Projects
Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation Projects
Cameroon Project
The illegal commercial bushmeat trade is the biggest threat to the great apes and other primates in central Africa. Addressing such a trade is challenging and requires the efforts of governments, donors and NGOs working together. The Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation has been involved since the late 1990s, when the critical situation facing the primates and other animals of the forests of central Africa became widely publicised. Although progress has been made, there is still much work to be done in order to prevent some of the most charismatic species from becoming extinct.
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Colombia Project
The demand for pastoral land in Colombia has resulted in vast swathes of the countryside undergoing changes in use. Most obviously, the change from tropical forest to cattle ranches has meant that much of the forest has disappeared through slash and burn practices. For the animals that live there the consequences are a shrinking habitat and declining numbers. Add to this the demand for pet primates and you have several species that are heading for extinction.
Using a flagship species is one way to highlight the plights of the forests and species in general, but there are individual needs to be met as well, if we are not to lose some of the most vulnerable species that live in the forests, such as the silvery-brown tamarin.
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Comoro Islands Project
Located three hundred kilometres north of Madagascar, the Union of the Comoros comprises of three volcanic islands, each with their distinct fauna and flora. They have been referred to as the ‘land of the giant bats’ because of the two species of spectacular fruit bats that populate them. Livingstone’s fruit bat (Pteropus livingstonii), one of the largest fruit bats in the world, is found only on two Comorian islands and nowhere else in the world. The latest estimate of population figures is that there are less than 1300 now surviving in the wild.
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Madagascar Project
In Madagascar, the Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation is working together with other European zoos to protect the last remaining populations of two critically endangered lemur species, the blue-eyed black lemur and the Sahamalaza sportive lemur. Both occur exclusively on and adjacent to the Sahamalaza Peninsula in the northwest of the island and are threatened by habitat destruction and hunting.
Native Species Project
The United Kingdom has a rich variety of wildlife. Support for local and national Biodiversity Action Plans underpins our UK native species strategy, but in addition, the Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation also undertakes important research to understand the factors affecting loss of other wildlife species, such as change in land use or introduction of competitive non-native species.
Philippines Project
One of the world’s biodiversity ‘hotspots’, the islands of the Philippines contain many unique species of wildlife. There are species that are found on only one island and others that are only found on a few. The range of species across all taxa is immense. Yet many of these species are in imminent danger of extinction due to an expanding human population and the demand for land; the result is landscapes being changed forever.
South Africa Project
The Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation, together with its South African and international partners, is conducting research to determine the factors that lead to breeding site fidelity in African penguins around the Western Cape. The ultimate goal of these studies is to develop a methodology for establishing new breeding colonies of penguins in places that are more suitable for their long-term survival.
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Vietnam Project
The situation facing many species of Asian chelonian is that of imminent extinction. Owing to the belief that their shells have benefits in traditional Chinese medicine, and a huge demand for the animals for use in domestic cooking, the tortoises, turtles and terrapins are illegally poached throughout SE Asia, with little or no effective protection. To the finders of valuable species the rewards can be enormous, far more than alternative, ‘legal’ ways of making a living, so the number of people looking for such animals has increased several-fold in recent times. With limited effective protection, there are few hiding places for animals with a high price on their heads.
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Zoo Projects
The Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation conducts conservation-directed research on the biology, health and welfare of the animals and plants in our living collections at Bristol Zoo Gardens. We aim to optimise modern zoo practices and inform conservation efforts, both ex situ and in situ.
Conservation of White-clawed Crayfish In South West England
The white-clawed crayfish, is Britain's only native species and has suffered severe declines, most devastatingly in recent decades due to the spread of non-native crayfish species (NNCS) and associated 'crayfish plague'.
The primary aim of the project is to identify all remaining white-clawed crayfish within the South West and prioritise them in terms of threat. A series of translocations will be carried out in order to try and safeguard all remaining threatened white-clawed crayfish populations.
The secondary aim of the project is to establish and maintain viable breeding populations of white-clawed crayfish ex situ to provide plague free brood stock.
For more information please contact:
Maddy Rees: mrees [at] bristolzoo [dot] org [dot] uk
