Geography
Ex-situ Conservation
Ex-situ conservation involves the preservation of species outside their natural habitats, often in controlled environments such as zoos, botanical gardens, or seed banks. This approach aims to protect biodiversity and prevent species extinction by maintaining populations and genetic diversity. Ex-situ conservation plays a crucial role in safeguarding endangered species and supporting their reintroduction into the wild.
Written by Perlego with AI-assistance
Related key terms
1 of 5
12 Key excerpts on "Ex-situ Conservation"
eBook - PDF- Andrew S. Pullin(Author)
- 2002(Publication Date)
- Cambridge University Press(Publisher)
Additionally, students should gain a knowledge of some of the current ex situ programmes and reintroduction projects taking place. What is ex situ conservation and when is it necessary? The practice of ex situ conservation involves the removal of individuals or groups from their natural habitat into captivity, either to breed or to maintain a genetic stock. This is usually done by zoos and aquaria for animals and botanic gardens and herbaria for plants. Such places are increasingly moving from simply exhibitions of species that satisfy public curiosity to organisations with an active role in conservation. In the previous chapter we have seen how populations can decline to a size where the odds are stacked against their survival, and the prob-ability of extinction is greater than the probability of survival. When such populations are the sole representatives of a species or subspecies then a tough decision may have to be made. Do you attempt to save them by capturing remaining individuals, taking them into captivity and breeding from them to increase numbers, or do you do the best you can to manage the population and its native habitat and leave a lot to chance? In exceptional circumstances of endangerment to populations and species, the drastic step of taking individuals into captivity in order to conserve them is an option used with increasing frequency. The advantages and disadvantages as well as the circumstances under which this course of action is justified are considered here. The biggest philosophical problem with this action is that conserva-tion can only have real meaning if species are kept in context with their habitat. Conservation is about conserving the whole with its complex interactions, not isolated pieces. So in the long term, captive breeding or ex situ conservation cannot be considered conservation by itself, but can only be justified if reintroduction is a primary goal.
eBook - ePubPlant Conservation
An Ecosystem Approach
- Alan Hamilton(Author)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
For one thing, there are different degrees of rigour with which these terms are applied. In its purest sense, ex situ conservation could possibly be restricted only to collections of species that have been properly sampled from the genetic standpoint, fully documented and actively managed in formal ex situ collections, such as in botanic gardens or seed-banks. Actually, many plant collections that are commonly given as examples of ex situ collections consist largely of essentially randomly collected specimens, quite often without proper documentation or even incorrectly labelled, and not actively managed: their claim to the ex situ label rests largely on their associations with botanic gardens or seedbanks. From our experience, there are many botanists in some parts of the world who find it difficult to see why the growing of any species that is threatened in the wild in cultivation should not be labelled as ex situ conservation - for example, the commercial growing by villagers of threatened medicinal plants to replace the unsustainable harvesting of wild plants from nearby forests or pastures. Similar questions arise about in situ conservation. In its purest form, in situ conservation could be taken to be the safeguarding of self-perpetuating wild populations of species in completely natural habitats. However, it is a fact that there are no ‘pure natural habitats' in most parts of the world and it is likely that many ‘wild’ populations of species have been influenced genetically by people. Furthermore, conservationists often refer to species as 'safeguarded’ if they are found within protected areas; but, in fact, this affords little guarantee that they really are safe. The term circa situm conservation has been proposed for a range of practices that are intermediate between 'traditional’ in situ and ex situ conservation. They are associated especially with more traditional (and biodiversity-rich) agricultural systems (Hawkes et al, 2001)
eBook - ePub- Ankur Awadhiya(Author)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
Fig. 10.3v ] — on aspects like the earliest occurrence of diseases and changes in the genetic makeup of animals over time. Cryo-preservation of sperms and ova also provide hope to use future technologies for wildlife conservation.Figure 10.3: Examples of ex-situ conservation areas and activities.Ex-situ conservation offers several advantages. Keeping animals in a small, artificial location permits excellent control of variables such as climate, diseases, diet, etc. The facility furnishes the opportunity to observe the animals closely — permitting a better understanding about the species characteristics, behaviours, and requirements. This often leads to insights into the causes that are pushing the species towards extinction. At the same time, ex-situ facilities allow intensive interventions such as in-vitro fertilisation, embryo transfer, etc., which may be urgently needed to save the species from extinction.Ex-situ conservation also has several limitations on its own. It does not do anything to prevent the loss of habitat. If ex-situ conservation is not accompanied by protection and conservation of habitats, it may lead to a situation where the captive animals do not have a home to go back to — a place where they can be released once their populations have stabilised — thus converting them into mere artefacts that do not get to play any ecological role. It is costly, and being expensive and more resource-intensive, can be planned for only a few species at a time, typically those species with small body sizes. Wild behaviours frequently get lost in the artificial environments of the facility, with the result that captive-bred and raised individuals find it difficult to thrive when they are reintroduced back into their natural habitat. If not planned properly, ex-situ
- Bhuiyan Monwar Alam(Author)
- 2012(Publication Date)
- IntechOpen(Publisher)
Chapter 9 © 2012 Krigas et al., licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. GIS and ex situ Plant Conservation Nikos Krigas, Kimon Papadimitriou and Antonios D. Mazaris Additional information is available at the end of the chapter http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/50525 1. Introduction In the frame of the global efforts to halt the biodiversity loss by 2010 and with the aim to develop effective conservation strategies extending beyond 2010, stakeholders have recognized as a priority the in situ conservation (on site conservation) of target plant species. Still, the rapid environmental changes including climate change, habitat loss and alteration, could pose some limitations on our ability to conserve target species effectively in situ (Sharrock & Jones, 2009). As a result, conservation biologists, policy makers and managers acknowledge the importance of ex situ conservation of target plants in botanic gardens and seed banks as an essential back-up solution (Convention on Biological Diversity [CBD], 1992; Glawka et al 1994; Global Strategy for Plant Conservation [GSPC], 2002; European Strategy for Plant Conservation [ESPC], 2009; Sharrock & Jones, 2009). For the ex situ plant conservation, target species mainly refer to plant taxa (species and subspecies) presenting a narrow distribution in the wild (see Krigas & Maloupa, 2008). This category of plants usually includes: i. Local endemics (endemics of a single mountaintop e.g. Viola cephalonica (Katsouni et al., 2009) , or endemics of a single island e.g. Allium samothracicum (Krigas, 2009) , or endemics of a group of nearby areas or islands e.g.
eBook - PDF- David Briggs, S. Max Walters(Authors)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- Cambridge University Press(Publisher)
20 Conservation: from protection to restoration and beyond It is clear that many thousands of species are at present vulnerable or endangered by human activities (Frankel & Soulé, 1981; Primack, 1993, 2010; Given, 1994; Meffe & Carroll, 1994; Frankel, Brown & Burdon, 1995). Broadly, two conservation options are available. Plants may either be conserved ex situ, in such places as Botanic Gardens, or in situ in their native habitats. Here we consider, briefly, the early history of conservation, and how theory and practice have changed – from protection, management, to reintroduction/restoration and creative conservation. Ex situ conservation Endangered species, including those at the very edge of extinction, are often conserved ex situ in Botanic Gardens and arboreta (Briggs, 2009; Hardwick et al., 2011), of which there now more than 2700 worldwide (Ali & Trivedi, 2011). The scale of the holdings of Botanic Gardens is impressive: perhaps 25–30% of all vascular plants are represented in the collections (Wyse Jackson & Sutherland, 2000). Some gardens hold very large general collections (e.g. Kew with c.10% of the world’s plants), while others have specialist collections (e.g. The Arnold Arboretum, Boston, USA, grows several hundred species of temperate tree). Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), Richmond, England, organises and coordinates the conservation efforts of gardens (www.bgci.org/). Regrettably, most Botanic Gardens are located in temperate areas of the world, and it is costly to grow tropical plants in the glasshouses of Europe and North America. However, there are some notable Botanic Gardens in the tropics (Heywood & Wyse Jackson, 1991), and, if the number could be increased, it would be possible to conserve many tropical species of plants cheaply out of doors, and provide important centres for economic development and exploitation of plant biodiversity. Other specialist gardens also play a key role in ex situ conservation.
eBook - PDF- K V Krishnamurthy(Author)
- 2003(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
the safest and perhaps also the most effective conservation strategy is that which combines these two complementary methods. Ex-situ Conservation is to a large extent subsidiary and complementary to in-situ conservation. The latter has the potential for long-term preservation of ecosystems, species and populations under conditions of continuing adaptations. Tree species are preferably conserved in-situ since they require considerable space to conserve the required critical minimum viable population, which varies from 500 to 5000 individual trees (Prance 1997). In-situ conservation also protects the associated animals and microbes (such as pollinators, dispersers, rhizobia and mycorrhizae),thereby enabling free energy flow. The in-situ approach is essential in places whose flora has not been adequately inventoried.Ex-situ Conservation affords the freedom to select a particular population, species or ecosystem for priority conservation on geographic or ecological grounds, for educational reasons, or because of the mere fact that the system in question is endangered/threatened in its natural environment. In fact Article 9 of the Convention on Biological Diversity states that ex-situ activities should be undertaken as far as possible and as appropriate, and predominantly for the purpose of complementing in-situ measures. Ex-situ Conservation of Microbes Both effortsand information with respect to Ex-situ Conservation of microbes are lacking. However, a wide range of techniques are available for the preservation of microbial taxa and their strains. Of these, lyophilisation through freeze-drying and cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen are the most efficacious for long- term storage. It should be mentioned, however, that as yet not all micro-organisms are amenable to preservation by these methods. In fact, because of this problem the world network of microbial collections contains only a tiny fraction of the microbial species present in the environment.
eBook - ePub- Malcolm L. Hunter, Jr., James P. Gibbs, Viorel D. Popescu(Authors)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- Wiley-Blackwell(Publisher)
Lozhkin, US National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) [ bottom ]) The Ex Situ–In Situ Interface Few people are content with the idea that species like Sumatran rhinos and California condors should survive in perpetuity in captivity. Ideally ex situ conservation is just a stopgap technique until a species can be reintroduced to its native range, after the problems that plagued it have been remedied. Or it might play a role in augmenting wild populations with captive‐bred individuals, even if simply by transferring pollen, sperm, or embryos (Holt et al. 2004). This is easier said than done (Gipps 1991 ; Mathews et al. 2005). The scimitar‐horned oryx, a large African ungulate, has been extinct in the wild since the mid‐1980s, yet ex situ conservation efforts in the United Arab Emirates and North America made it possible for 25 animals to be released in their former range in Chad in 2016. This success aside, as you will recall from our discussion in the section “Translocations” in Chapter 13, failure rates are high, especially when captive stock is used. Reintroductions have been attempted, or are currently under way, for many species, but to date only a few have enjoyed unqualified success, that is, the creation of a secure, free‐living, self‐sustaining population within its native range and habitat. For example, European bison (or wisent) come fairly close to meeting this definition, but their wild populations still need some special care such as genetic management to avoid inbreeding (Perzanowski et al. 2004). The Española giant tortoise was reduced to just 15 surviving members of the species that were confined to captivity for 50 years (Gibbs et al. 2014) but their offspring now form a free‐living and self‐sustaining population of about 1000 back in their original habitat
eBook - PDF- Nautiyal, Nanda(Authors)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- Biotech(Publisher)
National Efforts to Conserve Biodiversity In situ conservation In situ conservation involves conservation of plants and animals in their native ecosystems or even in man made ecosystems where they naturally occur. This type of conservation applies only to wild flora and fauna and to the domesticated animals and plants, e.g . national parks, sanctuaries, nature reserves, natural monuments, etc. Ex situ Conservation Efforts in India Ex situ conservation involes the conservation of samples of genetic diversity away from their field habitats. This is achieved through the establishment of “Gene Banks” which includes Genetic Resources Centers, Zoos, Botanical Gardens, Culture collections etc. India has signed a joint project with United States on plant genetic resources in 1988 with an aim to establish national gene banks for various crops throughout the country. A gene bank must have the following facility to conserve the germ plasm for longer duration (Vasan, 2005). Seed repository is one where the seeds are stored at -20 degree Celsius. In Cryo Bank the seeds are stored at -196 degree Farenhite. Tissue Culture Repository (10-25 degree Celsius) In vitro conservation techniques including tissue culture and cryo-preservation offer distinct advantages. In view of this, in 1986 a National Policy for Plant Tissue Culture repository was established at National banks for plant Genetic resources (NBPGR), new Delhi. At national level crop wise gene banks have been established throughout the country and they all are well supported by NBPGR, New Delhi. A few renowned national level gene banks are: Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack; Directorate of Wheat This ebook is exclusively for this university only. Cannot be resold/distributed. Research, Karnal; Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi, etc. References Bawa, K.S., Das, A. Karanath, U. Krishnaswamy, J. and Rao, M. 2004. Ecosystem Profile: Western Ghat and Srilanka Hotspot .
eBook - PDF- Bruno Augusto Amato Borges(Author)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- Delve Publishing(Publisher)
There is need to train and support these communities so that they are able to manage and conserve their natural resources. This will ensure global food security. 7.3 EX SITU CONSERVATION 7.3.1 Live Gene Bank This refers to a place or organization where endangered species can be reared in captivity, bred, and genetically managed. It involves multiple generations of captive breeding so as to protect the endangered species from extinction. This bank also uses a number of procedures to reduce the chances of genetic risks that may be associated with the whole process of captivity. Live gene banks aim at securing the conserved stock and maintaining the biodiversity. They establish a living reservoir of genetic material and this material can be used to reestablish or enhance threatened stocks. They go through 3 main processes: • They collect threatened and rare fish species and manage their populations under the conditions of the farm. • They study them by collecting data on their growth, maturity, survival and adaptability under the conditions they are places in. • They also study the history of these endangered species so as to find methods to conserve them in-situ and ex-situ. Some of the advantages are: • Large numbers of their samples and their entire variability can be conserved in a small space. • The handling of their samples is easy in these conditions. • They are conserved in an environment without bacteria and insects. • The bank provides opportunities for continuous evaluation of various economic characters. • It can be used directly in the breeding program. Fisheries Resource Conservation 162 Despite the fact that the advantages are many, it has a couple of disadvantages as well: • Live gene banks cannot cover the entire genetic diversity of a species but only a fraction of the full range of diversity of a species. • If there is a loss of power, there could be loss of viability and also loss of the specimen.
eBook - ePubCrop Wild Relatives
A Manual of in situ Conservation
- Danny Hunter, Vernon Heywood(Authors)
- 2012(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
However, the reintroduction of ex situ materials to the wild can be a complex activity and needs to be undertaken with great caution. One must ensure that the stock or accessions introduced are really native to the site, that the plants are free of diseases and that they have adequate genetic diversity to ensure their survival, etc. To assist conservationists in thinking through and taking all factors into account, the IUCN/SSC Re-introduction Specialist Group have developed policy guidelines for reintroduction (IUCN/SSC, 1995). These guidelines are applicable to both animals and plants and are therefore rather general. The IUCN technical guidelines on the management of ex situ populations for conservation (IUCN, 2002), also discusses the increasing value of ex situ conservation in in situ ecosystem and habitat conservation. The Handbook for Botanic Gardens on the Reintroduction of Plants to the Wild (Akeroyd and Wyse Jackson, 1995) published by BGCI contains plant-specific guidelines and provides botanic garden managers with guidance on the reintroduction of plants materials from botanic gardens to the wild and explores the issues of reintroduction and challenges of the reintroduction process. 2 Ex situ collections can be used in enrichment planting or reinforcement or supplementation if the population is threatened and is not regenerating in the wild. New plant material may be obtained from ex situ collections and planted to reinforce the population at the site. Again, it is important to observe precautions in such practices so as not to disrupt and threaten the genetic integrity of the natural population
eBook - PDF- Nigel J. H. Smith, J. T. Williams, Donald L. Plucknett, Jennifer P. Talbot(Authors)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Cornell University Press(Publisher)
When living materials are removed from tropical forests, one of the world's most active theaters of evolution, evolutionary trajectories are deflected. IN SITU CONSERVATION The importance of in situ conservation of the genetic diversity of tropical perennial crops and their near relatives is now widely recognized. In situ conservation can provide a staging ground for the selection of tree species or genotypes for multiplication and further testing, and if warranted, du-plication in ex situ collections (Stern and Roche, 1974). But how germ-plasm can be best maintained in place raises a number of theoretical and practical issues. Several strategies can be pursued to conserve plant germ-plasm under natural conditions, but each has its limitations. Ultimately, a suite of tactics is needed that maintains crop gene pools under pristine and managed conditions and at the same time accommodates the understand-able desire of nations to develop their tropical forests. Wild populations of crops and their near relatives are found in two broad categories of in situ reserves: those designed to maintain conditions as pristine as possible and those that permit extraction or even clearing for agricultural and other purposes. National parks, biological reserves, and specialized gene parks fall into the first category, whereas national forests, Indian reserves, and extractive reserves allow for a range of economic ac-tivities such as harvesting of forest products. Another possibility is to em-ploy farmers as custodians of traditional varieties and selections in their fields and backyards. NATIONAL PARKS AND BIOLOGICAL RESERVES An impressive number of national parks have been created in countries with tropical forests within the last two decades. In some developing coun-tries, the proportion of national territory covered by parks exceeds that of 432 Tropical Forests and Their Crops many industrial countries.
eBook - ePubEconomics and the Environment
A signalling and incentives approach
- Ian Wills(Author)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
Policies to preserve identified species alone will not maintain the life support services of the environment; we need distinct policies to maintain ecosystems. Unfortunately, popular discussion of biological conservation commonly identifies threats to ecosystems (such as forests, mangroves and coastal heathlands) with threats to particular species (such as owls and orchids). Many of the benefits of such species are readily identifiable, while the life support functions of ecosystems are generally obscure. However, the loss of an ecosystem is potentially far more costly than the loss of many individual species dispersed across ecosystems. In the hierarchy of nature, functioning ecosystems are necessary to the survival of their constituent species, including ourselves, but the reverse is rarely true. Also, substitutes are more readily available for the direct services of species than for the indirect life support services of ecosystems. In particular, species can be conserved ex situ, in laboratories or gardens or zoos, but the scale and complexity of natural ecosystems means that they have to be preserved in situ, in protected natural areas. Ex situ conservation also eliminates environmental changes, which are the driving force of the evolution required to maintain life support into the future. 19.5 The significance of biodiversity loss Worldwide and at the level of local ecosystems, the current level of biodiversity is the product of hundreds of millions of years of evolutionary change on Earth and, during the last 100 000 years or so, the conscious actions of modern humans (such as hunting, vegetation clearing, migration and coal burning) that have, deliberately or inadvertently, changed the natural environment. 9 The current concern about biodiversity loss centres on the large discrepancy between the high rates of extinction of populations and species in human times, and the far lower average rate of creation of new species over geological time
Index pages curate the most relevant extracts from our library of academic textbooks. They’ve been created using an in-house natural language model (NLM), each adding context and meaning to key research topics.
