Species translocation

A bison from Yellowstone Park being released in Fort Peck Indian Reservation

Translocation is the human action of moving an organism from one area and releasing it in another. In terms of wildlife conservation, its objective is to improve the conservation status of the translocated organism or to restore the function and processes of the ecosystem the organism is entering.

Two overarching goals of translocation are population restoration and conservation introduction.[1] Population restoration includes reinforcing existing populations and reintroducing populations to areas where they have disappeared. Conservation introduction involves assisted colonization of organisms in entirely new areas, and ecological replacement of organisms to new areas to fulfill a vacant role in the ecosystem.[1]

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) catalogs translocation projects and creates extensive guidelines for their design and execution around the globe.[1][2]

  1. ^ a b c Guidelines for reintroductions and other conservation translocations (PDF). IUCN. Retrieved 06 October 2023.
  2. ^ Global conservation translocation perspectives (2021): Case studies from around the globe (PDF). IUCN. Retrieved 06 October 2023.