Translocation of threatened plants as a conservation measure in China

Abstract

We assessed the current status of plant conservation translocation efforts in China, a topic poorly reported in recent scientific literature. We identified 222 conservation translocation cases involving 154 species, of these 87 were Chinese endemic species and 101 (78%) were listed as threatened on the Chinese Species Red List. We categorized the life form of each species and, when possible, determined for each case the translocation type, propagule source, propagule type, and survival and reproductive parameters. A surprisingly large proportion (26%) of the conservation translocations in China were conservation introductions, largely implemented in response to large-scale habitat destruction caused by the Three-Gorge Dam and another hydropower project. Documentation and management of the translocations varied greatly. Less than half the cases had plant survival records. Statistical analyses showed that survival percentages were significantly correlated with plant life form and the type of planting materials. Thirty percent of the cases had records on whether or not individuals flowered or fruited. Results of information theoretic model selection indicated that plant life form, translocation type, propagule type, propagule source, and time since planting significantly influenced the likelihood of flowering and fruiting on the project level. We suggest that the scientific-based application of species conservation translocations should be promoted as part of a commitment to species recovery management. In addition, we recommend that the common practice of within and out of range introductions in nature reserves to be regulated more carefully due to its potential ecological risks. We recommend the establishment of a national office and database to coordinate conservation translocations in China. Our review effort is timely considering the need for a comprehensive national guideline for the newly announced nation-wide conservation program on species with extremely small populations, which is expected to stimulate conservation translocations for many species in the near future.

Effects of life history and reproduction on recruitment time lags in reintroductions of rare plants

“…; Albrecht & Maschinski ; but see Liu et al. ); thus, founder population structure could potentially influence recruitment rates and persistence. Alternatively, failure to recruit offspring could simply reflect low habitat quality for seeds and seedlings.…”

“…Differences in population characteristics, such as the initial founder and propagule size, planting technique, and microhabitat, often differ among sites and could explain why some species establish and persist at some locations but not others (Guerrant 1996;Menges 2008;Godefroid et al 2011;. For example, previous studies show that using larger founder sizes and propagule stages increased establishment and survival rates in rare plant reintroductions ; but see Liu et al 2015); thus, founder population structure could potentially influence recruitment rates and persistence. Alternatively, failure to recruit offspring could simply reflect low habitat quality for seeds and seedlings.…”

Morphological, anatomical and physiological traits of Euryodendron excelsum as affected by conservation translocation (augmentation vs. conservation introduction) in South China

“…Conservation translocations can be facilitated by the ex situ collection of endangered species in botanical gardens through the provision of propagules or individual plants (Ren et al 2012). There are three main types of conservation translocation: augmentation, reintroduction, and conservation introduction (Menges 2008, Liu et al 2015. In augmentation, plants are added to an existing population in order to increase the population size or genetic diversity.…”

“…In reintroduction, individuals of a species are planted into an area formerly inhabited by the species. In conservation introduction, plants are moved into new areas that are not part of the historic distribution of the species (IUCN 2013, Ren et al 2014, Liu et al 2015.…”

Limited contributions of released animals from zoos to North American conservation translocations

“…; Liu et al. ), birds (Lincoln Park Zoo ; Cromarty & Alderson ), mammals (Van Houtan et al. ), amphibians (Short ), invertebrates and reptiles (McHalick ), and additional global conservation translocation databases (Soorae , , , ; Armstrong et al.…”