New framework developed for moving endangered species to safer locations
A new framework designed to guide one of the hardest decisions in conservation—whether to move a species outside its historical range to save it from extinction—has been published in Conservation Science and Practice, capping a multiyear, Pacific–wide effort in which the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa played a central supporting role.
A new framework crafted to guide the often complex decision of relocating endangered species to new locations has been published in Conservation Science and Practice. This decision, known as a conservation introduction, aims to protect species from extinction, particularly in the face of a changing world. The framework, developed over several years through extensive collaboration with stakeholders across the Pacific region, is the brainchild of Melissa Price, a professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management (NREM), and Mark W. Schwartz of the University of California, Davis, alongside the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Pacific Region.
Price, along with UH Mānoa graduate students, was integral in ensuring the framework reflected a wide range of perspectives and local contexts. The framework's unique approach prioritizes cultural and community values alongside ecological risk, setting it apart from previous tools. It is particularly crucial for species like Hawaiian forest birds, for which making high-stakes decisions under uncertainty is a common reality.
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