Lecture: Do zoos hold species representing the greatest conservation priorities? By Dr Tom Martin

TIME: Refreshments from 7pm, lecture from 7.30pm

VENUE: Alyazya 1, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

LECTURE TITLE:  Do zoos hold species representing the greatest conservation priorities? By Dr Tom Martin

LECTURE SUMMARY: Modern zoos and related ex-situ conservation institutions have now been in existence for almost 200 years. During this time they have possessed multiple and evolving roles; as hubs of scientific research, as recreational ‘amusements’, as showcases of colonial and civic prestige, and as centers of environmental education. In recent decades, however, they have become increasingly vital components of global conservation networks, with numerous species being saved from extinction primarily through the intervention of ex-situ breeding programmes. The looming 21st century biodiversity crisis, and its associated predictions of species becoming extinct in the wild, could potentially mean that zoos are poised to play an even more urgent conservation role in the coming decades. However, while the potential of zoos for mitigating species extinctions has been theoretically discussed, little research has examined whether the species currently held in global zoo networks are representative of those most likely to be facing imminent extinction threats in the wild. This talk will summarize recent research examining this issue at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, which used a matched species-pairs approach to determine whether birds, mammals, and amphibians currently held in zoos around the world are as likely to be threatened as their close relatives not held in zoos, and will then discuss how paradigms of the way zoos are run may need to change if they are to exert the maximum possible influence on reducing future extinctions.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:  Dr Tom Martin is a zoologist and conservation biologist with a wide range of research interests. His recent fieldwork projects have focused on conservation projects in the Mesoamerican and Wallacean biodiversity ‘hotspots’ and the deserts and steppes of Central Asia. He was until last year also part of a theoretical research project, run in collaboration with Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, examining coverage of mammals, birds, and amphibians held in global zoo networks, and examining the extent to which the composition of these ex-situ holdings match the composition of species facing the highest threats of extinction in the wild. Originally from south-west England, Tom has been living in Abu Dhabi for the last six months.