Brazil is a megabiodiverse country with a long tradition of nature conservation, mostly based on protected areas, and many threatened species in Brazil have survived as a result of this protection. However, this conservation strategy is inadequate and a more active approach to protect and restore biodiversity, mostly based on conservation translocations, is increasingly being used.
In September 2023, 30 Brazilian specialists met at Salto Morato Nature Reserve during a Conservation Translocations Training Course run by the IUCN Conservation Translocations Specialist Group. Axel Moehrenschlager, the Group's chair, encouraged us to bring lasting change that could influence policy, and this resulted in the formation of a Manifest for Conservation Translocation that we hope will be an important landmark for biodiversity conservation in Brazil. We also launched the Brazilian Conservation Translocations Network (Rede Brasileira de Translocações para Conservação), to bring together professionals who are involved in conservation translocations.
The Salto Morato Manifest recognizes that we need urgent, effective actions for the conservation of biodiversity, that conservation translocations have immense potential for biodiversity conservation, that conservation translocations and isolated releases are often confounded (the latter do not usually have a scientific basis, proper health care or a clear conservation goal), that the conservation roles of zoos and breeding centres are underestimated, and that Brazilian norms for wildlife management are outdated and inadequate.
We propose the adaptation of Brazilian legislation and formulation of a National Policy on Conservation Translocations, and public campaigns to provide informed explanation of the importance of conservation translocations. We hope that the Salto Morato Manifest and the formation of the Brazilian Conservation Translocations Network will encourage people to become more actively involved in conserving biodiversity.
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