Success of Transboundary Giraffe Translocations

Résumé fourni par la source

Transboundary species translocations are a vital conservation tool for ensuring the viability of species populations and restoring historical range. Giraffe populations across Africa declined by 40% between 1985 and 2015. In response, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) has collaborated with partners to conduct 13 giraffe translocations (seven reintroductions) over the past decade of northern (Giraffa camelopardalis) and southern (G. giraffa) giraffe between seven countries. These efforts aimed to re-establish giraffe species populations in their historical ranges and promote population recovery. We evaluated translocation success at three levels; (1) survival of founders one month post-release, (2) survival of founders one year post-release, and (3) breeding by founders. Mean translocation success (1) was 1.0 and 0.97 and mean short-term success (2) was 0.98 and 0.92 for northern and southern giraffe, respectively. Furthermore, mean population growth rates were 0.00 for northern and 0.00 for southern giraffe, indicating no mid-term success yet (3) but more time is required to fully evaluate this. Our findings highlight the potential for translocations to initiate population recovery. However, achieving self-sustaining populations requires continued monitoring and adherence to IUCN guidelines, including sufficient founding population sizes. Publishing both successes and failures is crucial to refine best practices and support conservation translocations for giraffe and other species across ecological and political boundaries. Keywords: augmentation, camelopardalis, Giraffa, reintroduction, relocation.

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