Avian Reintroduction & Translocation

Media Contact: Sharon Dewar 312-742-2246 SDewar@lpzoo.org LINCOLN PARK ZOO HOSTS FIRST INTERNATIONAL WILDLIFE REINTRODUCTION CONFERENCE Lincoln Park Zoo and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) will host the First International Wildlife Reintroduction Conference on April 15 – 16, 2008. Conservation biologists from around the globe will convene at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago to share information, triumphs and tribulations from experiences restoring wildlife back into the wild. Many wildlife populations throughout the world are suffering dramatic declines in size or are already extirpated. Habitat loss and degradation and the consequences of climate change are likely to further reduce the survival of many species, disrupt their distributions and disturb ecological function. An established conservation strategy to enhance the restoration of locally extinct populations is the reintroduction of zoo-bred and wild animals. “Reintroduction programs can be expensive, complex and risky, and many are not successful,� explains Joanne Earnhardt, Ph.D., director, Alexander Center for Applied Population Biology at Lincoln Park Zoo. “However, the development of innovative approaches and a new culture of reintroduction science should improve the probability of success.� The aim of the international wildlife conference is to bring together top experts in the field to focus on the evolving science of reintroduction and discuss “lessons learned,� identify scientific processes that improve effectiveness and build a culture of innovative theoretical and applied research on reintroductions.

symposium at the Zoological Society of London 8 and 9 May 2008 AVIAN REINTRODUCTION BIOLOGY: current issues for science and management organised by Doug Armstrong, John Ewen, Kevin Parker & Philip Seddon Invited speakers will present their expert opinions on a range of topics that encompass current priorities in avian reintroduction biology. Our aims are to bring wildlife ecologists, population modellers, geneticists, animal husbandry professionals, and veterinarians together in order to discuss their contributions to avian reintroduction. This broad expertise base often results in differing, and sometimes conflicting, goals and approaches. There is a desperate need to coordinate our thinking across these disciplines to promote a stronger knowledge base for more efficient and successful conservation reintroductions in the future.