Outcomes of wildlife translocations in protected areas: what is the type and extent of existing evidence? A systematic map protocol

Abstract

Background Conversion, fragmentation, and loss of natural habitats are among the main causes of declining species’ populations worldwide. Protected areas are therefore crucial for biodiversity as they provide refuge and ensure key ecological processes. Wildlife translocations, defined as “the deliberate movement of organisms from one site for release in another”, have been used in conjunction as a conservation tool for a number of decades as wild populations become increasingly fragmented and endangered. Not only are translocations used to bolster the viability of imperiled species but are also recommended for improving population resilience and adapting species’ ranges in response to climate change. Despite translocation being a recognised conservation tool, it remains complex with variable results due to the different factors that can determine its success. Accordingly, the Map will investigate the existing evidence on the links between different types of wildlife translocation interventions and factors that may be important to consider for planning. This will provide an overview of relevant studies for possible future syntheses, and may help to inform management decisions. Method We will perform a thorough search of peer-reviewed journal articles and grey literature sources documenting the occurrence of translocations in the context of protected areas. Two databases will be used: Web of science core collection and Scopus, with a supplementary search in Google Scholar. Multiple key specialized websites will also be used. All bibliographic data will be extracted, managed, and screened in Microsoft excel. Three screening stages will be undertaken (title, then abstract, then full texts) against predefined inclusion criteria. The retained relevant literature will be subjected to coding and meta-data extraction. No formal validity appraisal will be undertaken. The Map will particularly highlight translocation operations in terms of origin and destination (i.e. translocating from one protected area to another, within the same area, and from and to non-protected areas) by taxonomic group, among other important factors (e.g. number of individuals, age class, release strategy, distance between capture and release sites etc.). Finally, a database will be provided along with a Map narratively describing the evidence with summary figures and tables of pertinent study characteristics.

Existing evidence on the outcomes of wildlife translocations in protected areas: a systematic map

“…This systematic map followed the detailed methods described in the a priori systematic map protocol [60]. It was performed in strict concordance with the guidelines provided by The Collaboration for Environmental Evidence [61], and conforms to the ROSES reporting standards (see Additional file 1).…”

“…Indeed, before being able to perform concrete quantitative syntheses on the effectiveness of wildlife translocations, RNF requested a comprehensive catalogue of existing literature describing the links between different types of wildlife translocation interventions and the factors that may be important to consider before implementation. Several further meetings were held, (refer to protocol [60] for full details), providing reserve managers the opportunity to contribute to the coding and data extraction decisions/procedures (notably the definition of variables). Following the acceptance of the protocol, further dialogue with managers enabled decisions to be made on the form and content of a practitioner brief, which will provide a summary of key results in an operational manner in order to aid decision-making.…”

“…The following search string was built during a scoping exercise in Web of Science, described in the systematic map protocol [60], for use in bibliographic databases (see section below): TS=(("protected area$" OR "protected landscape$" OR "protected site$" OR "receptor site$" OR "reintroduction site$" OR "natur* reserve$" OR "national park$" OR "regional park$" OR "national reserve$" OR "biological reserve$" OR "biosphere reserve$" OR "regional reserve$" OR "wilderness area$" OR "natural monument$" OR "management area$" OR sanctuar*) AND TS=("assisted colonization" OR "assisted population migration" OR "assisted migration" OR "assisted gene flow" OR "managed relocation$" OR transloc* OR reintroduc* OR reinforc* OR "assisted range expansion$" OR "assisted long-distance migration$" OR rewilding OR "wild release")). Search strings for all the databases and searches engines are listed in Additional file 2.…”

Application of Conservation and Veterinary Tools in the Management of Stray Wildlife in Zambia

“…Translocation is a critical tool, often used in addressing challenges bordering not only on stray wildlife, but wildlife management in general. It is the deliberate capture, transporting and releasing of the captured wildlife into another ecological environment or back to their natural habitats in the case of stray wildlife [29]. Thus, it is a major wildlife management tool that can also be used in restocking or rewilding of depleted protected areas, including stocking of game ranches and zoos to assist in management of threatened native species [30].…”

Identifying and mitigating the impacts on primates of transportation and service corridors

“…The only two mitigation measures not evaluated by any study that we identified were translocations and fencing. The use of translocations as a conservation tool is a contentious issue; they are costly to execute and offer variable results due to the different factors that can determine their success (Sherman et al., 2020; Langridge et al., 2020). In Arunachal Pradesh, India, “a few isolated groups” of eastern hoolock gibbons ( Hoolock leuconedys ) were translocated from unprotected forest fragments disturbed by road construction and permanent human settlement to the Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary, although they have not yet been monitored since (Kumar et al., 2013).…”