Southern African Amphibian Species Prioritization Workshop
On 28/29 April 2008, Johannesburg Zoo hosted a joint PAAZAB/Amphibian Ark species prioritization workshop. This initiative was funded by contributions from Dallas World Aquarium, Columbus Zoo, Sedgewick County Zoo, Henry Doorly Zoo of the USA and Chester Zoo of the United Kingdom.
The workshop was facilitated by Dr. Richard Gibson, Taxon Officer of the Amphibian Ark, and was attended by participants from the Universities of the North-West, Limpopo and Free State, the South Africa National Biodiversity Institute, Bayworld, National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, Johannesburg Zoo, Henry Doorly Zoo and PAAZAB.
Using the information taken from the Global Amphibian Assessment (www.globalamphibians.org) , a total of 155 southern African species were reviewed during the two day workshop. Of these five species are critically endangered, 16 endangered, 11 vulnerable, five near-threatened and 37 data-deficient.
The full process of the prioritization approach developed by the Amphibian Ark involves three stages: Prioritization, Authorization and Implementation. The workshop held at the Johannesburg Zoo focused solely upon the prioritization process. This process works by considering a series of questions about each species:
- Extinction Risk according to the Global Amphibian Assessment
- Phylogenetic Distinctiveness (“EDGE”)
- “Role” in captivity
- The likelihood of mitigating threats in the wild
- Biological significance
- Cultural or socio-economic importance
- Scientific value
A semi-automated EXCEL spreadsheet, pre-filled with the common names, latin names, distribution and all of the above questions anchored the process and ensured that data capture occurred simultaneously as the workshop progressed.
The function of the process is to identify those species that will most benefit from ex-situ conservation action; that most urgently need ex-situ conservation action and those we most likely to succeed with. It is also important to remember that ex-situ conservation is not limited to captive-breeding (short-term for reintroduction or long-term assurance population). Research and awareness/education programmes using ex-situ populations can also make a significant contribution to Amphibian conservation.
The workshop identified four species as requiring “rescue-supplementation”; 20 species for “conservation research” and 15 species for use in “conservation education”.
The next phase to be held in the upcoming months will involve the Authorization and Implementation stages. PAAZAB members will be invited to attend scheduled meetings
to this end.
For more information, please contact Dave Morgan, davem@paazab.com
click here to view the results and outcomes
of the workshop >>
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