Sustainable Pet Trade

Cutting out the middle man: pet trade sponsoring conservation project!

arie — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:58:51 +0000

: red and red-listed; the endangered tomato frog

Although it would be ideal if each animal in the pet trade would benefit the conservation of their counterparts back where they came from, a Dutch herpetoculture website has found a way to cut out the middle man. The popular Netherlands-based herpetoculture supply site RepShop.eu has pledged to donate part of their proceedings of several weeks of their online sales to a frog conservation project in Madagascar. For several weeks, a significant part of their profits will be donated to the “Tomato Frog Village” project in Madagascar. This grassroots initiative aims to conserve and improve the habitat of the tomatofrog (Dyscophus antongili). Repshop owner Mr. Arendo Flipse said he was inspired to donate to this project as soon as he heard of it; “It is a small but effective project. I have seen these frogs in the trade years ago, and I would hate to see them go extinct.”

The cardinal tetra

arie — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:47:31 +0000

The cardinal tetra is wild-caught, but the profits go to local people and maintaining the rainforest.

Why are zoos so afraid to exchange animals with hobbyists and the pet trade?

arie — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:37:44 +0000

Well, I think you know the answer to that one- because they are afraid it will harm their good name. Most zoos try to sell themselves as centers of conservation these days. Exchanging surplus animals with the pet trade would not benefit this image! What if the new owners fail to take good care of their animals? What if some of these animals appear in the press negatively? These are surely valid concerns, but these fears for bad press may make the zoos too conservative, and miss out on an opportunity to do some good.

Right now, most zoos are destroying the eggs of most of their common reptile and amphibian species (Personal communication with two herp keepers in zoos in the Netherlands and England). Frog eggs are thrown away, and reproduction generally discouraged for any but the most endangered species. When the latter reproduce, the pictures of the offspring are immediately released to the press, to illustrate the fine work that zoo has done for the conservation of the species. These offspring of rare species are exchanged between zoos in a worldwide exchange program. Although this program was initiated to help zoos redistribute the offspring of their tenants, it is also a problem. Most zoos have plenty of the more commonly kept species, so there is no demand for them in the global zoo exchange program. So what to do with those 35 baby Boa constrictor ( a livebearing species, so no way to destroy the eggs)? In the current situation, they usually leave the zoo through the back door and find their way to hobbyist keepers. What a waste! Zoos could reduce the import (and suffering) of many specimens by giving/selling their captive bred surplus to hobbyist keepers. Why not:

Give the animals to members of a renowned keepers association, under some media attention?
Sell/give the animals away under contract (stating that the animals have to be well cared for).
Sell/give the animals away and keep an eye on them? With a little web-application, people can record their experiences with the animal, and the zoo would gain a husbandry database/gene pool of more animals than they could ever keep (distributed zoo keeping).
A combination of the above.

The destroying of eggs would seem to be at odds with the “conservation” image that zoos have conjured for themselves. Any more options would be welcome as comments to this post!

Does the public only want to maintain likable species?

arie — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:39:32 +0000

In their 2004 article “Australian Tropical Reptile Species: Ecological Status, Public Valuation and Attitudes to their Conservation and Commercial Use“, Tisdell, Wilson and Nantha discuss the relationship of Australians with some of their well-known local reptiles. It turns out that even though the knowledge about these animals varies among different members of the public, most will still want to conserve even the least likable species.

Here are some exerpts from the article:

Associations between the stated likeability of each of the reptile species and respondents’ attitudes to their survival, commercial use and respondents’ willingness to allocate funds for their conservation were considered. While there is a negative relationship between support for commercial use of a species and their likeability, the relationship is a weak one. On the other hand, the probability of respondents favouring the survival of species rises with the likeability of a species, and the relationship is relatively close and significant. This is also mirrored in respondents’ proposed allocation of funding for the conservation of the various reptile species (allocations are higher for species that are more liked) but the result is confounded by the endangered status of the hawksbill turtle.
Those results are consistent with the findings of Metrick and Weitzman (1996, 1998) in a different context. However, the results suggest that likeability is not the only factor that influences the proposed financial support of humans for conserving wildlife. For example, the degree of perceived endangerment plays a role, as for instance illustrated above by support for conservation of the hawksbill turtle. Furthermore, moral sentiment is also important (cf. Kotchen and Reiling, 2000). For example, more than 85 percent of the sampled public supported the survival of the taipan snakes, even though they were the most disliked species. Respondents as a whole allocated some funds to conserve all the focal reptile species. Several respondents stated that even the most disliked species have a right to exist.

The original article can be found here:

http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/eserv/UQ:40709/WP106.pdf

Aboriginal Harvest of Long-Necked Turtles in Arnhem Land, Australia

arie — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:30:00 +0000

This article has been reproduced from the following original source:

http://www.open-earth.org/document/natureR_main.php?natureId=160

The Aboriginal people of northwest Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia use freshwater turtles as a significant source of protein. They have accumulated a wealth of knowledge of wildlife and how it can be exploited on a subsistence basis.

The Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation (BAC), a support agency for Aboriginal people who live at outstations on their traditional clan estates, is keen to see this knowledge put to use in developing local industries that contribute to economic self-sufficiency while at the same time maintaining and reinforcing links to traditional Aboriginal culture. The harvest of adults and eggs of the northern long-necked turtle (Chelodina rugosa) is seen to provide such an opportunity. This note reports on a project to establish an indigenous industry focused on the harvest of long-necked turtle eggs in the Maningrida region of Arnhem Land.

As the outstation population has grown to about 800 people on 32 outstations, the BAC’s role has expanded beyond just housing and services to include land management and employment. The major focus of their employment program is economically, culturally and socially appropriate commercial use of wildlife. The project has been established in conjunction with the Djelk Rangers, an indigenous land management group which cares for lands in the Maningrida region, and the Applied Ecology Research Group at the University of Canberra.

In February 2000, the Djelk ranger program in collaboration with the Applied Ecology Research Group and the Key Centre For Tropical Wildlife Management (Northern Territory University) undertook the first step towards establishing this new indigenous enterprise. With full community involvement, the team has established how to

- efficiently capture, mark and release turtles in floodplain billabongs;

- determine if females are carrying eggs, and how many;

- induce females to lay their eggs;

- transport and care for eggs; and

- care for hatchlings until they are dispatched for sale.

A modest market has been established and all hatchlings produced in 2001 and 2002 were legally sold into the pet trade. A proportion of income is returned to outstation communities in the form of an initial payment per gravid turtle.

This year Bawinanga and the University of Canberra with a grant from the Australian Research Council have started research in support of this aboriginal industry. The research aims to provide fundamental knowledge for the sustainable harvest of C. rugosa eggs and adults in Maningrida, Arnhem Land. At the same time, the project aims to capitalize on the opportunity to investigate density-dependent mechanisms that drive a compensatory response to harvest in these long-lived vertebrates by

1) examining the impact of current Aboriginal harvest on turtle populations by comparing the population dynamics of harvested populations with those of populations subjected to little or no harvest pressure;

2) developing a model of the population dynamics to assess the resilience of turtle populations to mortality of eggs and adults, taking into account any density-dependent interactions with growth rate, age/size at maturity, fecundity and population structure;

3) using the model to predict the impact of egg and adult harvests of varying intensity, and to estimate the degree to which this impact can be offset by head-starting and release of captive-reared turtles.

Incubation experiments and captive rearing experiments will determine the optimal conditions for incubation of eggs and rearing of hatchlings, research of fundamental importance to Bawinanga.

Damien Fordham and David Feier have enrolled in postgraduate degrees and will be conducting the research under the supervision of Arthur Georges and Ray Hall. In a related project, Erica Alacs will be working on the conservation genetics of the northern long-necked turtle. With funding from the Australian Federal Police and the Linnaeus Fund of the Chelonian Research Foundation, she will be looking at a range of issues from developing techniques for verifying the source of animals entering the legal and illegal trade to more esoteric questions of historical origins of long-neck turtle populations.

Success of this project depends on active involvement of the Maningrida community in all aspects of the work. The Djelk Rangers assigned to this project will be taught how to provide appropriate field and experimental support for the research. Eventually, the Djelk rangers would like to monitor and evaluate their own wildlife production systems. Some have already completed training in crocodile and trepang survey techniques. Their training will play a critical part in meeting the learning objectives of the project, and in communicating the techniques, skills and attitudes to the community so that the benefits can continue when the formal research project terminates.

Involvement of the outstation communities is pivotal to the success of the project, and considerable effort has gone into communicating the objectives of the project and obtaining an appreciation of the views of the outstation communities as to the potential benefits of the project. Training aspects for outstation residents include how to capture turtles, assess whether or not they contain eggs, and house the turtles in satisfactory conditions awaiting collection by Djelk Rangers. The autonomy of outstation communities in this aspect of the project would be a major achievement.

Rock paintings and ceremonial stories indicate that Aboriginal people in the Maningrida region have been harvesting northern long-necked turtles, known locally as wammarra, burnda and gomdow, for many generations. Another aspect of the project is to reinforce the link between the long-standing cultural traditions with the turtles and the current project. This is being accomplished by visiting outstations, by interacting with outstation school programs, and by bringing school children from Maningrida to the Djinkarr Ranger Station and the incubation facilities to see the project in action.

Indigenous social issues have been high on Australian government agendas for many decades. It is widely recognized that adverse social disruption results from disconnecting indigenous people and communities from their language, culture and traditions. The BAC recognizes this and is developing a local economy that will achieve a measure of self-sufficiency for Aboriginal people, a continued connection to traditional values, and conservation of natural resources through sustainable exploitation. As the aboriginal people move from a subsistence approach to natural resource utilization based on servicing a market that extends beyond their local community, they are seeking practical assistance in ensuring that their activities are sustainable. This assistance is also needed to gain the necessary approvals at state and national level for the local industry to proceed.

The Cardinal Tetra, an Aquarium Fish to Save the Rainforest

arie — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:09:16 +0000

This article was taken from another website. The original is here:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1184135/the_cardinal_tetra_an_aquarium_fish.html?cat=53

Aquarists tend to be conscientious of their choices in freshwater fish species. No one would host a high-maintenence miniature ecosystem in their home without having adequate respect for the creatures in their care. One

way that aquarists may choose to demonstrate their admiration for their fish is by choosing the cardinal tetra. The purchase of these brightly colored fish may help to protect its natural home.

The cardinal tetra is closely related to the neon tetra and nearly identical, but it is much less common in the aquarium trade. The reason for this is that neon tetras breed very eagerly in captivity, whereas cardinal tetras are prolific only in the wild, and are reluctant to breed except under ideal conditions in a captive environment.

Because of this, almost all cardinal tetras available on the market today are wild-caught. Although wild-caught fish species are frowned upon by many conscientious aquarists, the neon tetra is one that actually benefits the environment.

Although resistant to breeding efforts when held captive, cardinal tetras reproduce very readily in the wild, and they are in no way threatened in their native habitats, the upper Orinoco River and Negro River of South America.

Many of the people native to and living in these areas of Amazon rainforest have been able to make a fairly good income capturing and selling these fish. Not only does this help to bring jobs to an impoverished region, but it also protects the rainforest because the fish can be collected without the people having to resort to deforestation or unsustainable agriculture.

These environmentally friendly options for freshwater aquaria are a breath of fresh air for the Amazon rainforest, and they actually help to protect this charming, beautiful species. Because of this, many aquarists are choosing cardinal tetras over their close relatives, neon tetras.

There are other benefits to choosing cardinal tetras over neon tetras, as well. As a result of long-term inbreeding as a result of profit-driven mass marketing, neon tetras are now somewhat sickly, often living only a

few months except in very well-kept aquaria. The cardinal tetra, because it has not been overbred or inbred, has none of the weaknesses associated with being overly domesticated.

Aquarists, Brazilian natives, and cardinal tetras alike can benefit from the sale of these beautiful wild-caught fish. In addition, nearly every other creature living in the fertile forests of the Amazon river basin might be protected with the continued purchase of these creatures.

Although slightly more expensive than their neon tetra cousins, cardinal tetras provide an invaluable service to the planet and our society, and they also tend to be healthy and long-lived in a well-kept aquarium. Aquarists should consider purchasing cardinal tetras if they are interested in conscientious fishkeeping.

Aquarium Fish Breeding Program Improves Livelihoods in Cameroon

arie — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:53:24 +0000

This post is taken from another website. Original post here:

http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/economy-and-business/Aquarium-Fish-Breeding-Program-Is-Improving-Livelihoods-in-Cameroon-89622782.html

A sustainable aquarium fish-breeding program backed by the World Bank and World Fish Center is improving living conditions for villagers in Cameroon.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans collect exotic aquarium fish and the the global ornamental fish industry is believed to be worth around $570 million. Many species of popular aquarium fish come from West Africa, specifically the Lower Guinean rain-forest in Cameroon.

Though some species of ornamental fish have been successfully bred in states such as Florida, a sustainable fish-breeding project backed by the World Fish Center is improving livelihoods in rural parts of Cameroon.

Randall Brummett is a senior scientist in Cameroon with the World Fish Center.

“We have set up a network of fishing communities around Southern and Central Cameroon. Many of the people have small ponds and have been taking part in all different kinds of training programs to improve their handling of the fish,” Brummett said.

The World Fish Center’s program is the first initiative to pay fishers fair wages. Brummett said in the past aquarium fish exporters focused too heavily on imagined high profit margins and did not pay enough attention to the care of the fish.

Species such as the shimmering epiplatys, striped barbus jae and the red-toothed pungu are collected in streams and river basins with hand-held nets. Fishers receive up to 20 cents for each fish. The catch is then shipped to the United States or Europe for sale in pet stores and specialist aquatic shops.

Brummett said most of the species collected thrive in Cameroon’s warm waters.

“Virtually all of them are endemic to the Lower Guinean rain-forest,” he said.

The program, which aims to revitalize the local industry, was launched after Brummett received a phone call from a veterinarian at the main airport in Paris.

“The veterinarian at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris called me up one day and said, ‘I am constantly getting shipments of ornamental fish from Cameroon and they arrive 90 percent dead,” Brummett said.

Aquarium fish companies are paid for the number of live fish that arrive in each shipment. Brummett noticed that many of the companies would hold fish in plastic bags for up to two weeks, compromising their health and mortality rate.

Some funding has been provided by the World Bank for the World Fish Center’s project, which aims for a low mortality rate while also sensitizing local authorities on the value of rain-forest river ecosystems and lobbying for their protection.

Brummett said the fish collection areas are spread out all over Cameroon, from the slopes of Mount Cameroon to the borders with Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

“It is important to go and visit all these sites and collect all the fish, but you have to have a storage facility that is big enough to hold fish for a month or two,” he said.

The current storage facility, operated in conjunction with the sustainable aquarium fish company Gulf Aquatics, which grew out of the project, is not big enough to hold the amount of fish supplied. Brummett said the project is lacking funds to reach completion.

“We are trying to expand the program so that rural communities get the most amount of money as possible. That means cutting out the middleman and lowering profit margins at the center to build a minimum acceptable level,” Brummett said.

The initiative’s success has been easy to measure. Many of the companies that paid poor wages have closed after being unable to compete with the survival rate of the World Fish Center’s project.

Brummett said the program means that fishers receive a fair wage that allows them to pay for healthcare and school fees, as well as daily living costs.

“They make about five or six times more than they used to, the main reason being that our survival rate is up to over 90 percent now,” he said.

The project has improved the quality of life for the aquarium fish that end up in tanks across America, and for the Cameroonian fishers who collect them.

Article about sustainable harvesting of tropical fish

arie — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:55:33 +0000

There is an article from a fish harvester who iams for sustainable use of the local fish populations:

http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/collectingyourownfish/a/aasustainableha.htm

Reptile declines

arie — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:41:07 +0000

The article by gibbons et al (2000) highlighted the global declines that are taking place in Reptiles. Similar to the amphibian declines, habitat destruction is one of the major factors. In southeast Asia however, the “Turtle crisis” has decimated the local turtle populations. The unsustainable use of turtles in these countries has brought many species to the brink of extinction, and the demand for turtles has the market turning toward other species from other continents. The article highlights some particular examples of declining species and their causes.

Amphibian declines

arie — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:15:12 +0000

The report of the Stuart et al, 2004. Amphibian Declines showed that many amphibian species are declining. However, it seems from their paper that most of these declines are due to either habitat destruction (mostly clearing of land for human development) or by “engmatic declines”. Over-exploitation of amphibians seems to be a problem in Asia (for food), Madagascar (pet trade and food) and smaller areas in mainland Africa and South America. Predictably the major cause of decline/extinction in highly populated areas of the globe like Western Europe and North America is habitat destruction.