Abstract
AbstractWith 40% of global amphibian species threatened with extinction, captive breeding programmes are an increasingly important conservation tool. The highest priority species occur in tropical countries, which presents a number of challenges. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 25 practitioners in Latin America, Africa and Asia to investigate how the effectiveness of amphibian captive breeding programmes could be improved. A thematic analysis identified 94 barriers and enablers across 13 themes. We found that existing programmes commonly followed a reactive and often ineffective four-stage operational model. Subsequently, we developed a proactive operational model, using the barriers and enablers identified by this study, to support programme managers in the implementation of effective programmes. Our findings suggest human dimensions are often critical barriers or enablers across all stages of captive breeding programmes. We recommend the development of strategic partnerships between institutions, including zoos, NGOs, governments and captive breeding programmes, to help overcome these critical barriers and improve the effectiveness of global amphibian conservation. This operational model could be translated to captive breeding programmes for other taxa.
Highlights
The amphibian crisis has been widely recognized since the first World Congress of Herpetology in (Wake, )
Recognizing the need to have a ‘response that is at the scale of the challenge’ (Gascon et al, p. ), the IUCN Species Survival Commission coordinated global action between partner organizations through the Amphibian Conservation Action Plan in, subsequently updated in (Wren et al, )
The analysis identified barriers and enablers of programmes, and through examination of partnerships we assessed the drivers and constraints of these programmes
Summary
The amphibian crisis has been widely recognized since the first World Congress of Herpetology in (Wake, ). Captive breeding programmes are promoted by the Amphibian Conservation Action Plan to supply assurance populations for species facing rapid declines not preventable by in situ measures alone. Since , amphibian captive breeding and reintroduction programmes have been highly or partially effective in establishing self-sustaining populations in the wild and there has been a % increase in species held in these programmes during – (Harding et al, ). Despite this increase, only of the species recommended for ex situ programmes by the Conservation Needs Assessment process (Conservation Needs Assessment, ) are currently held in captive breeding programmes. A further % of species remain to be assessed (Baker et al, )
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