Extirpation/reintroduction

[Bastiaan Notebaert]

Maes & Van Dyck * (p. 427 - 431) have also a chapter on reintroduction. First of all, there is a difference between local introduction and introduction: in the first case the species is not extinct in the entire country but only in a part of the country (where it is reintroduced).
Before considering reintroduction there are six neitems which need verification (according to Maes & Van Dyck):
1. the reintroduction has to contribute to regional or international preservation of the species
2. the species had a population in the habitat and was extirpated by humans
3. the demands on specific habitats for the species are known and a conservation plan can ensure that these demands will be there in future; there have to be also several other suitable habitats in the area to allow the species to expand (metapopulation)
4. you know why the species disappeared and these causes aren't any more present
5. it should be possible to make the habitat suitable
6. before reintroduction there has to be scientific research on the ecology of the species; after reintroduction you should follow the species during several years; before you start the reintroduction you should have enough money to ensure the scientific background for the reintroduction

In Europe England has the longest introduction past: more than 1000 known cases! Mostly they weren't successful because they where not enough prepared and executed by private persons.Known cases of successful introduction in Great Britain are:
- Moore & Pullin 1997: Carterocephalus palaemon
- Thomas JA 1974: Satyrium pruni
- Thomas JA 1987: Maculinea arion
- Thomas CD 1985: Plebeius argus
- Warren 1992: Melitaea athalia
and not successfully were the well prepared cases off  Lycaena dispar and Iphiclides podalirius.
In Holland Maculinea teleius and Maculinea nausithous was reintroduced in 1990 in Noord-Brabant with success and also private introductions had success: Errynis tages and Carcharodus alceae. More recent the reintroduction of Boloria selene and Melitaea athalia was good prepared, and the first results are good.
In Flanders (North-Belgium) there were no official reintroductions so far, but the introduction of 5 species is being considered, among them Maculinea teleius which was introduced in a nearby area in Holland.For local reintroduction five other species qualify. In the past there were at least three species introduced by private persons. In Walloon (South-Belgium) Euphydryas aurinia was reintroduced in 1994, and the first results are hopeful.

Bastiaan Notebaert
http://www.geocities.com/notebas
 
*: Maes D. & Van Dyck H., 1999, Dagvlinders in Vlaanderen - Ecologie, verspreiding en behoud; Stichting leefmilieu/Antwerpen i.s.m. Instituut voor natuurbehoud en Vlaamse Vlinderwerkgroep/Brussel.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Kondla, Norbert FOR:EX <Norbert.Kondla at gems3.gov.bc.ca>
To: 'lepsl' <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2000 5:36 PM
Subject: Extirpation/reintroduction


> With larger animals there are examples where time and money has been/is
> being spent to reintroduce species to parts of their range where they have
> been extirpated in the past.  A present day example is the Swift Fox on the
> Canadian prairie (well, whats left of it anyway).  I seem to even vaguely
> recall some efforts along these lines with the Karner Blue.  I would welcome
> information on this topic for butterflies; and especially any good news
> examples where this has been successful.
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Norbert Kondla  P.Biol., RPBio.
> Forest Ecosystem Specialist, Ministry of Environment
> 845 Columbia Avenue, Castlegar, British Columbia V1N 1H3
> Phone 250-365-8610
> Mailto:Norbert.Kondla at gems3.gov.bc.ca
> http://www.env.gov.bc.ca
> 
> 
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