Strategic Planning for Species Conservation: A Handbook - IUCN

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Strategic Planning for Species Conservation Photo 8.2 African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania IUCN Photo Library © IUCN / Sue Mainka 8.3.4 Experience from, and tests on, similar species Sometimes there may be prior experience of implementing the management approach on a similar species, and this experience can be collated and presented as evidence of its likely effectiveness in the species of concern. For example, when grey wolves (Canis lupus) were reintroduced to the northern Rocky Mountains of the USA, they were given “experimental – nonessential” (rather than fully protected) legal status under the US Endangered Species Act. This was partly because prior experience with the reintroduction of red wolves (C. rufus) suggested that “experimental – nonessential” status had allowed greater flexibility in dealing with problem animals, and this had been considered a key to the success of the red wolf programme (Phillips 1995). In some cases, it may be appropriate to conduct experimental tests on surrogate species before implementing, or testing, particular management methods on the species of concern. Table 8.7 provides examples of such tests. 67
68 8. Actions Table 8.7 Real-world examples of Actions which have been subjected to experimental testing on surrogate species. Species of concern Surrogate species Action and results Reference Chatham Island black robin Petroica traversi Piping plover Charadrius melodus Black-footed ferret Mustela nigripes 8.3.5 Tests on captive animals South Island robin Petroica australis Killdeer plover Charadrius vociferus Steppe polecat Mustela eversmanni A few forms of management under consideration for wild populations may be first tested on captive individuals. While this approach is not relevant to all Actions, it can be extremely valuable in some cases. Examples are given in Table 8.8. Table 8.8 Real-world examples of Actions being considered for use in the wild which were tested using captive animals 8.3.6 Tests based on model simulation South Island robins’ responses to being transported were investigated to determine how far black robins might safely be moved, informing the selection of a translocation site. Behaviour, growth rates and survival were compared across wild, captive reared, and cross-fostered killdeer, to determine the most promising method for use in piping plovers. Effects of different pre-release training regimens on survival and behaviour post-release were investigated using sterilised polecats before testing on ferrets. Butler and Merton 1992 Powell and Cuthbert 1993 Biggins et al. 1999 Species of concern Action Outcome Reference Bighorn sheep Ovis canadensis Asian elephant Elephas maximus Several mammal species Vaccination against parainfluenzavirus III Estimation of population size by counting dung densities. Estimation of population size using camera trapping. Vaccine was safe and caused seroconversion in captivity (but did not reduce mortality of wild sheep). Defecation rates of elephants in natural habitats were measured using tame elephants and used to calibrate dung counts for wild elephants. Density estimates calculated using a new method for analysing camera trap data correlated with known densities in an enclosed area. Jessup, De Forge and Sandberg 1991 Tyson et al. in review Rowcliffe et al. 2008 Mathematical models may provide a valuable tool for evaluating some Actions. There are several ways in which such models may be used. Occasionally, a species’ biology may be sufficiently well characterized to allow population dynamic models (often PVA models) to be constructed. These models can then be used to simulate the effects of certain management interventions. Such model-based approaches will never produce results as reliable as those derived from empirical assessments of the outcomes of action, not least because it is rarely possible to be completely confident that population models have the appropriate structure and are correctly parameterized. Nevertheless, such simulations can be very useful in some circumstances. PVA modelling
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