Assisted Colonisation and Ecological Replacement

The main goal of conservation introductions is to maintain biological diversity. In assisted colonisation, individuals of a threatened focal species are translocated to suitable habitats outside the species’ indigenous range. Ecological replacement, on the other hand, is directed towards a focal ecosystem and aims to replace a functional role that has been lost. The most widely recognised concerns with conservation introductions are the risk of causing invasive species, the risk of disrupting natural processes, and moral justification. The expected beneficial outcome of any conservation translocation needs to be measurable and relate to whole populations or ecosystems. In the near future, conservation introductions will probably contribute lifelines for some species and ecosystems.