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Establishment of the essential links between captive breeding
programs, wildlife recovery planning and sustained and successful
reintroduction of threatened species back into previous wild habitats
has long been an ambition of many zoos. This vital conservation
linkage has often eluded both zoos and wildlife agencies because
of location differences and boundaries between where the captive
breeding takes place and where the wildlife reintroduction programs
must occur.
The IUCN/SSC Captive Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG), in association
with the Zoological Parks Organization of Thailand combined the
resources available for zoo development and captive breeding programs
in their country to establish a new dimension in conservation
to link these activities under their sponsorship, a feat no other
organization, either in situ or ex situ, had had
the resources or vision to create. We termed this process CON-LINK
-- the linking of ex situ and in situ conservation programs --
which will lead to long-term viability of wild populations within
Thailand. Essentially CON-LINK combines the knowledge gained through
captive breeding programs and associated research and applies
the results through a series of phases to the implementation of
recovery programs.
The IUCN/SSC CBSG Masterplan team adopted three conservation
priorities that served as our guiding principles in creating the
Thai Zoo Masterplan for Conservation that will enable the Zoological
Parks Organization of Thailand to help the country conserve their
disappearing biological heritage.
- The first
conservation priority was to focus on developing conservation
action for the endangered endemic species of Thailand.
- The second
priority, on a broader regional scale, was to focus on developing
conservation action for the threatened species of Southeast
Asia.
- The third
priority was to develop quality captive breeding programs with
the view that these species provide the linkage between the
captive breeding community and the wildlife agencies and conservation
organizations of Thailand.
As CON-LINK progresses, the role of captive breeding in the development
of conservation management strategies should be seen as an attempt
to maximize the options and minimize the risks for the recovery
of wild populations. This philosophy recognizes that captive populations
are a support, not a substitute, for wild populations.
The Khao Kheow Conservation and Research Center would CON-LINK
conservation and wildlife research activities through an integrated
network of collaborations in which the ex situ research programs
would address issues such as genetics, demographics, diseases,
nutrition, husbandry, and behavior. All of these disciplines are
critical to understanding the process of recovery or reintroduction
of free-ranging populations. The in situ research programs would
address issues such as the status of threatened species, their
distribution and degree of fragmentation, the threat of poaching
and habitat loss, and the probability of extinction within a certain
time period given estimated parameters. The integration of the
sum total of these programs would provide a basis for the formulation
of recovery or reintroduction strategies for wild populations
of threatened Thai species.
The Thai Zoo Masterplan for Conservation creating CON-LINK is
based on five visits totalling 70 days in Thailand and an equal
number of days at the CBSG Office in the US, over the course of
one year (1992/93). During these visits there were intensive analyses
of data, discussions with board members and zoo staff, and on-site
planning sessions and training workshops at Dusit Zoo (Bangkok),
Khao Kheow Open Zoo (Chonburi), Chiang Mai Zoo, Nakorn Ratchasima
Zoo (Korat), and the Songkla Zoo site.
The IUCN/SSC CBSG principal investigator was Ulysses Seal (Chairman
of the IUCN/SSC CBSG), and the Project Coordinator was Ronald
Tilson (Director of Conservation, Minnesota Zoo). Our principal
Thai counterparts were Khun Usum Nimmanheminda (Director General
of the Zoological Park Organization) and the Directors of the
five National Zoos: Khun Sophon Dumnui (Khao Kheow Open Zoo),
Khun Supoj (Chiang Mai Zoo), Khun Prayud Navacharoen (Nakorn Ratchasima
Zoo), Khun Somchai Kruea-net (Songkla Zoo), and Dr. Alongkorn
Mahannop (Dusit Zoo).
Time was spent early in the process with staff at all five zoos
in planning sessions that covered zoo concept design, program
priorities and exhibit critique. Groundwork for preparing collection
plans at each zoo was begun. Information regarding national conservation
strategies for Thailand was provided by the Royal Forestry Department,
Siam Scientific Society, Mahidol University and Wildlife Fund
Thailand.
Four workshops with staff from all five zoos were held: the first
dealt with animal health programs, policies, buildings, and equipment;
the second with collection plans and exhibit designs; the third
with evaluations for hoofstock and carnivore programs; and the
fourth with review of the botanical garden plan for Khao Kheow.
Groundwork for developing zoo masterplans was begun.
At another visit a three-day workshop at Khao Kheow focused on
training staff in the use of ARKS, or the Animal Record Keeping
System. Other workshops focused on establishing individual animal
identities and exhibit or holding locations at each zoo and expanding
upon zoo collection plans at Khao Kheow, Nakorn Ratchasima and
Chiang Mai. Zoo concept designs for Khao Kheow and Dusit were
intensively reviewed. A major focus was development of collection
plans, exhibit designs, and management protocols and policies
for birds. Schematics for the construction of animal hospitals
were completed.
The focus of a fourth visit was four-fold: first was to complete
collection plans and continue developing masterplans for each
zoo; second was to complete exhibit designs; third was additional
training in veterinary procedures; and fourth was to introduce
zoo staff to SPARKS, or Single Population Analysis and Record
Keeping System.
A final visit was to confer with zoo architects and consult with
Zoological Park Organization counterparts regarding scope and
content of the Masterplan. The focus of this visit was to complete
the Masterplan drawings, verify the collection plans and refine
the CON-LINK concept.
Directions set forth in this Masterplan focus on change that
will lead to a new and improved modern zoo system for Thailand.
Directions and priorities will assist the Zoological Park Organization
in making immediate and long-range decisions within the context
of a comprehensive strategic conservation plan for endangered
species of Thailand. This report specifies immediate recommendations
regarding current and future development processes and gives comprehensive
recommendations regarding development of each zoo. It provides
the foundation on which masterplanning and collection planning
for each zoo can continue to evolve.
In 1998, the Minnesota Zoo underwent a Masterplan for Conservation
process itself. The process was facilitated by CBSG and the objective
was to formulate a long-term plan for the improvement and continued
growth of our zoo and the integration of conservation into every
aspect of our zoo. This Minnesota Zoo Masterplan was based on
the process that resulted in the Thai Zoo Masterplan for Conservation.
The Minnesota Zoo's Masterplan for Conservation is now serving
as a model for other zoos in North America to facilitate their
own conservation development processes.
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