Indonesian Conservation Management Practices & the Australian ...

The Australian Context10• Ex situ collection management – captive breeding for reintroduction; public educationand/or exhibit opportunities; fundraising activities; research to gain basic knowledgeof animal biology and develop husbandry, management and breeding skills andexpertise; and, demographic and genetic backup for wild populations.The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) has encouraged Australasianzoological institutions to focus on Australasia and South East Asia as their priorityconservation areas. The ZV Conservation Strategy reflects this and identifies a rangeof goals and objectives that will deliver conservation outcomes under the four broadthemes cited above. An important aim of both the ZV and WAZA strategies is to achieve‘integrated conservation’, whereby all the zoo’s activities are working together to ‘achievethe greatest sustainable conservation benefit for threatened species, their habitats andtheir human neighbours’ (WAZA 2005).Many zoos attempt to support conservation programs for species that they hold in theircollections. As a consequence, Australian zoos are committing increasing levels of energyand resources to conservation programs within South East Asia. However, it is broadlyunclear how effective this support is due to limited capacity and expertise to evaluatethe merits and performance of the programs. Even the larger zoos within Australia, suchas ZV and Taronga Zoo in Sydney, have few staff with sufficient expertise, experience ortime to oversee such activities.For the zoo industry to effectively contribute to meaningful conservation outcomes in SouthEast Asia, a sound understanding is required of the general principles of conservationand how these can be applied in the South East Asian region, as well as the specificchallenges facing conservation in this region and successful strategies for addressingthose.In a wildlife conservation context, there are important differences between South EastAsia and ‘western countries’, ie. The former faces greater population pressures, lowerstandards of living, and weaker government capacity and regulation. These contribute tosignificant and complex conservation challenges.Conservation programs in South East Asia are widely supported by western organisations,funds and individuals. Increasingly, the principles and practices of conservation programmanagement developed in western countries are being adapted to more effectively reflectthe needs and realities of working in South East Asia. A key goal of this Fellowship is toassess these changes and their relevance for Australian zoos. However, it is unclear howeffective application of the general principles and practices of conservation managementdeveloped in western countries is in delivering successful conservation outcomes.A SWOT analysis provides a useful avenue for exploring conservation practices withinthe context of the Australian zoo industry. Exploring strengths, weaknesses, opportunitiesand threats provides an effective means of ‘mapping’ the current situation and identifyingopportunities for future developments.SWOT AnalysisStrengths• The visions and values of Australian zoos identify the need to contribute to conservationin some capacity.• Human Resources systems and procedures are in place.• Most staff employed within the industry have a general interest in actively participatingin field conservation.