THE ROLE OF REINTRODUCTIONS IN CONSERVING BRITISH BIRDS

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Suffolk Natural History, Vol. 37 THE ROLE OF REINTRODUCTIONS IN CONSERVING BRITISH BIRDS IAN CARTER

Bird reintroductions and introductions are undertaken for various reasons. Gamebirds and wildfowl are often valued as quarry species and species such as Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge and Greylag Goose are now widespread as a result of introductions for shooting. Following extinction, the Capercaillie was reintroduced to Scotland in the 1830s for the same reason and, despite declining numbers, is still present today. In some cases, birds were introduced for aesthetic reasons, simply because individuals wished to see the species established in their local countryside. The Little Owl was released by several individuals in the second half of the 1800s for this reason and is now relatively common and widespread in England and Wales. This talk will concentrate on reintroductions that are carried out purely for conservation reasons. The term reintroduction will be used in its wider sense to cover not only projects involving species that have been lost from most or all of the country, such as the Red Kite, but also species like the Barn Owl which is still widespread but now has a rather patchy distribution. There has been a rapid increase in bird reintroductions for conservation reasons over the last few decades in Europe and North America, many involving birds of prey. This group of birds is often involved in reintroductions because they are highly sensitive to pesticides (such as organochlorines) and human persecution, and many species have low rates of breeding productivity and poor powers of natural recolonisation. They can therefore be lost from large parts of their range and may find it difficult to spread back naturally. In Europe there have been recent projects involving Eagle Owl, Osprey, Red Kite, Lesser Kestrel, Peregrine, and Black, Griffon and Bearded Vulture. IUCN reintroduction guidelines and legal considerations The following is a summary of the main points contained in detailed guidelines produced by the Species Survival Commission of the IUCN in 1995. English Nature would not support a bird reintroduction project unless it was shown to meet these guidelines in full. • Reintroductions are concerned with the re-establishment of a species or sub-species that formerly occurred in an area.

• The reasons for the loss of the species should be well-understood and should no longer pose a significant threat in the release area. • There should be a sound understanding of the natural history of the species and the release area should provide suitable habitat, despite changes that may have occurred since the species was last present. • Releases should be as close as possibly genetically to the original native population.

Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 37 (2001)


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THE ROLE OF REINTRODUCTIONS IN CONSERVING BRITISH BIRDS by Suffolk Naturalists' Society - Issuu