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Basic facts about RED DATA BOOK :
In the course of editing of thisRed Data Book issue only 10 % of 1.7 million species so far identified has been assessed, and it is supposed that 1.7 million is just a fraction of really existing number of species. Conservation of endangered species On each continent a continental organisation of ZOOs is active, organising regional breeding programmes and formulating its specific strategies and tasks. In Europe EAZA - the European Association of ZOOs and Aquariums was established. In the 1990´s this originally exclusive club of West European ZOOs was transformed ina really European institution comprising also the states of former USSR. In the framework of EAZA the first so called European Endangered Species Programmes - EEP were established as a reaction to the similar programmes of some North American ZOOs.
EEP is a tool of European ZOOs intended for the co-ordination of the breeding of a chosen animal species. All ZOOs but also private breeders breeding or intending to breed such a species can enter the programme. The programme is managed by a co-ordinator who issues recommendation for the relocation of animals, for establishingof pairs or groups, etc. Such a recommendation is no command but it is in the interest of every breeder to respect these recommendations otherwise such person’s participation in the programme would be contra-productive. There are many criteria for starting a new programme. Nevertheless the most important is the seriousness of the situation of a species in nature, number of individuals living in captivity, and the structure of genetic basis, i.e. a sufficient genetic variability of a given population in captivity. In case of a high degree of kinship or a higher number of old animals or if one sex prevails, a strengthening of such population with animals from programmes from other continents or from the wild can be considered. Besides EEP another two European-wide activities originated and still originate. One of them , the TAG - Taxon Association Group is an open association of experts specialised in specific zoological group, e.g. in parrots, canids or sea mammals. A principal member is the chairman of the group who manages and organises the activity of such a group. The group meets mainly during the EEP Annual Conference, judges the progress of programmes falling into its competence or even, as the case may be, suggests to start new ones. This group can be considered a type of consulting team for corresponding co-ordinators. Co-ordinators are supported also by another working team - so called Programme Committee, the members of which assist the co-ordinator in formulating the strategy and recommendations. For the time being 126 programmes exist and 32 taxon groups are active within the EAZA framework. Further 68 European Studbooks - ESBexist. The ESB is something like the first stage of a programme, and it is prepared for the purpose of a survey of the conditions and quality of a whole population living in captivity in European territory. Within the framework of the EEP nearly 400 of institutions and breeders work and co-operate. Therefore the list of species managed thanks to EEP is quite long and includes a wide range of species including boas, penguins, eagles, a number of parrots, hornbills, kangaroos, primates, carnivores or big ungulates. Each year the co-ordinator prepares and issues an annual report on the activity within the programme informing about the composition of the committee about the team of advisers if any, about meetings or negotiations within the framework of the programme, about research projects, and particularly about the conditions and compositions of the population of animals, about problems and released recommendations as well as about a near future of the programme. Under the header of the programme practical manuals on the captive breeding are published so that all those engaged in the programme have equal access to information that is vitally important, and they can use experience of other experts. The data important for the activity of the Taxon Association Group consist in information about the number of members of individual populations of species which enable them to assess which species are to be recommended for launching new programmes. This information is ensured by the EEP secretariat located in Amsterdam ZOO. Every year it sends questionnaires to all member ZOOs and tries to know which species are spread in Europe or the number of successful births. Based on this research a discussion takes place within the TAG and outside. The chairman of the TAG then can apply for launching a new programme which is to be subject to the management committee of EEP. This committee then decides to accept the application or not. Endangered species involved in the European Endangered Species programmes in Děčín ZOO:
Species recorded in European Breeding Books:
Other significant endangered species - IUCN Red Data Book:
Endangered fauna in the Czech Republic:
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The latest Red
Data Book issue from 1996 contains 5 205 endangered species. The research
and assessment of the situation of all known species of mammals and birds
have shown that 25 % of the species of mammals and 11 % of birds are
on the edge of extinction. It is estimated that 20 %
of reptiles, 25 % of Amphibians, and 34 % of fish are
under the same threat. In case we include into this group of endangered mammals
those that have not arrived at this threshold so far but are very near
to it, we can speak about 41 % of all species of
mammals as of endangered. The most endangered species are the orders of
rodents, chiropterans, insectivores, carnivores, primates and artiodactyles. In birds these endangered orders
are: perching birds, parrots, galliformesbirds, pigeons and doves, and
gruiformes birds. In reptiles these are: crocodiles, tuataras, tortoises and turtles. The
highest number of endangered species of mammals are in Indonesia, China, India,
Brazil, Mexico, Australia, New Guinea, Philippines, Madagaskar and Peru. As
far as endangered birds are concerned, the worst situation is in Indonesia,
Brazil, China, Philippines, Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, USA and Vietnam.
What
is EEP?
