Nordens Ark - a university conservation field station

Abstract

Nordens Ark is a non‐profit foundation aiming to provide self‐sustainable viable populations of threatened species through conservation breeding and reintroduction programmes. In 2001, an important decision was made to be part of a scientific society with close contacts to universities, and to appoint a professor in conservation biology as the scientific leader. Together with the universities, new programmes were developed where traditional academic knowledge could be combined with the experience and practical hands‐on knowledge of the zoo world. Components of these programmes are held at Nordens Ark on a contracted basis. Nordens Ark has developed international research schools together with Gothenburg University, and conservation aspects of threatened wild animal species and domestic breeds provide the overarching theme. Nordens Ark has successfully taken part in breeding and reintroduction programmes for, among others, the White‐backed woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos, the Peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus, the Lesser white‐fronted goose Anser erythropus, the Green toad Bufo viridis and the Fire‐bellied toad Bombina bombina. Nordens Ark has also been contracted by national and international conservation authorities or organizations to ensure that the best possible conservation measures are taken when conflicts arise between infrastructure projects and the conservation of threatened species.

Practical implementation of species’ recovery plans – lessons from the White-backed Woodpecker Action Plan in Sweden

“…However, as we described in our analysis, the implementation of the first phase of this very ambitious plan has not been very successful in terms of fulfilment of the planned targets. The breeding population of WBW in Sweden has been extremely low since the late 1990s, and the fact that species have not disappeared from Sweden completely may be attributed to continuous supply of birds through the relocation, release and artificial breeding programme (Andrén et al 2011). This is in strong contrast to the development of Finnish populations of the species that started from the similar critical level in the mid-1980s but recovered, with many dozens of breeding pairs at present (Lehikoinen et al 2011).…”

Editorial: Research in Zoos

“…So what is to be done, by us, for our animal community responsibilities? Developing novel strategies of cooperation with academic institutions and thereby enabling zoos and aquariums to participate in finding solutions to questions of wildlife conservation is illustrated in the articles by Andrén et al . (2011), Macdonald & Whiten (2011) and Pereboom et al .…”

“…So what is to be done, by us, for our animal community responsibilities? Developing novel strategies of cooperation with academic institutions and thereby enabling zoos and aquariums to participate in finding solutions to questions of wildlife conservation is illustrated in the articles by Andre´n et al (2011), Macdonald & Whiten (2011) and Pereboom et al (2011). The latter state 'the key to success in building up or developing a global zoo research community lies in investing in formal relationships with universities and research institutions, with intergovernmental conservation bodies, such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature and local non-governmental organizations, and by building collaborations with other zoo research departments'.…”