Tools of the trade to aid decision-making for species survival

Abstract

As wildlife populations and habitats continue to diminish at alarming rates all over the world, those responsible for wildlife management recognize that global, integrated, multi-dimensional strategies must be developed to respond to the escalating crisis that the world's biodiversity is facing. It is also recognized that resources available for the preservation of the world's biodiversity are limited and must be carefully apportioned not only where they are most needed but also where they can do the most good. Concomitantly, if current rates of extinction are to be slowed, global cooperation and coordination of efforts for species preservation are essential. In response to these challenges, the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG) of IUCN's Species Survival Commission has assisted in the development and application of a series of tools and processes to expedite the development of scientifically-based management strategies for threatened species. These tools, based on small population and conservation biology, are used in intensive, problem-solving workshop processes designed to contribute to the development of realistic and achievable strategies for species conservation. The primary tools used by the CBSG include: (i) providing an objective workshop environment and a facilitation process that supports sharing of available information, reaching agreement on the issues, available information, and useful management recommendations; (ii) the Mace-Lande criteria for evaluation of threat, and, currently their derivative draft IUCN Red List criteria for threat; (iii) VORTEX, a stochastic, small population simulation modelling program (developed by Dr Robert Lacy of the Chicago Zoological Society) that considers genetics, demography, and environmental variation; (iv) topographic maps and Geographical Information System (GIS) tools to organize and visually to present species distribution information in relation to habitat, land use, and local human population distribution; and (v) demographic analysis of the local human populations with projections of growth patterns. The workshop processes employing these tools include: (i) Conservation Assessment and Management Planning (CAMP); and (ii) Population and Habitat Viability Assessment (PHVA). These processes have assisted in scientific decision-making and setting of priorities for species management activities aimed at halting the on-going decline in the planet's biodiversity. Recommendations for intensive management stemming from CAMP and PHVA workshops are as varied as the species analysed. This Papers presents case summaries that demonstrate how these tools and workshop processes have aided in the formulation of holistic and viable conservation strategies for threatened species and lessons that have been learned in the process.