Durrell News

Experts converge in Jersey for Amphibian Course

1^st March 2008

In the first course of its kind in Europe, international experts from zoos across the continent are now meeting at Durrell, in Jersey, until Friday 7 March, to get essential training in the management and conservation of some of the most threatened amphibians in the world.

Amphibians are in global decline; more than a third of the world’s 6,308 amphibian species are currently classified as threatened with extinction. It is estimated that more than 120 species have become extinct within the last twenty years alone, making them one of the world’s most threatened taxonomic groups. Andrew Terry, conservation manager, Durrell, says: “Amphibians are well-recognised indicators of environmental health and so their current plight should be of concern to us all.

“Habitat destruction, climate change, pollution, over-harvesting for the pet trade and disease are all taking their toll on the remaining amphibian populations. For certain species their only hope in the short term is to secure their survival in captivity. Such ‘safety-net’ populations allow conservationists to maintain these species until conditions are suitable for them to be reintroduced to answer questions that will support conservation in the wild.”

To equip European zoos and aquaria to meet this challenge the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, in partnership with Chester Zoological Gardens, has launched the first Amphibian Conservation Husbandry (ACH) course at its International Training Centre, in Jersey, Channel Islands. Bringing together some of the world’s leading experts in amphibian husbandry, the course has been designed to equip participants with the skills needed to manage a diverse array of new species, some of the most threatened amphibian species on earth, and create suitable facilities to house them.

For many amphibians, securing their survival will involve maintaining them in captivity until the threats facing them in the wild (habitat destruction, disease, the impact of climate change and pollution etc) can be addressed. However, the current capacity within zoos to respond to this need is limited.

Course co-director Jamie Copsey explains: “This course is the first of its kind in Europe and has been designed in response to a request from European zoos to help them pick up the gauntlet thrown down to them by the amphibian conservation world. The determination is there to ensure that zoos within the region are able to respond effectively to the challenge; this course will ensure they have the technical know-how to realise this goal.”

Twenty-one participants from 11 countries are attending this intensive 12-day course in Jersey and receiving detailed training on the management of captive conditions, diets, health and links to the conservation of wild populations. They are learning everything from how to get the water quality right to designing quarantine facilities to house animals moving between the wild and captivity.

Gaining first-hand experience of Durrell’s conservation efforts to support the locally threatened agile frog, in partnership with the States of Jersey Environment Department, participants will see how captive facilities can be used to produce juvenile animals fit for release. Durrell is one of the leading European institutions in the management of captive amphibians, where it maintains strong links with its field conservation projects around the world. Durrell and Chester Zoological Gardens are also the first organisations in the region to pioneer the use of shipping containers as disease-free quarantine units to ensure that captive populations remain fit and healthy.

Gerardo Garcia, co-director of the ACH course and head of herpetology at Durrell adds: “We need to build capacity quickly if European zoos are going to be in a position to make the most of their captive facilities to conserve those amphibians with little hope of survival in the wild. To do this we are expecting every participant on the course to shift their institutions into a higher gear of amphibian conservation action and to run their own local training initiatives once they return home, ensuring that the lessons learnt on the course are disseminated Europe-wide.”

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