Linking Wild and Captive Populations to Maximize Species Persistence: Optimal Translocation Strategies

Linking Wild and Captive Populations to Maximize Species Persistence: Optimal Translocation Strategies

Captive breeding of animals is widely used to manage endangered species, frequently with the ambition of future reintroduction into the wild. Because this conservation measure is very expensive, we need to optimize decisions, such as when to capture wild animals or release captive-bred individuals into the wild. It is unlikely that one particular strategy will always work best; instead, we expe...

The optimal timing of reintroducing captive populations into the wild

We examine a conservation problem in which the recovery of an endangered species depends on a captive breeding and reintroduction program. The model is applied to the case of the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes), an endangered species in North America reliant on captive breeding for survival. The timing of reintroduction is an important concern in these programs as there is a tradeoff bet...

Reserve Design to Maximize Species Persistence

We develop a reserve design strategy to maximize the probability of species persistence predicted by a stochastic, individual-based, metapopulation model. Because the population model does not fit exact optimization procedures, our strategy involves deriving promising solutions from theory, obtaining promising solutions from a simulation optimization heuristic, and determining the best of the p...

Optimal Translocation Strategies for Threatened Species

Translocation—the deliberate, human-mediated movement of organisms—is a useful conservation tool most often employed in attempts to increase persistence of threatened or depleted species. Translocation projects involve difficult management decisions regarding the allocation of animals between sites. This research provides a rational scientific basis for these decisions. We use a stochastic popu...

Conservation Strategies, Species Action Plans, and Translocation