DURRELL WILDLIFE CONSERVATION TRUST DURRELL IS AN INTERNATIONAL CHARITY ON A MISSION TO SAVE SPECIES FROM EXTINCTION The great British writer and conservationist, Gerald Durrell, was a visionary, a pioneer and a man with a mission. He believed that good zoos could do great things in conservation, and more than 50 years ago he set out to prove it. Gerald founded Jersey Zoo in 1959. In 1963, it became a charitable trust and was renamed Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in 1999. Through the Durrell Index, we are able to measure the effectiveness of our work and demonstrate our impact. We can show that of all the species whose chances of survival have improved in recent years, more than 12% owe their upgraded status to Durrell and its supporters. We are enormously proud of this. durrell.org/index DURRELL WILDLIFE CONSERVATION TRUST Les Augrès Manor, La Profonde Rue, Trinity, Jersey JE3 5BP, Channel Islands PHOTO CREDITS Quentin Bloxam, Luis Ortiz Catedral, Dr Nik Cole, Kay Collister, Michael Dvorak, Matt Goetz, G Guida, Andrew Kelly, Tiffany Lang, Matt Porteous, Chris Scarffe, Colin Stevenson and Charlie Wylie. WHO WE ARE Patron HRH Princess Anne, The Princess Royal Honorary Director Lee Durrell, MBE, PhD Founder Chief Executive Officer Gerald Malcolm Durrell, OBE Dr Lesley Dickie ‘Durrell’s Army’ refers to everyone who helps Durrell carry out its mission – from volunteers to donors and Academy graduates 3 WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE? We are the champions of all animals, including the ‘little guys’, the inconspicuous creatures that are just as crucial to the ecology of the planet as the more appealing ones. We speak up for the animals that other people forget. Our hands-on approach gets results. The close integration of the three main areas of our work - Field Programmes, Zoo and Conservation Academy - leads to dramatic rescues of species on the brink of extinction. 4 Gerald Durrell with a tapir and Jersey calf in front of the Manor House Jersey Zoo was the first zoo created entirely to save threatened species from extinction 5 WHAT WE DO Durrell pursues its mission by concentrating on three areas of specialisation, all underpinned by robust science. These three interact with and reinforce each other. Durrell Field Programmes Our field staff operates 50 projects in 18 countries around the world. We focus on islands, where unique species are under immense pressure, and on animal groups suffering the worst declines, such as primates and amphibians. 6 Jersey Zoo Durrell Conservation Academy The zoo is home to more than 120 We provide training in Jersey and species of mammals, birds, reptiles Mauritius, with outreach courses and amphibians, more than half of in other countries. Our three- which are endangered in the wild. month Graduate Certificate The zoo provides a window into the course in Jersey and our six-month wider conservation work that Durrell Postgraduate course in Mauritius carries out around the globe. are training the next generation of conservation leaders. Durrell’s silverback gorilla, Jambo, stood guard over an unconscious child that had fallen into the enclosure in 1986 7 ANIMALS DURRELL IS HELPING Some Durrell projects have Mauritius kestrel been running for decades, In 1974 only four Mauritius kestrels while others are more recent. were known to exist in the wild, making it the world’s rarest bird. We are involved in projects Captive breeding and intensive to ensure the survival of a management of wild birds over number of species – this is a nearly 40 years have increased the small selection… wild population to several hundred. 8 Saint Lucia racer Ploughshare tortoise Durrell and its partners in St Lucia Due to illegal poaching, the are on a mission to save the world’s ploughshare is the most threatened rarest snake. A captive breeding tortoise on the planet. Through a programme with the closely related captive breeding programme set up Anguilla racer snake is underway, in Madagascar in 1986, Durrell has and Durrell hopes to transfer the bred and released more than 100 skills gained with this similar species ploughshare tortoises into the wild. to help save the Saint Lucia racer. Pygmy hog Pink pigeon The pygmy hog is the world’s More than 30 years of captive smallest – and rarest – pig. Once breeding, releases and intensive thought to be extinct, the 100th management in the wild have captive-bred animal was released increased the population of the into the wild in 2016 thanks to a pink pigeon in Mauritius from 16 to breeding and release programme more than 400 wild birds. in northeast India. 9 ANIMALS DURRELL IS HELPING Mountain chicken frog Telfair’s skink One of the rarest frogs in the world, Nearly 40 years of captive breeding, an estimated 99% of the global intense habitat restoration and population has been lost in the last successful translocations have led 14 years. Durrell and its partners are to a major recovery of the Telfair’s undertaking pioneering research skink in Mauritius. in the wild and in captivity to help bring them back from the brink of extinction. No animal is ever bought or sold, reflecting the philosophy of the founder, Gerald Durrell, that endangered species are priceless 10 Pied tamarins One of the most endangered monkeys in the Amazon forest, the pied tamarin is being helped by Durrell through field conservation and breeding programmes. The population at the zoo in Jersey is one of the largest and most successful in the world. 11 WHERE WE WORK Durrell works in 18 countries, mainly in tropical regions, with an emphasis on islands. UK Red-billed chough Jersey Anguilla Antigua Dominica Dominican Republic Haiti Montserrat St Lucia Caribbean Colombia St Lucia racer Mountain chicken frog Galapagos Bolivia Brazil Floreana Mangrove Black lion Pied mockingbird finch tamarin tamarin 12 The current area of habitat under legal protection following efforts by Durrell is 402,893 hectares - equivalent to half a million football pitches Pygmy hog India Sumatran orangutan Indonesia Union of the Comoros Madagascar Mauritius Ploughshare Alaotran Madagascar Telfair’s skink Mauritius Pink pigeon tortoise gentle lemur pochard kestrel 13 ACHIEVEMENTS WE’RE PARTICULARLY PROUD OF Durrell was honoured to receive the Durrell’s Chief Scientist Prof. Carl inaugural conservation award from Jones has overseen the recovery the World Association of Zoos and of the Mauritius kestrel and four Aquariums in 2016. other bird species of which the population had dwindled to less than 12 individuals. He is the proud winner of the 2016 Indianapolis Prize. 14 In 1974 only four Mauritius kestrels Island Bat Roost at the zoo is an were known to exist in the wild, but award-winning eco-enclosure thanks to Durrell’s intervention, the that is made entirely of recycled population is in the hundreds today. materials. Extinct in Jersey a century ago, The Durrell Index shows that of all the there are now more than 20 red- species whose chances of survival billed choughs flying around the have improved in recent years, island’s north coast, thanks to a more than 12% owe their upgraded release programme, masterminded status to Durrell and its supporters. by Durrell’s Bird Department, begun in 2013. 15 ACHIEVEMENTS WE’RE PARTICULARLY PROUD OF In 2015 Durrell led the identification and creation of three new protected wetland areas in Madagascar, to be managed by local communities. 16 In the spotlight – Madagascar Meet Rabenjakasoa. He is a village chief, a fisherman and the leader of a Durrell Community Patrol. He lives on the west coast of Madagascar’s Lac Alaotra and works tirelessly to protect the lake and the animals that live there. He depends on the lake for his livelihood, but it’s under threat, which has a devastating impact on him and his family. Durrell intends to expand the patrols at the lake and elsewhere, protecting even more of Madagascar’s extraordinary wildlife, people and habitats. The Alaotran gentle lemur is one of the rarest primates on earth. It is only found in the reed beds surrounding Lac Alaotra in Madagascar. Deforestation and agricultural expansion are destroying this critically endangered species’ habitat. Durrell Community Patrols are protecting the remaining marsh – this unique animal’s only home. 17 SOLUTIONS WE INVEST IN Conservation Science Durrell conducts scientific research to understand each conservation problem. We then design and test management actions that make a difference on the ground. This ensures that all our conservation decisions are based on the best evidence available. The Durrell Index is our flagship tool for measuring our conservation actions and impacts on the endangered species and habitats that we protect. durrell.org/index Captive breeding Some endangered species bred at the zoo, like the mountain chicken frog, are returned to their home countries for release to the wild. Others are closely studied to discover the optimal conditions in which they can express natural behaviours. This information is used by Durrell’s field teams to enhance their understanding of the species in the wild and the threats they face. 18 Management and restoration of wild populations and habitats Durrell has over 60 staff working in the field to study, protect and restore focal species. We work with local partners in 18 countries to identify the main causes of a species decline, identify options to reduce these threats and develop long-term restoration plans. Restoring a species takes decades and habitats even longer. We have a track record of more than 30 years of dedicated conservation in our field sites, where our projects support a wide range of broader activities leading to whole ecosystem restoration. Round Island, Mauritius. 19 SOLUTIONS WE INVEST IN Empowering and training local communities In Madagascar over 75% of people live in rural areas and are below the international poverty line.