When translocation is used exclusively to mitigate development impacts, it is often termed a ‘mitigation translocation.’ However, both the definition and processes vary between countries and jurisdiction, resulting in inconsistent standards and procedures that compound the mortality of translocated individuals. Consequently, mitigation projects rarely achieve the intended ‘no net loss’ of protected species. Instead, mitigation translocations are often process driven, focused on legislative requirements which enable the development to proceed, rather than meaningful attempts to minimise the ecological impact of developments and demonstrate conservation outcomes.
Following the first International Plant Translocation Conference, a global group of practitioners collaborated to:
• Propose a global definition of mitigation translocation and
• Create tiered standards to which all proposals should adhere.
The goal of the proposed definition and standards is to frame mitigation translocations as conservation driven, ensuring best practice implementation and a quantified no net loss for impacted species.
Employment of these standards is relevant to development proponents, government regulators, researchers, and translocation practitioners and will increase the likelihood of conservation gains within the mitigation translocation sector.