Integrated Data Management for Reintroductions and Conservation Translocations

Integrated Data Management for Reintroductions and Conservation Translocations: Linking In Situ and Ex Situ Data Management for Conservation

Convenor: Karin Schwartz

Aim: The overall objective is to develop scientific-based recommendations for establishing a global database system that will provide a direct link between information collected on animals under human care and on the wild population in order to enhance in situ conservation of these species. Ex situ data management processes are well documented and standardized using Species360 Zoological Information Management System. For this workshop, the objective is to identify in situ data management processes, data needed for monitoring and assessment of populations of threatened species that have been returned to the wild.

Process: Explore current practices for data management of in situ species conservation programs and identify how critical components can be integrated with ex situ processes for holistic species conservation. Platforms to be discussed include Species360 Zoological Information Management System as well as data management tools used for monitoring animals in the wild, with the possibility of linking systems.

Background: With anthropogenic factors accelerating the extinction rate of species 100 to 1000 times the natural rate, biodiversity conservation has become mandatory for sustainability of our natural world. It is imperative that species conservation strategies involve both in situ (in the wild) and ex situ (in captivity) communities for holistic, integrative conservation action planning, as outlined in the One Plan Approach (see CBSG website).  Previous CBSG projects using this integration of in situ and ex situ programs include conservation planning for Okinawa rail and black-footed ferret.

Zoos and aquariums have become centers committed to biodiversity conservation, contributing through support and participation in conservation efforts for threatened species in the wild. Many zoological institutions are directly involved in such conservation programs with participation in captive breeding for reintroduction, head-starting animals to increase juvenile survival after release, wildlife health assessments, rescue/rehabilitation/release of injured wildlife or supplementation programs to increase wild populations.  For all of the scenarios, there is integration of ex situ and in situ components for overall species conservation.

As stated in IUCN/SSC  Reintroduction Specialist Group recently released Guidelines for Reintroductions and Other Conservation Translocations (IUCN/SSC 2013),  data management processes are important to include in planning a translocation (Section 4) and monitoring programme design (Section 8), as well as in disseminating information (Section 9). Prior to implementation of a translocation, the objectives will dictate what data should be collected, where and when, to provide evidence to measure progress towards programme goals and to facilitate adaptive management of the programme. Data on the translocated individuals prior to the release event are important to integrate into the overall data management process to give a holistic view of both ex situ and in situ components of the programme.

Sophisticated records-keeping and population management tools have been developed for use in zoological conservation management programs. Globally, 850 zoological institutions use the Species360 Information System – a central global database for animal records collection, compilation and analysis, all integral for scientific population management. Species360 has deployed a new system, the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS) that will include leading-edge web-based technologies, data warehousing and veterinary care tracking functionality, enabling real-time access to animal records and veterinary history from anywhere in the world.  Now, a need for managing critical populations of endangered species in the wild has emerged as more conservation translocations of captive-bred or rescue/rehabilitated animals occur. Currently, very few conservation translocation programs utilize these data management tools for holistic animal management and there is no direct link between the animal records in Species360 and databases used in monitoring and managing those animals released to the wild or for intensively managed wild populations. There is a need for information exchange and standardization between ex situ and in situ data management practices when these factions intersect in species recovery programs.

References:
IUCN/SSC (2013). Guidelines for Reintroductions and Other ConservationTranslocations. Version 1.0. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN Species Survival Commission, viiii + 57 pp.

Briefing Materials:



Back to 2013 Briefing Book.