CBSG/WAZA AMPHIBIAN EX SITU CONSERVATION PLANNING WORKSHOP El Valle, Panama 12-15 February 2006 FINAL REPORT 2 Photos courtesy of Paul Crump, Houston Zoo. A contribution of the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group. IUCN encourage meetings, workshops and other fora for the consideration and analysis of issues related to conservation, and believe that reports of these meetings are most useful when broadly disseminated. The opinions and recommendations expressed in this report reflect the issues discussed and ideas expressed by the participants in the workshop and do not necessarily reflect the formal policies IUCN, its Commissions, its Secretariat or its members. © Copyright CBSG 2006 Zippel, K., R. Lacy, and O. Byers (eds.) 2006. CBSG/WAZA Amphibian Ex Situ Conservation Planning Workshop Final Report. IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, Apple Valley, MN 55124, USA. Additional copies of the CBSG/WAZA Amphibian Ex Situ Conservation Planning Workshop Final Report can be ordered through the IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, 12101 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley, MN 55124 www.cbsg.org. 3 4 The CBSG Conservation Council These generous contributors make the work of CBSG possible $50,000 and above Loro Parque Rosamond Gifford Zoo Los Angeles Zoo Swedish Association of Zoos Chicago Zoological Society Marwell Zoological Park Wellington Zoo -Chairman Sponsor Milwaukee County Zoo Welsh Mountain Zoo SeaWorld/Busch Gardens North Carolina Zoological Park Wildlife World Zoo, Inc. Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Zoo La Palmyre $20,000 and above Paignton Zoo Zoo Madrid Minnesota Zoological Garden Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park Zoologischer Garten Rostock -Office Sponsor Parco Natura Viva - Italy Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo Perth Zoo $250 and above Toronto Zoo Philadelphia Zoo Phoenix Zoo Alice Springs Desert Park $15,000 and above Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Arizona - Sonora Desert Museum Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium Birmingham Zoo Columbus Zoo and Aquarium -The Prudence P. Perry Bramble Park Zoo WILDS Randers Regnskov Tropical Zoo Edward & Marie Plotka Disney’s Animal Kingdom Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Emporia Zoo Evenson Design Group Robert Lacy Lee Richardson Zoo Saint Louis Zoo Rotterdam Zoo Mark Barone Wildlife Conservation Society - NYZS Royal Zoological Society - Antwerp Montgomery Zoo World Association of Zoos and Royal Zoological Society - Scotland Racine Zoological Society Aquariums (WAZA) Royal Zoological Society - South Sacramento Zoo Zoological Society of London Australia Svenska Djurparksföreningen Saitama Children’s Zoo Tokyo Zoological Park Society $7,000 and above San Antonio Zoo Topeka Zoo, Friends of Australian Regional Association of San Francisco Zoo Wildlife Safari - Oregon Zoological Parks and Aquariums Sedgwick County Zoological Society (ARAZPA) Taipei Zoo $100 and above Cleveland Zoological Society The Living Desert African Safari - France Nan Schaffer Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens Alex Rübel San Diego Zoo Tiergarten Schönbrunn – Zoo Vienna Aquarium of the Bay White Oak Conservation Center Toledo Zoological Society Bighorn Institute Twycross Zoo Brandywine Zoo $1,000 and above Union of German Zoo Directors Central Zoo Authority - India Utah’s Hogle Zoo African Safari Wildlife Park Chahinkapa Zoo Wassenaar Wildlife Breeding Centre Albuquerque Biological Park Ed Asper Wilhelma Zoo Al Ain Zoo Elias Sadalla Filho Woodland Park Zoo Alice D. Andrews Folsom Children's Zoo Zoo Frankfurt Allwetterzoo Münster International Center for Birds of Prey Zoologischer Garten Köln Anne Baker Lion Country Safari, Inc. Zoologischer Garten Zurich Apenheul Zoo Miami Metrozoo Association of Zoos and Aquariums Nigel Hewston $500 and above (AZA) Poznan Zoo Audubon Zoological Gardens Aalborg Zoo Rolling Hills Zoo Bristol Zoo Akron Zoological Park Steinhart Aquarium British and Irish Association of Zoos and Banham Zoo and Sanctuary Steven J. Olson Aquariums (BIAZA) BioSolutions Division of SAIC Tautphaus Park Zoo Calgary Zoological Society Cotswold Wildlife Park Chester Zoo Dutch Federation of Zoos $50 and above Cincinnati Zoo Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Alameda Park Zoo Colchester Zoo Fort Worth Zoo Darmstadt Zoo Copenhagen Zoo FOTA Wildlife Park Miller Park Zoo Detroit Zoological Park Givskud Zoo Oglebay's Good Children's Zoo Dickerson Park Zoo Granby Zoo Peter Riger Dublin Zoo Heidelberg Zoo Plzen Zoo Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Safari Parc de Peaugres - France El Paso Zoo Kerzner International North America Stiftung Natur-und Artenschutz in den Everland Zoo Knoxville Zoo Tropen Fort Wayne Zoological Society Knuthenborg Safari Park Touro Parc - France Gladys Porter Zoo Lincoln Park Zoo Wuppertal Zoo Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum Lisbon Zoo Japanese Association of Zoological Little Rock Zoo Gardens and Aquariums (JAZA) Naturzoo Rheine Kansas City Zoo Odense Zoo Thank You! Laurie Bingaman Lackey Oregon Zoo June 2006 Leisure and Cultural Services Ouwehands Dierenpark Department of Hong Kong Riverbanks Zoological Park 6 CBSG/WAZA AMPHIBIAN EX SITU CONSERVATION PLANNING WORKSHOP Final Report CONTENTS Section 1: INTRODUCTORY MATERIALS 9 • Executive Summary 11 • List of Attendees 13 • Introductory Questions 15 • Background Information 19 Section 2: WORKING GROUP REPORTS 21 • Organization 23 • Best Practices 30 Quarantine Standards Sub-group 33 Housing Standards Sub-group 36 • Species Selection 40 • Rapid Response 48 Section 3: WORKING GROUP NOTES 51 • Organization 53 • Best Practices 53 • Species Selection 61 • Rapid Response 65 7 8 CBSG/WAZA AMPHIBIAN EX SITU CONSERVATION PLANNING WORKSHOP Final Report Section 1 Introductory Materials 9 10 Executive Summary From 17-19 September 2005, the IUCN hosted an Amphibian Conservation Summit in Washington, DC. The world’s amphibian authorities from academia, zoos, government, veterinary medicine, and other diverse disciplines convened to conceptualize an Amphibian Conservation Action Plan (ACAP), outlining general responses required in the fields of research, assessment, conservation, and rapid response to stem widespread global amphibian extinctions. The IUCN/SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG), the organization overseeing implementation of the ACAP, specifically tasked the IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG) with implementation of the ex situ aspects of ACAP’s goals. From 12-15 February 2006, CBSG and WAZA hosted an Amphibian Ex Situ Conservation Planning Workshop in El Valle, Panama. Unlike the prior meeting in DC, this group called upon only those amphibian biologists with expertise in the issues surrounding captive maintenance of amphibians. Fifty such people from 14 countries representing every amphibian-inhabited continent divided into four working groups to develop strategies for Organization of the ex situ community, Best Practices for husbandry and quarantine, developing objective criteria for Species Selection, and conceptually organizing Rapid Response Programs. Major Conclusions Organization: An administrative structure was proposed in which the ex situ community would liaise with the larger Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG) through an advisory board consisting of representatives from CBSG and WAZA, among others. The advisory board would, among other tasks, develop and monitor strategies for implementing the ex situ part of the initiative in coordination with the in situ component, direct fundraising activities, and ensure excellent communication with all stakeholders. The advisory board and the WAZA executive director would oversee the activities of an Amphibian Program Officer, who would in turn provide advice to implementing partners in the ex situ community regarding knowledge and technology transfer, breeding programs, regional coordination, and species priorities. Best Practices: Standards are provided for the ex situ housing and maintenance of amphibians and recommendations made for fostering community involvement. These husbandry standards are designed to ensure the highest quality of care for captive amphibians, to minimize the transmission of disease between captive species, and to prevent the introduction of exotic pathogens into novel environments. They are intended to be general husbandry guidelines. Specific protocols will be determined by the individual species selection process. Species Selection: A Decision Tree was constructed to quantify the appropriateness for a given species to be included in an ex situ program. Phase One of the Decision Tree ensures there is justification for an ex situ program. It consists of three fundamental questions with “yes” or “no” answers. These questions should be applied to the taxon under consideration, answering each honestly and objectively. Phase Two of the Decision Tree takes those species that have ‘passed’ Phase One and attempts to prioritize them, i.e., with limited resources (space, staff, money etc.) which species should have ex situ programs established ahead of others. It takes the form of a series of questions with weighted scores. The total score for a species indicates how ‘important’ an ex situ program for the species is in relation to others. Some questions may not be straightforward to answer and will require consultation with colleagues, taxonomic experts and other individuals/groups working with the species. Phase Three of the Decision Tree considers 11 the practical feasibility of initiating and maintaining an ex situ program once justified and considered a priority. Rapid Response Programs: Rapid response programs