Bridging In-situ and Ex-situ Conservation In the Philippines
E. A. Lastica, DVM Zookeepers Association of the Philippines and Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences. College of Veterinary Medicine , University of the Philippines Laguna , Philippines
The Philippines is currently considered by many international conservation organizations as the world’s hottest hotspot in biodiversity conservation. Due mainly to its extensive biodiversity, this recognition is further secured by the several grave threats to the country’s ecosystem: habitat destruction, unregulated resource extraction and, more importantly, the seeming lack of awareness of the human population. Indeed, until recently, very few information is generally known about Philippine biodiversity. Around 333 Philippine species are listed in the International Conservation Union’s Threatened List. For a country this small, the situation is indeed urgent. However, there are small specks of hope, proven by small successes in the field. Such is the case of Philippine zookeepers. For years, zookeeping in the Philippines has been considered one of the lowliest classes of employment. This contributed to low morale and a lack of pride for their jobs. In 2003, an association of Philippine zookeepers was born. This opened many possibilities for collaboration, increased professionalism and awareness of the greater role of zookeepers not only in their respective institutions, but in the conservation of the country’s patrimony as well. As captive breeding facilities are now slowly entering the field of in-situ conservation, the role of zookeepers in the transitional management of candidate species for reintroduction is becoming more significant. As the sole zookeeper association in the country that boasts of members who work in both in-situ and ex-situ conservation, the Zookeepers Association of the Philippines has much to offer.
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