IUCN Guidelines for reintroductions and other conservation translocations
Conservation translocation is the deliberate movement of organisms that are released from one site to another. It is intended to yield a measurable conservation benefit at the levels of a population, species or ecosystem, and does not only provide a benefit to the translocated individuals. Conservation translocations consist of:
- reinforcement and reintroduction of a species within its indigenous range;
- conservation introductions, comprising assisted colonization and ecological replacement, outside the species’ indigenous range.
Risks in a translocation are multiple, and any proposed translocation must be subjected to a comprehensive risk assessment. Translocations of organisms outside their indigenous range are considered to present a particularly high risk. It is acknowledged that there are many examples of species released outside their indigenous ranges that have become invasive, often with massive adverse impacts.
The IUCN Guidelines for reintroductions and other conservation translocations therefore provide principles for such actions, including on the risk assessment to be undertaken.
Sources
IUCN Species Survival Commission (2012) IUCN Guidelines for reintroductions and other conservation translocations. Reintroduction Specialist Group, Invasive Species Specialist Group. 16 p.