Conservation breeding programs and refined taxonomy as a political tool for biodiversity conservation: the de Beaux and Durrell legacies

Abstract

Over the past decades, zoos and aquaria have shifted from an emphasis on ex situ conservation of animal species to strategies that emphasize educative and fund-raising efforts to halt environmental degradation 'in situ'. However, it is here proposed that 'ex situ' breeding programs have a strong educative potential and if they are coupled with a fine-grain taxonomy based on phylogenetic thinking, they can be perceived as a strong ethical message against homogenization of global biodiversity to be directed at global, national and local levels.