Table Of ContentThe Glasgow Naturalist (2014) Volume 26, Part 1, 51-53
Human activities in the past have often led to the
WORKSHOP local extinction of animals previously common. For
examples, beavers disappeared from Scotland by
the 16th Century as a result of excessive hunting.
Can ethical analysis contribute to Beavers have recovered their numbers elsewhere in
policy and practice development Northern Europe, as a result ofactive conservation
efforts. Beavers were re-introduced to Scotland in
in wildlife conservation? 2009. Other candidates for re-introduction include
bears, wolves and lynx. Some refer to such efforts to
Roger Downie restore populations oflocally extinct animals as "re-
wilding”. N.B. For follow-up reading, see Rubenstein
etal (2006) for a critique ofre-wilding proposals in
Glasgow Natural History Society and University of
North America., from ethical and ecological view
Glasgow
points, and Sandler (2010); and Huynh (2011). As
part of your discussion, consider whether you
E-mail: [email protected]
should re-introduce parasites of species you are
restoring to an area, as well as the species of
interest (Moir, 2012).
INTRODUCTION
Wildlife conservation is partly a science but, as soon REFERENCES
as we ask what should be conserved, how and why,
Huynh Bioessays 33, 100 (2011)
our answers are influenced by ethical
Moir Conservation Biology 26, 199 (2012)
considerations. In the case of the conservation of
Rubenstein et al Biological Conservation 132, 232
animals, a major factor is welfare and a confounding
(2006).
factor can be human perceptions of the value of
SandlerConservation Biology 34, 424 (2010).
particular species. An obvious contrast is the
reaction ofpeople to the cullingofhedgehogs on the
2. Thegreysquirrel/red squirrel interaction
Western Isles compared to the culling of rats on
Another of our workshops covers this topic: here,
Ailsa Craig.
we can concentrate on an ethical analysis. Grey
squirrels are certainly an introduced species in
The workshop began with a short account ofethical
Scotland and they are successful and invasive. They
analysis and the way this can be applied to issues
are carriers ofsquirrel pox but the disease does not
facing nature conservationists and animal welfare
biologists. Participants were then divided into small kill them: it can be fatal for red squirrels. Red
squirrels have reduced in numbers and distribution
groups each to tackle and report back on a
fora number ofreasons, includingcompetition from
particular case (see below). Groups were asked to
greys and disease spread. In towns and cities in
includethe followingcomponents intheiranalysis:
Scotland, grey squirrels are the wild small mammals
1.
most people are likely to encounter: they are very
• Individual welfare
popular with families in parks because of their
• Species welfare (effects on all species
inquisitive behaviour.
involved need considered)
• Financial costs ofany action (these have an 3. Threats to genetic integrity
ethical dimension because high costs can We tend to learn in school that members of
limitactions on other projects) different species do not inter-breed, and if, rarely,
• Effects on the public they do, then they do not produce viable offspring.
• Priority evaluation (again, has an ethical However, this is a simplification, especially in
dimension because of effects on other plants, where inter-specific hybridisation in
projects) common. In animals, successful hybridisation can
occur between species that would normally not
For each component, participants were asked to try
encounter one another in the wild, as a result of
to quantify on a scale from high to low. Forexample, human interference. In Scotland, two examples of
culling a large number of invasive mammals would
this have caused a conservation problem:
be ranked highly harmful to individual welfare, but
could be mitigated by using a humane culling
• Red deer and sika deer: sika deer originate
procedure. The workshop was run twice with nine
from Japan but have been kept (and
participants each time.
escaped from) deer parks in Scotland since
the 19th century. They hybridise readily
CASES
with red deer.
Re-wildingScotland
51
• Scottish wild cat and feral domestic cats. wider conservation and natural history community
The domestic cat is derived from the to reflecton the contents.
Middle East, but ifthey return to the wild in
Scotland, they hybridise easily with wild I’d like to thankall the speakers for providing such a
cats. fascinating and highly accessible set oftalks on our
various themes. We heard extensively about alien
The offspring of these hybridisations have a mix of species: from Chris Smout, how do we define aliens,
parental genes and some people regard them as a a magisterial historical perspective; then
threat to the genetic integrityofthe nativespecies. contrasting views on alien plants - from Jim
Dickson (summary: many do no real harm) and
4. Triage Stuart Brabbs (the costs and effectiveness of
Triage is a system widely used in the health service eliminating invasive riverbank aliens); from Stan
for rapidly assessing priorities as patients are Whitaker, law and practice in dealing with aliens
admitted to hospital. Since funds available for not all of which are invasive. The law in Scotland
wildlife conservation are limited, some now defines native species according to their
conservationists have suggested we need a triage natural range, rather a problematic concept, given
system in conservation, where we divide species the dispersal abilities of so many species. On alien
into three categories. animals, Zara Gladman covered the rapid invasion
of the North American signal crayfish but also the
• Top priority forconservation oddity that the white-clawed crayfish is not a native
• Medium priority: conserve iffunds allow to Scotland but is in England and because it is
• No need to puteffort into this group. threatened there, the two introduced Scottish
populations are protected.
But what criteria would we use to place species into
these categories? See Ochoa-Ochoa (Biol Cons 144, On re-introductions, we heard about the Scottish
2710 2011) foran explicit use oftriage with respect beaver trial but also about more local "re-
to amphibian conservation in Mexico - but with no introductions” where threatened fish populations
ethical content. Should we have such a system for have been successfully introduced to new lochs
wildlife conservation in Scotland, and ifso consider (would this count as an alien invasion under the
the ethical criteria we might use to divide species newlaw?).
into the three categories.
On natives under threat, we heard about studies
5. Copingwith invasive alien species and conservation schemes involving the chequered
Examples ofalien species can be disease organisms skipper butterfly, wild pollinators and farmland
(such as chytrid fungus which affects amphibians), waders. This theme also included the great
plants such as Rhododendron ponticum, Japanese opportunity provided by the establishment ofRSPB
knotweed, Himalayan balsam etc; or animals in the Loch Lomond, a nature reserve with huge potential
wrong place such as hedgehogs on the Outer forthe protection ofa wide range ofnative species.
Hebrides; or escaped farmed animals like mink, Another theme was public attitudes to wildlife: the
signal crayfish. badger cull has just begun in England, though not
planned for Scotland. But Andy Riches showed that
badger baiting is surprisingly common in Scotland.
Probably the most depressing contribution (though
Natives, Aliens and entertainingly presented) was Stephen Woodward's
account of the new pathogens spreading to attack
Reintroductions: Closing Remarks ourforesttrees.
Roger Downie Finally, a personal note: 1 found it wonderful that
we were able to hear authoritative talks from three
Glasgow Natural History Societyand University of recent Glasgow Zoology graduates: Ellen Rotheray,
Glasgow Roisin Campbell-Palmer and Zara Gladman, all of
whom learned some of their fieldwork skills on
E-mail: [email protected] University ofGlasgowTrinidad expeditions.
Postscript:
We have had a very full and varied day, and I am not Chris Thomas, professor of conservation biology at
going to attempt to summarise all the talks in just a the University ofYork, and a leading researcher into
few minutes. The conference proceedings will be the biodiversity consequences of climate change,
published in The Glasgow Naturalist and that will raised many ofthe issues covered in our conference
provide an opportunity for participants and the in a short ‘Nature’ World View article (Thomas,
2013). He claims that the UK has gained rather than
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