The Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPGS) are excited to announce the release of CPSG’s new, self-paced, online training course on how to conduct an Ex situ Conservation Assessment (ECA). This course will give you the knowledge and skills to guide a diverse group of in situ and ex situ experts and relevant parties through a systematic evaluation of potential ex situ management activities, to decide if and which are recommended for inclusion in a species’ conservation plan.
This ECA process is widely applicable to any species or taxon, including invertebrates, plants, and fungi, and for both living populations and bio-samples. The course is based on the decision-making process outlined in the IUCN SSC Guidelines on the Use of Ex Situ Management for Species Conservation, which evaluates the conservation value, required structure, and feasibility of ex situ activities under consideration.
The course is a critical resource in the implementation of Target 4 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), and Motion 94 of the IUCN World Conservation Congress. GBF Target 4 focuses on the need for species management actions, including ex situ conservation, to prevent extinctions and enable the recovery of species and their genetic diversity. IUCN Motion 94 calls for the application of the One Plan Approach (OPA) to species conservation planning. The OPA encourages all responsible parties to consider all available conservation tools and use the IUCN ex situ guidelines to evaluate when to include ex situ management options.
Ex situ Conservation Assessment is relevant to anyone involved with species conservation planning or the implementation of ex situ conservation activities. This includes IUCN SSC Specialist Groups; government wildlife authorities; zoos, aquariums, botanic gardens, wildlife rescue centers, biobanks, and their associations; wildlife managers; and researchers, among many others.
Saving species is going to take all of us working together, effectively, and strategically, and using a diversity of approaches. This course will help increase the understanding and awareness of the broad range of ex situ conservation options, the important role that ex situ activities and partners can play in conservation, and how we can determine when such actions are beneficial and appropriate for a given species.
To find out more about the course and how to apply, please click here.
Watch an introductory presentation on the course here.
Please contact Jamie Copsey ([email protected]) with any questions.