Wildlife Conservation: Is Domestication a Solution?

Abstract

Biodiversity is facing a major crisis, which is most often described as the sixth mass extinction or Anthropocene extinction. Several solutions have been proposed to save threatened animal species, among which ex situ conservation or captive breeding, which is the essential part of a process called domestication. The main goals of the present chapter are to define clearly what domestication is, describe what the possible consequences are and discuss whether it can truly play a significant role to save threatened animal species. Domestication appears as a possible tool to help saving threatened species. Nevertheless, the time in captive conditions has to be minimized in order to modify as less as possible wild individuals. Therefore, zoos and aquariums can play a crucial role in helping to save the most endangered species and then restore their populations in the wild, but only if they are involved in both in situ and ex situ conservation programs. More importantly, domestication should be considered as part of the solution, but not the only one, to save threatened species. The protection of wild animals in situ, the restoration of habitats and the development of reserves should first be considered.