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Collection Planning and Population Management By Senior Keeper, Lindsay Banks Zoos cannot and do not operate in isolation but are much stronger as a coordinated force. Therefore, many zoos operate within accredited associations which function at a number of levels including national (BIAZA), regional (EAZA) and international (WAZA IUCN). This provides a regulatory framework where support and assistance is administered at an inter-organisational level which enables best practice in conservation, research, education and species management and husbandry. This regulatory framework helps zoos to focus and realise their conservation potential but also provides codes of practice ensuring zoos are operating at the same high standards. Many zoos within the UK operate within the framework of BIAZA (British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums) and EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria). BIAZA is a conservation, scientific and education wildlife charity and is a single voice representing the zoos and aquariums of Britain and Ireland. It aims to forge a more effective partnership between zoos, governments and conservation organisations. It is a member of the parliamentary group and thus can raise awareness at a political level. However, BIAZA will also take its lead from EAZA regarding Regional Collection Planning (RCP) and species management. EAZA is the regional coordinating organisation of the European zoo community and plays a key role in regional conservation initiatives. It coordinates a number of regional breeding programmes and participates in many international breeding programmes. For a zoo to participate within these accredited associations it must strive for excellence and work to specified standards of animal husbandry, animal welfare and conservation and education. If modern zoo are to make a marked and significant contribution to conservation it is imperative they work within this coordinated and accredited framework. It would be foolhardy to think that a single zoo could maintain a viable self -sustaining population of a particular species, there simply isn’t the space. It requires and relies fully on a coordinated approach utilising the space and skills of all zoos. Those species which are managed in zoos are carefully and very specifically selected based upon key information and research provided by a number of organisations including the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and EAZA. The IUCN regularly monitors and reviews species’ populations and habitats in the wild and this information is used to produce the Red Data List. This list assigns a threat classification to a species and can vary from least concern to higher threat classifications such as critically endangered or extinct in the wild. The IUCN has also established a number of Specialist Groups including groups for birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, plants, invertebrates and mammals. For example, within mammals there are the Small Carnivore Specialist Group, African Rhino Specialist Group, Antelope Specialist Group and the Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group to name just a few! These groups are composed of a number of key conservationists, zoo professionals and other experts which collectively monitor and assess specific species, produce conservation action plans and global surveys for the species and may identify specific species which require captive breeding to survive. Zoos and zoo associations will use this information to establish where and how to focus their conservation strategies and efforts. Effectively, this critical information is used to help identify which species zoos should manage in captivity. Since zoo space is at a premium zoos simply cannot pick a species which is nice to exhibit but must make informed decisions about species management to ensure an effective and coordinated approach to conservation. Therefore, zoos will develop collection plans which are produced at a local (zoo) and regional level (European). Species selection and management across European zoos is coordinated within the framework of EAZA and EAZA Regional Collection Plans (RCP). These plans are coordinated and compiled at a taxonomic level. Within the zoo community all species managed in captivity will have a Taxonomic Advisory Group (TAG) in which key zoo professionals will discuss a number of species specific issues including conservation, husbandry, research and collection planning. Some example TAG groups include the Giraffe and Antelope TAG, Small Mammal TAG, Great Ape TAG and Felid TAG. Each specific TAG will create an RCP which will identify specific species to be managed in captivity, including why and how each species should be managed as well as those species that no longer require captive management. The TAG will look at factors such as available space in zoos, IUCN status, the educational value of a species and the husbandry and expertise required to effectively manage the species. Once a species has been selected for captive management it is important that zoos are capable of maintaining a healthy, viable self-sustaining captive population. This is critical if zoos are to make a significant and appropriate contribution to species conservation. Therefore, zoos must manage a species in large enough populations to prevent inbreeding and to ensure long term genetic diversity. If captive animals are allowed to breed unregulated within small groups inbreeding will occur which can result in long term health implications and a reduction in genetic diversity. As a result, zoos work in collaboration with one another enabling the metapopulation management of species. Essentially, a species is managed as single population despite it being held in a number of different zoos across Europe or the world. The level of breeding management employed will depend upon the species and its threat status. As a result, EAZA has created European Endangered Species Breeding Programmes (EEP) which is the most intensive and strictly controlled form of breeding management. Species managed at this level include Mountain bongo Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci (Critically endangered), Scimitar-horned oryx Oryx dammah (Extinct in the wild), Rothschild giraffe Giraffa Camelopardalis rothschildi (Endangered), Amur tiger Panthera tigris altaica (Endangered) and Asian elephant Elephas maximus (Endangered). Within each EEP there is a Species Coordinator who is assisted by a Species Committee. It is the role of the coordinator to collect and compile data from all zoos in Europe which hold the EEP species. This data is used to produce a studbook (births, deaths, transfers) and to conduct genetic and demographic analysis which enables effective and informed recommendations regarding which individuals within which zoos can breed. Therefore, individuals can be moved throughout Europe for specific targeted breeding. Consequently, an animal born at Woburn could live in a number of zoos throughout its life. This ensures that it is not the same individuals breeding continually each year, if this were to occur the genes of certain individuals would become overrepresented within the population and in turn would reduce the genetic diversity of the population. Therefore, it is imperative that zoos only breed those individuals that have been selected. Breeding information is reviewed annually to ensure the population is being managed appropriately to maintain 99% gene diversity. EAZA also compiles European Studbook data (ESB) which is a less intensive form of breeding management. The coordinator of an ESB will collect data from across Europe to compile a studbook of births, deaths and transfers. This information is monitored and held in case it is deemed necessary to manage the species more intensively. In conjunction with the information provided by EAZA Regional Collection Plans, EAZA breeding programmes as well as zoo regulatory bodies each zoo will establish an institutional collection plan. This essentially outlines the strategic direction of the zoo’s living collection. It is an organic document which is regularly reviewed and sets out the justifications and management for each species held at the zoo. Zoos must ensure that species are selected and managed according to conservation, education and research objectives. As indicated above, zoos simply cannot select species randomly with no forethought for the long term implications, a single zoo is unable to manage a species population on its own and this is why strategic coordinated collection planning is employed. At Woburn each species held has a justified reason for being managed within the collection based upon education, research and conservation criteria or roles. Equally, zoos must recognise their recreational role and thus Woburn also manages some species which are not of conservation priority but complement the exhibition of those that are. The collection plan also considers space availability and the overall capacity of each exhibit to ensure species are managed appropriately. All EEP species at Woburn are managed in accordance to the breeding recommendations of the programme and thus separation of males from female groups may be necessary and as such this is also factored into the overall collection plan.