Derrick Smsith: In situ is the conservation of an organism (plant, animal, fish, bird, insect, etc. in it's own environment. Examples would include game reserves in the Serengeti and Kenya for the preservation of big game animals such as elephants or rhinos, specific designation such as RAMSAR (http://www.ramsar.org/)designated sites for migrating and breeding birds, or even an Orangutan sanctuary in Borneo or Sumatra. Obviously this is the best solution as it requires minimal intervention by humans outside of protecting the habitat. In doing so, the endangered species in question acts as an umbrella species, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbrella_species)protecting many other animals, birds and plants that might share the same habitat. Ex-situ is where species are bred outside of their original habitat. Zoos are the most common example of this, although safari parks and aquariums might fall into this category. This can provide the continuation of a species when its habit! at has been disturbed or removed or is threatened in some way. Generally speaking this strategy is far less effective because although mortality rates are lower, breeding success often depends on a number of factors. http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2007/10/capt...http://www.thegreenpages.ca/portal/ca/2007/09/cant...Firstly, many animals, large mammals in particular, need larger areas than zoos can provide and being confined can make many species depressed; wolves, bears, big cats etc. may display anxiety through pacing or repetitive behaviour and are then not in the mood to breed. Animals may also lack opportunities to forage or practice other skills needed within their natural habitats, such as climbing or swimming and have to be reintroduced with great care. Reintroduced species have a lower survival rate than their wild equivalents. In addition the gene pool within captive breeding programs is vastly reduced, despite international sperm banks and other efforts. Sub! -species in particular, are at risk. There have been success s! tories nevertheless and examples follow: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captive_breedinghttp://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/CaptiveBreeding.h... an article discussing both sides of the issue is:http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/07/01/news/to... I also found a great dissertation on zoos and their role in conservation. http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Forestry/conbio/Zoos.pdfPage 20 deals with in-situ and ex-situ conservation.Good luck!...Show more
Cecil Derenzi: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-situ_conservationanden.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex-situ_conservation
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