The management of small captive populations can play an important role in conserving threatened species in the wild. Their value as a tool for species recovery needs to be determined well in advance of a species reaching its nadir.
Assurance population management plans are used to govern species in captivity with the goals of maintaining healthy breeding populations, retaining genetic variation, and minimizing inbreeding.
This workshop deals with the theory and practice of maintaining small populations, with an emphasis on the relevance of species biology, demography and genetic factors to the conservation, management and restoration of wild populations.
Workshop highlights
- Planning for conservation - Begin with an introduction to the process of developing an assurance population management plan. Learn how to determine the purpose of a plan and set appropriate goals using species demography and genetics as a guide
- Crunch the numbers - Using data from studbooks, assess the current state of at risk populations and set goals for their plans. Calculate key indices to determine how to best assure the health of species into the future
- From plan to action - Visit some of our most successful breeding programs and see how we manage captive populations and plan for their futures. Meet some of our animal ambassadors and hear how the play an important role in raising awareness for their species
Booking details
Availability: 9:30am - 4:30pm Monday - Friday, 90 minutes in duration.
Pricing: $250 per workshop plus $28.20 per student. Includes zoo admission and 1 coordinator free per 10 students.
- Recommended group size is 12-30 students
- All courses are currently only being offered at our Taronga Zoo Sydney location
- Taronga is a not-for-profit organisation. Your payment goes towards our work for wildlife and conservation here and around the world