[Photo: Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx). Source: Wikipedia. Author: Charlesjscharp. License: CC BY-SA 3.0]
Reintroduction biology is a new area of research and management that is rapidly becoming important in the field of restoration ecology given the increasing frequency of plant and animal reintroductions being performed in an attempt to conserve species and populations. Consequently, it is important to have a grasp on the fundamentals of this new field of reintroduction biology, along with the closely related topic of assisted migration, which is a subject we will consider separately, partly because of its extremely controversial nature.
The world's public encyclopedia, Wikipedia, has a nice overview of the subject of reintroduction (see: Wikipedia - Reintroduction) and is a good starting point for our studies. When reviewing this material, you should pay attention to the differences between the terms: reintroduction, translocation, in-situ conservation, and ex-situ conservation.
[Photo top: Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus). Source: Wikipedia. Author: Pierre Dalous. License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Photo middle: White-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). Source: Wikipedia. Author: Yathin S Krishnappa. License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Photo bottom: Lesser kestrels (Falco naumanni) mating. Source: Wikipedia. Author: Pierre Dalous. License: CC BY-SA 3.0]
Also, near the end of the Wikipedia article on reintroduction, note the lists of sample reintroduction programs and projects. We'll return to this list later after conducting some background reading and studies of reintroduction biology. Let's begin our technical studies by reading the following papers:
1) Seddon, P.J., D.P. Armstrong, and R.F. Maloney. 2007. Developing the science of reintroduction biology. Conservation Biology 21(2): 303-312.
note: This paper helped launch the field of reintroduction biology and prompt expanded discussion and debate about the topic.
2) Lipsey, M.K. and M.F. Child. 2007. Combining the fields of reintroduction biology and restoration ecology. Conservation Biology 21(6): 1387-1390.
note: This short paper argues that reintroduction biology should be viewed less as a separate discipline and more as a topic integrated within the field of restoration ecology.
3) Armstrong, D.P. and P.J. Seddon. 2007. Directions in reintroduction biology. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 23(1): 20-25.
note: This paper provides a series of key questions that should be considered in reintroduction programs. Figure 1 on page 21 does a nice job of graphically illustrating these key questions.
4) Sutherland, W.J. et al. 2010. Standards for documenting and monitoring bird reintroduction projects. Conservation Letters 3: 229-235.
note: Although this paper focuses on bird reintroductions, it provides a good list of planning and management actions that really apply to any type of reintroduction project. See Table 1, page 232.
reading assignments: the 4 papers listed above
source: WSU e-Journals through SearchIT
Reintroduction Biology Assignment - Part 1:
A) Summarize what you believe to be some of the more important points and issues raised in the key paper "Developing the Science of Reintroduction Biology."
B) Do you agree with the argument in the second paper above by Lipsey and Child (2007) that reintroduction biology should be viewed as part of the field of restoration ecology?
C) In regards to issues of population establishment discussed in Armstrong and Seddon (2007), how do Allee effects potentially influence reintroduction strategies or success?
Why do the authors suggest that case studies will always be a strong emphasis in reports of reintroduction biology?
D) Sutherland et al. (2010) argue for standardized post-reintroduction monitoring at 1, 5, and 10 year intervals. What potential problems in documenting the outcomes of reintroductions might occur by using just this approach across all species?
E) After you complete your studies of these foundation papers on reintroduction biology, then return to the Wikipedia article on reintroduction and explore some of the species and projects on this list. Using this list and especially other searches using WSU's SearchIT, Google Scholar, Microsoft Academic, etc., select a species (plant or animal) for the subject of your short reintroduction planning assignment #2.
F) After you have completed part E above and have settled on a species, then let me and the class know what species or reintroduction topic you selected for your 2nd planning assignment.
Hints and Suggestions for Picking a Species / Reintroduction Project:
Here's some hints and suggestions for how to pick a species or project involving reintroduction biology for your second restoration planning assignment.
First, it's actually more difficult in many ways to write a good reintroduction paper on a species for which there is a well established reintroduction program already underway. The reason is that there will be a natural human tendency to find one good reintroduction plan and then basically parrot or repeat much of what that plan says. When you confront a thorough paper, it is more difficult to look beyond it to see other ecological issues for yourself and deal with unknowns. Authoritative reports can be intimidating and make it difficult to do as much independent thinking and analysis on your own.
Consequently, some of the more challenging species or projects actually turn out to be the well known examples of wolf reintroductions, black-footed ferret, etc.
A lot has been written about these species and unless you're willing to take the time to dig into some of the controversies and go beyond the "wolves in Yellowstone" approach, it may actually be harder to write a truly interesting restoration plan for some of the well-known species.
Just saying...
However, if you do, you must simply take time to engage the unknowns and the controversies regarding these species. This approach will make the paper more than just regurgitating what someone else has already written and concluded.
Secondly, don't just rely on the species list that was provided in the Wikipedia article. Do some other online searches using a variety of key words and you will undoubtedly run across other potentially interesting species reintroduction projects. The list on Wikipedia was just to make it easier for you to get a start and pick a topic if you were undecided, but you are not bound to stay with that list only.
I look forward to see what interesting topics and species you select for your second restoration planning assignment.
Due Date: Tuesday, Oct. 27
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