Ex-situ Conservation of Biodiversity Notes

What is Ex-situ Conservation?

Ex-situ conservation literally means, “off-site conservation”. It is the process of protecting an endangered species, variety or breed, of plant or animal outside its natural habitat. For example, by removing part of the population from a threatened habitat and placing it in a new location, an artificial environment which is similar to the natural habitat of the respective animal and within the care of humans, an example is zoological parks and wildlife safaris.

The degree to which humans control or modify the natural dynamics of the managed population varies widely, and this may include alteration of living environments, reproductive patterns, access to resources, and protection from predation and mortality. Ex-situ management can occur within or outside a species’ natural geographic range. Individuals maintained ex-situ exist outside an ecological niche. This means that they are not under the same selection pressures as wild populations, and they may undergo artificial selection if maintained ex-situ for multiple generations.

Agricultural biodiversity is also conserved in ex-situ collections. This is primarily in the form of gene banks where samples are stored in order to conserve the genetic resources of major crop plants and their wild relatives.

Advantages and Disadvantages of ex situ conservation

Advantages

  • Organisms are completely protected from predation and poaching
  • The health of individuals can be monitored and medical assistance is given as required
  • Populations can be more effectively managed and divided if disaster strikes
  • The genetic diversity of the population can be measured
  • Selective breeding programs can be put into place
  • Modern reproductive technology can increase the chances of reproductive success
  • Animals and plants can be bred to increase their numbers if endangered
  • research into reproductive physiology, lifestyle, and ecology of an endangered species is made easier
  • conservation sites can be used as attractions to raise funds for further conservation efforts
  • Conservation sites can be used for education

Disadvantages

  • The captive population have limited genetic diversity
  • Animals can be exposed to a wide range of different diseases
  • the organisms are living outside their natural habitat
  • Nutritional issues may arise
  • Animals may not behave as normal making reproduction difficult
  • Correct survival environmental conditions may be difficult to achieve
  • Expensive to maintain
  • animals may not survive reintroduction into the wild
  • There can be difficulties with acceptance by the existing wild members of the species
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