Authors: Vivek M., Julie S., Tony K., Richard K., Sonja L., Ashraf NVK, Pritpal S., Axel M.
Organisms are displaced in large numbers by anthropogenic and natural phenomena, leading to frequent uncertainty as to release options. Individuals may be held for short or long periods and guidance is needed to help for action that maximizes positive outcomes for individual organisms and affected populations. Irresponsible translocations have had devastating impacts on native wildlife and ecosystems, but displaced organisms can also have marked conservation potential. Suitable, healthy individuals released through well-planned and monitored conservation translocation programs with carefully managed risks can benefit taxon and ecosystem conservation. Displaced organisms can be particularly valuable when the capture/collection of wild individuals to support captive breeding/propagation programs is limited. Organisms can also be responsibly translocated for cultural purposes, returning healthy individuals to their home range, mitigating human-wildlife conflict, or improving individual welfare. Responsible translocations follow the precautionary principle to pose minimal risks to wild conspecifics, other wildlife, ecosystems, domesticated animals, and humans. They rely on pre-release studies identifying suitable habitat, risks to ecosystems and humans, and prioritize post-release monitoring. Responsible translocations maximize welfare for suitably rehabilitated individuals that have undergone appropriate health screening (animals), or phytosanitary and viability screening (flora). To address these opportunities, the IUCN Conservation Translocation Specialist Group and collaborators present new best practice guidance for translocations of displaced organisms. These complement existing IUCN guidelines, provide a process to optimize translocations, and note alternatives when responsible translocations are not feasible.