M
any well meaning aviculturists would like to believe that bird keepers could make a positive contribution to conservation by acting as a gene bank which could be tapped into for breed and release programmes. This gene bank would also be an insurance policy which could be used should a species become extinct in the wild. This is highly desirable, but in the cold hard light of dawn how realistic is this belief? Breed and Release programmes were popularised and well publicised during the nineties by Gerald Durrell of Jersey Zoo and Sir Peter Scott with the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust and continues to be promoted by many zoos as it fits their corporate profile of education and conservation. Despite its high profile with the public, generally speaking scientists these days are somewhat cautious as it is difficult to implement, is very expensive and has a chequered history of success. A total of 19,561 vertebrates, invertebrates and plants are on the worlds Red List. Furthermore, the rate of extinction is accelerating with the global phenomenon being labelled by scientists as the world’s sixth mass extinction; one of the previous ones being the extinction of the dinosaurs. Worldwide there are 1253 species of birds considered to be threatened plus another 843 near threatened. This makes a total of 2096 species of bird in need of urgent conservation. The situation of birds in Australia? To quote Birdlife Australia. “27 species or sub-species are now listed as Extinct, 20 as Critically Endangered, 60 as Endangered, 68 as Vulnerable and 63 as Near Threatened” ie a total of 211 in need of help. Of course it would be impossible for aviculture to play a role in keeping and breeding all of the 2096 different species and improbable even here in Australia if
BREED RELEA
GOULDIAN FINCH
…This makes a total of 2096 specie need of urgent conservation. The s birds in Australia? To quote Birdlif “27 species or sub-species are now Extinct, 20 as Critically Endangered Endangered, 68 as Vulnerable and Threatened” ie a total of 211 in nee
06 16
BIRD SCENE
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