#01 Threats to survival What are the biggest threats to Durrell’s target species today? How are these threats likely to change?

1000 Threat score

Urban Pollution Natural development Disturbance Agriculture disaster Fires 0 Logging & Climate Invasives hunting

Current threat of all species Projected future threats of all species the most important threats

This indicator identifies the most important threats to Durrell’s 50+ been introduced by humans and spread rapidly, having negative target species today, the relative impact of these threats and how and sometimes catastrophic impacts on the native species. they are likely to change in the future. Not only is the score for this threat greater than all the other Durrell’s field staff assess every threat to their target species and, categories put together, with more than 900f our target species for each, score its timing (past, continuing, future), scope affected, worryingly it is predicted to increase in the future. (proportion of the population affected) and severity (size of declines caused by the threat) on a scale of 0-3. The sum of Loss of the forest and wetland homes of scores across the range of threats gives the overall ‘threat score’ our target through agriculture and logging, and direct for each species, allowing us to rank them in order of threat level. hunting of some species are the next biggest threats.

Currently the Mountain Chicken, Montserrat Galliwasp and Bojer’s This indicator helps Durrell to identify the actions, knowledge and face the highest threat levels. skills required to conserve target species and make long-term decisions on where conservation needs to be stepped up to deal The biggest threat by some distance comes from invasive species with a changing world. – animals or plants that have % 0f Durrell species under threat

Invasives

Climate

Logging & hunting

Fires

Agriculture

Disturbance

Natural disaster

Pollution

urban development

00 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

The mountain chicken story

01 Mountain Chicken

As Durrell’s most threatened species, the Mountain Chicken is a giant frog found only in Dominica and Montserrat in the Caribbean. It faces a jaw-dropping number of threats, many of which have had a severe impact on its population. Forest loss, over-hunting, by invasive rats, volcanic eruptions, pollution and now a catastrophic disease called chytridiomycosis, responsible for wiping out tens of amphibian species over the past couple of decades, have taken their toll. The Mountain Chicken’s future is very uncertain and it needs all the help we can muster.

Top 10 species under highest threat

01 Mountain Chicken 06 White-breasted Thrasher

02 Monrserrat Galliwasp 07 Antiguan Racer

03 Bojer’s Skink 08 Echo Parakeet

04 Orange-tailed Skink 09 Madagascar Pochard

05 Lesser Night 10 Mangrove Finch #02 Acting to save species What steps does Durrell take on the journey to save species?

conservation journey

When a species is on the brink of extinction, it might require decades of sustained conservation. We apply seven key actions at different times and with varying levels of effort, depending on the species’ needs. We monitor the impact of our work and revisit actions if they’re not working as planned. Top 10 species: conservation action score

We measure the time spent on each action to assess the level of conservation effort for each species.

Ploughshare Tortoise

Echo Parakeet

Pink Pigeon

Alaotran Gentle Lemur

Mauritius Kestrel

Giant Jumping Rat

Keel-scaled Boa

Telfair’s Skink

Lesser Night Gecko

Bojer’s Skink

The story of the Ploughshare Tortoise

The Ploughshare Tortoise is currently top of our list in terms of conservation effort spent.

In 1986 the Ploughshare Tortoise was highly threatened because its dry scrubland habitat around Baly Bay, Madagascar, was disappearing. We worked with local communities to reduce threats to the wild population such as bush fires, established a national park and set up a breeding centre to reintroduce tortoises to the wild.

We were making progress. Then poaching driven by the illegal pet trade exploded, becoming the biggest risk to the tortoises’ survival. Currently, more Ploughshare Tortoises may live as pets than in the wild.

There is a real possibility that this ancient could become extinct; without conservation, it might have disappeared already. We are now working with the Malagasy government and our local partners to ensure our efforts so far haven’t been in vain. #03 Building the scientific evidence base From molecules to ecosystems, how does science inform Durrell’s conservation work?

Ecosystems Conservation practice, People and society Populations and species Scientific output 6 planning and policy Scientific output 1 Scientific output 48 What is happening to Scientific output 21 What are the social and Where is the target our target forests and What are our economic species wetlands? How can conservation characteristics found, and what habitat they be sustainably priorities? What does it of communities that rely does it need? Why is its managed and mean for conservation on our target forests and population in decline? restored? practice and policy? wetlands?

Individuals People and ecosystems Molecules Scientific output 3 Scientific output 8 Scientific output 12 How can we manage How does nature benefit How can we animals in captivity people? What difference manage to ensure the best does conservation make populations to standards of welfare to the wellbeing of maximise genetic and effective breeding communities? diversity? programmes? Science is vital to our mission

Our researchers around the world help identify conservation goals, shape the way we manage species and habitats, and measure our effectiveness so we can adapt our approach. We strive to base all our conservation decisions on the best evidence available.

Conservation is complex and driven by both human and environmental factors. We draw on a range of disciplines including biology, sociology, economics and earth sciences to generate the knowledge to understand each problem and design a solution that makes a difference on the ground.

We’re publishing more scientific papers, articles and reports each year, on an ever-growing variety of subjects. We’re proud of that, but it doesn’t really mean anything until the knowledge is put into practice to save a species from extinction. Scientific output over time Based on number of publications

60

50

40

30

20

10

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Case in point: Tracking the Mountain Chicken

The Mountain Chicken is one of the world’s largest, but most threatened, species of frog. Over the years it has been impacted by destruction of habitat, volcanic eruptions, introduced predators and hunting. But its most catastrophic killer is Chytridiomycosis, a fungal disease that has caused a 95 0ecline in its Montserrat population in just two years.

We’ve been conducting cutting-edge research to find a way to restore healthy populations of Mountain Chickens. We’re tracking radiotagged frogs in the wild to understand what behaviours might cause them to be especially vulnerable; taking swabs and samples to examine genetic differences that may lead to tolerance; and releasing captively bred frogs into locations in which they might thrive.

There’s still a lot of work to do with our partners in Montserrat. But this project is at the very forefront of our scientific research, and we’ve made many surprising discoveries about the unique frog along the way. We hope future generations of animals and people benefit from our discoveries. #04 Advancing Durrell’s Ark What different roles does each play in Durrell’s ultimate misson - conservation?

Breakdown of species in collection – 2012 (Total species = 129)

Conservation 36 species 7 of which are in their home countries

Education 11 species

Research and Training 17 species

Visitor Experience 65 species

Narrow-striped Sulawesi Crested Pink Pigeon Mongoose Macaque Haitian Giant Galliwasp Durrell Wildlife PArk

Our founder, , held the pioneering belief that zoos should primarily act as reserves and regenerators of endangered species. So while it’s still important we provide a fun and engaging day out for families, over the years our Wildlife Park in Jersey has focused as much as possible on conservation.

Today, the overarching role of our animal collection in Jersey and overseas – our ‘ark’, as Gerald would have it – is conservation. We manage breeding programmes for release back to the wild, develop the skills and tools to conserve species in the wild and communicate important messages.

Based on industry-standard criteria, we allocate each animal in our collection to one of four roles: conservation, research and training, education or visitor experience. Going back in time with Durrell’s Ark

Number of species 300

250

200

150

100

50

0

1959 ‘65 ‘70 ‘75 ‘80 ‘85 ‘90 ‘95 ‘00 ‘05 2012 Years

The role of a species may shift during its time within the collection in response to a changing situation in the wild; a new approach to the management of the captive population; evolving goals for the species; or new knowledge about the status of and threats to the species in the wild.

For example, the Malagasy Giant Jumping Rat was originally brought into the collection for conservation purposes, but surveys published in 2006 showed that the wild population was much larger than previously thought, so there was less need for our breeding programme. Great news for this species, which now plays an important education role as part of our Kirindy Forest exhibit.

Categorising a species is not always straightforward, so our experts meet once a year to re-evaluate the role of every animal in the Wildlife Park. We know animals thrive in their natural habitats, and we’re determined to stay true to Gerald’s vision. #05 Rebuilding wild populations How many species has Durrell helped restore through rebuilding wild populations?

Durrell’s experts have moved or released into the wild over 4,100 individual animals...

1,133 Telfair’s Skink 270 Aldabra Giant Tortoise 82 Antiguan Racer 48 Pygmy Hog

472 Orange Tailed Skink 150 Lesser Night Gecko 70 Guenther’s Gecko 41 Jamaican Hutia

392 Madagascar Big-headed Turtle 141 Mallorcan Midwife Toad 61 Ploughshare Tortoise 30 Durrell’s Night Gecko

335 Pink Pigeon 139 Echo Parakeet 60 Ilot Vacoas Skink 15 Olive White-Eye

331 Mauritius Kestrel 97 Mountain Chicken 60 Round Island Boa 09 Mangrove Finch

91 St Lucia Whiptail 56 Mauritius Fody 01 Black Lion Tamarin strengthening remaining populations

This indicator tracks the number of animal species Durrell has returned to the wild following captive breeding programmes, or moved between field sites, in order to save them from extinction.

Durrell strengthens the last remaining populations of endangered species through long-term recovery programmes. It also creates new populations where a species has died out due to a threat that has now been removed.

From Mauritius Kestrels to Mallorcan Midwife Toads to Pygmy Hogs and, most recently, Keel-scaled Boas: Durrell leads or supports projects that are working to rebuild wild populations of 23 species.

Durrell’s experts have moved or released into the wild over 4,100 individual animals. That includes over 1,100 Telfair’s as part of efforts to restore the offshore islands of Mauritius which, in turn, has led to the recovery of its natural predator, the Round Island Boa.

Our programmes to rebuild wild populations have prevented almost certain extinctions of a number of the world’s most threatened animals and aided the recovery of many others.

The numbers to the right show how many individual animals have been moved or released back into the wild. #06 Protecting threatened places How much natural habitat has Durrell helped to place under legal protection?

Current area of habitat protected is equal to 500,000 football pitches

Marine Freshwater Grassland Forest 4% 17% 19% 60% a fine balance

Around the world, there is an increasing tension over land between the needs of people and wildlife. But it doesn’t have to be like this. We work in partnership with communities and governments to achieve a fine balance between animal and human livelihoods in many fragile ecosystems.

As a direct result of our work, 335,000 hectares of natural habitats in Mauritius and Madagascar has been placed under legal protection: the equivalent of 500,000 football pitches.

These habitats, which include forests, wetlands and mangroves, are now protected areas in which certain human activities, such as mining or logging, are banned or restricted to allow animals to thrive.

Our end goal is to protect forests and wetlands to save species from extinction, but also so that they provide sustained benefits to local people. Conservation areas over time

1994

Cumulative areas of habitat protected by number of football pitches 1997

2006

2010

2011

000,000 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000

The story of the Giant jumping rat

We’ve been working to achieve a balance between the conservation of threatened habitats and the livelihoods of impoverished communities in Madagascar.

Menabe Antimena contains one of the country’s largest tracts of deciduous dry forest, and is rich in unique animal species such as the Giant Jumping Rat. Local people rely on the forest for food, fuel, building materials and medicine. But between 1995 and 2000 around 50f the forest was disappearing every year, either to large-scale commercial logging or to low-yield subsistence farming.

In 2006, the forest was given protected area status by the Madagascan government. We’ve been working with a local agency to build villagers’ capacity to manage areas of forest for which they now have legal rights and responsibility. We provide incentives for forest management in the form of rural development aid – such as schools, bicycles and training – and raise awareness in local communities on the benefits provided by the forest.

Thanks to some progressive thinking from the government and the resourcefulness of local people, deforestation has been significantly reduced in Menabe Antimena. The Giant Jumping Rat, whose population had been declining rapidly, is now recovering. #07 Controlling invasive species How does Durrell control invasive predators in order to protect native animals and plants?

Black Rat Small Asian Black Rat Brown Rat Black Rat Small Asian Mongoose Mongoose

Galapagos Hawk Antiguan Racer St Lucia Whiptail

GALAPAGOS ANTIGUA ST LUCIA

MAURITIUS

Domestic Cat House Mouse Four-clawed Tropical Fire Asian House Gecko Ant Shrew

Orange-tailed Lesser Night Bojer's Ornate Day Skink Gecko Skink Gecko

Domestic European Black Rat Indian Hare Brown Rat Redback Spider

Lesser Lesser Telfair’s Gunther’s Keel-scale Orange- Night Ornate Day Telfair’s Night Orange- Skink Gecko d Boa tailed Skink Gecko Gecko Skink Gecko tailed Skink

Round Durrell’s Island Bojer's Night Pink Pigeon Mauritius Mauritius Round Petrel Skink Gecko Fody Olive Island Boa White-eye

Telfair’s Gunther’s Skink Gecko From lunarscape to lush forest

+

SailorsSailors introduced and goatsgoats to Mauritius’ Round Round Island is now returningreturning to its fformerormer glory.glory. Reptile IslandIsland many centuriescenturies ago. ThTheireir iintensiventensive grazgrazinging populationspopulations includingincluding skinks,skinks, gecgeckoskos andand snakessnakes havehave transtransformedformed the once-lush, palmpalm savannah-clad island into recovered to the point that they are being reintroduced to ssomethingomething ccloserloser ttoo a llunarscape,unarscape, wwipingiping outout rare birds,birds, otherother MMauritianauritian iislands.slands. In 2012 wewe ledled effortsefforts toto movemove 60 and plants. RoundRound IIslandsland BoasBoas ttoo anotheranother islandisland toto createcreate a secondsecond population.population. Round Island was designateddesignated a nature reserve in 1957,1957, and in the 1971970s0s Durrell led a campaign to eradicate the rabbits We also helpedhelped our partner,partner, the Mauritian WildlifeWildlife and .goats. More recently, we helped designdesign efforts to Foundation,Foundation, to introduce Aldabran Giant Tortoises to Round remove invasive weeds from the island, which proliferated IslandIsland to replace the important ecologicalecological role in aafterfter the rabbits and goatsgoats were removed.removed. engineeringengineering the palm savannahs and ebony fforestsorests once performedperformed by the extinct Mauritian GiantGiant Tortoise.

The story of the pest

WhileWhile DDurrellurrell existsexists toto protectprotect andand increaseincrease animalanimal populations,populations, sometimessometimes our onlyonly opoptiontion iiss ttoo ddoo thethe very opposopposite:ite: toto concontroltrol a non-nativenon-native speciesspecies thatthat threatensthreatens indigenousindigenous animals, plants and ecosystems.ecosystems.

InvasiveInvasive speciesspecies iincludenclude rarats,ts, goats,goats, rabbitsrabbits andand snakessnakes thatthat were introducedintroduced byby humans,humans, sometimessometimes accaccidentally.identally.

Their impact throughthrough predation or grazinggrazing can be astonishing, rapidly wiping out native populations andand destroyingdestroying habitats.habitats. InvasiveInvasive speciesspecies are thethe biggestbiggest threatthreat inin our conservaconservationtion proprogrammes.grammes.

We’ve worked with local agenciesagencies in 30 successful campaigns to eradicate invasive species on small islands, mainlymainly around Mauritius and the Caribbean.Caribbean. We alwaysalways remove themthem iinn ththee mosmostt hhumaneumane way posspossible,ible, kkeepingeeping our eye on the end ggoaloal of restorinrestoringg the natural ecosystem and savingsaving species from extinctionextinction.. #08 Training for conservation success What is the global reach of Durrell’s training programmes? How many conservationists have received training?

2 6 74 30 12 2

1 8 255 27 3 8 48 24 10 2 5 7 11 6 21 1 215 34 2 1 10 27 4 1 2 3 1 3 1 3 1 2 5 38 16 2 1 1 17 14 2 5 8 1 3 16 4 61 38 1 9 5 2 5 15 3 1 5 14 17 1 1 5 1 2 2 1 6 1 4 1 3 29 2 36 10 1 1 1 7 14 44 15 118 2 1 22 1 7 7 2 10 17 5 50 20 2 66 1 4 4 1 44 15 16 1 5 1 12 2 3 8 1 1 1 14 1 2 5 62 6 109 45 12 125

8 2 Arturo Muñoz - Founder Dr Ian Singleton - Conservation Bolivian Amphibian Initiative Director

Sumatran Orangutan Conservation “Durrell has changed my life and Programme

provided me with the skills and passion to work in conservation. I also “Training and working with Durrell has feel I have a supporting my had a huge impact on my work and work – and that is very special.” helped me realise that I was capable of doing something useful and Attended the Amphibian Biodiversity making a real difference.” Conservation course in 2006 Attended the Endangered Species Recovery course in 1987 3,3503,350 cconservationistsonservationists from 135135 ccountriesountries

This indicator measures the geographical scope of Durrell’s training programmes and tracks the number of people around the world it has trained in conservation theory and techniques.

Since running its first course in 1978, Durrell has trained more than 3,350 conservationists from 135 countries.

Today the Durrell Conservation Academy runs courses and internships both at our headquarters in Jersey and in many of our focal regions around the world including Madagascar, Mauritius, Galapagos, Samoa, St Lucia and Sri Lanka to name a few.

Within the last 10 years Durrell has developed a growing number of courses providing conservationists not only with biological skills but also the management, leadership and stakeholder engagement skills necessary to run successful conservation projects. We now run more than 18 courses each year, ranging from five-day workshops to an Imperial College-led year-long Master’s degree in Conservation Science.

trainingtraining for cconservationonservation susuccessccess

Durrell’s first student was Yousoof Mungroo, who came from 1000 Students Mauritius in 1977. He went on to become the first Director of the 900 National Parks Conservation Service on the island, supporting local initiatives that saved some of the rarest species on earth. 800 700 Since then the number of conservationists being trained has risen rapidly, with nearly 1,000 trained during the 2000s. 600 500 In future our training activities will focus even harder on those regions of the world where we have existing field 400 projects, and will respond to global needs such as 300 developing technical and practical skills to help tackle the amphibian conservation crisis. 200 100 0 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s #09 Species trends: successes and challenges How are populations of Durrell’s target species responding to conservation? Which species are recovering and which are still in trouble?

+7,400%

+ 4,900%

+ 2,757%

+ 2,400%

+ 1,500%

Mauritus Kestrel Echo Parakeet Rodrigues Fruitbat Pink Pigeon St Lucia Parrot Start population: 4 Start population: 10 Start population: 350 Start population: 16 Start population: 125 Finish population: 350 Finish population: 500 Finish population: 10,000 Finish population: 400 Finish population: 2,000 1974-2010 1980-2010 1982-2010 1980-2010 1975-2009

Hollow silhouettes = historical population

Full colour silhouettes = current population

This indicator tracks how populations of Durrell’s target species have changed over the history of its involvement. It highlights a number of conservation successes but also some of the major challenges we face.

Monitoring rare and elusive species in remote regions of the world is no easy task, but it is vital. Durrell’s field managers, scientists and local partners conduct regular scientific surveys to ensure we have an accurate understanding of the status of our species and how they are responding to conservation.

We have good data on 40 of our 50+ target species. Around two thirds are currently increasing or stable in numbers, while a third are currently declining.

The Mauritius Kestrel and Saint Lucia Parrot are two of Durrell’s longest-term conservation targets. In 1974 only four Mauritius Kestrels were left on the planet. Thanks to intensive conservation efforts pioneered by Durrell’s Carl Jones, and later led by the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, the Mauritius Kestrel has recovered to around 500 today.

Also back in the 1970s, the Saint Lucia Parrot had dwindled to just 100 birds. Following a long-term collaborative effort by the Saint Lucia Forestry Department, Rare and Durrell its population has now recovered to 2,000 birds.

This indicator also reveals some major challenges. We have recently witnessed catastrophic declines in the Orange- tailed Skink of Mauritius and Mountain Chicken frog in Montserrat following the arrival of invasive species, and demanding immediate conservation responses to save them from extinction...

Orange-tailed Skink Mountain Chicken Bojer's Skink White-breasted Thrasher Livingstones's Flying Fox Start population: 25,700 -95% decrease -80% decrease Start population: 1300 Start population: 961 Current population: 440 2009-2010 2009-2011 Current population: 860 Current population: 749 2009-2011 2006-2011 2002-2011

- - 34% 22%

- 80% - 95%

- 98%

Hollow silhouettes = historical population

Full colour silhouettes = current population #10 The Red List Index of species survival: What is the long-term impact of Durrell’s conservation programmes on its target species’ chances of survival?

0.6 Towards safety

+49with Durrell intervention

Durrell’s impact

Red List Index of Species Survival -23without Durrell intervention

Towards extinction 0.1 1998 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 changes in the chances of survival

The Red List Index (RLI) measures the impact of Durrell’s conservation work.

It compares the way the overall extinction risk of 17 of its target mammal, bird and amphibian species has changed to a theoretical scenario in which conservation has not taken place. The RLI measures changes in the chances of survival of each species by tracking its movement over time through IUCN Red List categories of extinction risk. These categories are assigned by independent experts who follow the rigorous and authoritative IUCN Red List assessment process. Eight of Durrell’s target species have moved into lower Red List categories since 1988 – six Mauritian birds, the Golden Lion Tamarin and the Mallorcan Midwife Toad – meaning their numbers have significantly increased and therefore their risk of extinction decreased.

This has driven a striking upward trend in the RLI, demonstrating that Durrell’s programmes are moving many species away from extinction. Without conservation efforts, some of these species would almost certainly have gone extinct in the wild, and overall our species would have been in far worse shape than they are today.

A 2010 scientific paper in a world-leading journal showed that, at a global level since the 1980s, 63 mammal, bird and amphibian species have moved down the Red List because of conservation.

That means Durrell and its partners have led or contributed to more than 100f these globally significant improvements in the status of species.