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Zoos, Conservation and International Animal Movements
20 January 2005
There is a worldwide extinction crisis
Worldwide, species of wildlife are increasingly threatened with extinction. As a result of wide scale habitat destruction and illegal trade, 23% of all mammals, 12% of all birds and 4% of all reptiles are now facing extinction (source: 2003 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species).
Zoo animals are a valuable conservation resource
Zoos hold, display and manage populations of species that are increasingly at risk in the wild. In many instances, zoo populations represent a critical final insurance against extinction. Indeed, several species of wildlife are now extinct in the wild, and are only found in closely managed captive populations such as Guam rail, Scimitar-horned Oryx, Partula Snail and Sorroco Dove (2003 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species).
Captive populations of wildlife are increasingly used to enhance or help re-establish wild populations through sophisticated conservation breeding and reintroduction programs. In 1998 alone, 218 species were reintroduced to the wild from zoos, many of these resulting in the establishment of viable breeding populations.
Key international treaties recognise the conservation value of zoo populations
International treaties such as the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) explicitly recognise the conservation value of wildlife populations managed by zoos. The New Zealand government is a signatory to all key treaties of relevance to biodiversity conservation.
International transactions are necessary for sustainable zoo populations
Viable captive populations can only be sustained in the long term through complex conservation breeding programs. These aim to ensure the genetic and demographic health of the populations, and require a high level of coordination between zoos around the world.
As a result, over the past 20 years, zoos around the world have established a substantial, and almost unparalleled, series of collaborative networks with species conservation and sustainability the primary focus.
Exchange of animals between zoos around the world, to ensure genetically appropriate breeding occurs is a critical part of such programs.
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