priority for
immediate action?
IUCN Red List Assessment for all 5,918 Known Amphibian Species
456
1382
769
671
369
2236
plus a handful of biologically or phylogenetically unique taxa
IUCN SSC
Amphibian Specialist Group
Global Amphibian Assessment
• Will identify candidate list of species at high
risk of imminent extinction if not provided the
short-term protection of ex situ breeding
• Will identify species of high ecological,
evolutionary, economic, or cultural importance
• Will help to monitor coverage and gaps
• Will help to identify resources and
opportunities
WAZA, Regional Associations,
partnerships, and individual institutions
• Identify resources (survey and develop)
• Identify geographic, taxonomic, or other interests
and opportunities
• Match resources and interests with candidate list
• Assess readiness and likelihood of success
• Do it!
• Communicate and coordinate globally
• Seek, support, develop links to in situ
conservation
EW/CR Taxa for AZA
Zoo Association
AZA
Region/# regional taxa
North America 4
Caribbean 65
help Latin American Zoo
Associations
ARAZPA
Oceania 49
EAZA
Europe 0
West and Central Asia 4
help SEAZA and PAAZAB!
(maybe ARAZPA)
JAZA
East Asia 10
North Asia 0
Latin American Zoo Assoc.s Mesoamerica 142
South America 140
PAAZAB
sub-Saharan Africa 33
North Africa 0
SEAZA
South & Southeast Asia 30
total # of EW/CR taxa
per zoo association
69-350
49
4-67
10
282
33
30
What Can My Zoo Do?
• Commit to saving at least one species
– build rescue center onsite, in area in need,
preferably both
– get your staff trained and involved
• Support and expand existing efforts
– rescue programs, field surveys, regional programs,
and local conservation projects
• Participate in the global public awareness and
capital campaigns
Build expertise
• AZA Amphibian Biology & Management - April
– 3 years, >60 students
– 6 Latin American students (Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador)
• ABM Mexico - May
• DWCT Amphibian Biodiversity Conservation - June
– 18 students, 15 countries
• ABM/ABC Colombia - October
• ABM Tanzania - ??
Building (up) facilities at home
• Antwerp, Atlantans, Auckland, Bristol, Cologne,
Detroit, Houston, London, Melbourne, Omaha,
Perth, San Antonio, Toledo
• who’s next?
Quarantine Standards
• Highest Standards: Animals or progeny out of
range country destined for return to the wild
(entrance and exit of pathogens)
• Intermediate Standards: Animals or progeny in
range country destined for return to the wild
(entrance of pathogens)
• Lowest Standards: Ex-situ or in-situ with no
possibility of return to the wild. Animals not
required for conservation or release. (exit of
pathogens).
Building facilities offsite
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Houston Zoo - El Nispero Zoo (Panama)
Zoo Zurich - Cali Zoo (Colombia)
St. Louis Zoo - Catolica University (Ecuador)
Omaha Zoo - Johannesburg Zoo
London/Chester/Jersey Zoos - Dominica
Chester - standardized mobile
biosecure facilities
• who’s next?
The Perry Center
•100 % construction (~$650K)
•50% operation (~$150k/yr)
•ex situ management, training,
research
•consortium of zoos
•18 institutions pledged
•$82/150K for operation
Amphibian Apathy:
does anyone like
amphibians?
• Traveling exhibits
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Shedd 1996
Aquarium of the Americas 2000
Moody Gardens 2002
Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland 2003/2005
• booked into 2009/2010
• Detroit’s NACC
– opening lines regularly exceeded 100
– zoo attendance rose 22%
• Moody Gardens
– almost identical increase in attendance
• Reptiland
– at AMNH, tickets sold out most weekends
– the most popular exhibit in the museum's
history
– terrific press in New York Times, The New
Yorker, New York Today, CNN, Associated
Press, …
What is the Amphibian Ark?
• AArk is a joint effort of WAZA, CBSG, and ASG
formed to address the ex situ components of the ACAP.
• The mission is to ensure long-term survival in nature
utilizing short-term ex situ management of amphibian
taxa for which adequate protection in the wild is not
currently possible.
• AArk will coordinate ex situ programs implemented by
global partners (i.e., you!).
• Members of the AArk will be members of WAZA,
regional, or national zoo associations, AArk-approved
private partners and AArk-approved museums,
universities and wildlife agencies.
Amphibian
Ark
IUCN SSC
WAZA
CBSG
ASG
Conservation
Research
Assessment
In situ
Steering Committee
Co-chairs: WAZA, CBSG, ASG
Advisors: Reintro, Vet,
Gene Banking, Legal,
Ethical, etc.
Other members: Regional Zoo Assocs,
Private, Academia, Government
Amphibian Program Officer
Training Officer
Other Officers:
Regional, Institutional
WAZA members
and affiliates
Taxon Officer
Communications Officer
Taxon Management Groups
Taxon Rescue Plans
Regional Zoo &
Aquarium
Association members
private sector
partners
Other approved ex situ
facilities (e.g. universities,
wildlife agencies)