Trends in animal translocation research

Abstract

Translocations are an important conservation tool that enable the restoration of species and their ecological functions. They are particularly important during the current environmental crisis. We used a combination of text-analysis tools to track the history and evolution of the peer-reviewed scientific literature on animal translocation science. We compared this corpus with research showcased in the IUCNs Global Conservation Translocation Perspectives, a curated collection of non-peer-reviewed reintroduction case studies. We show that the peer-reviewed literature, in its infancy, was dominated by charismatic species. It then grew in two classical threads: management of the species of concern and management of the environment of the species. The peer-reviewed literature exhibits a bias towards large charismatic mammals, and while these data are invaluable, expansion to under-represented groups such as insects and reptiles will be critical to combating biodiversity loss across taxonomic groups. These biases were similar in the Translocation Perspectives, but with some subtle differences. To ensure translocation science can address global issues, we need to overcome barriers that restrict this research to a limited number of countries.