Earth Today |
Published:Thursday | April 5,
2018 | 12:00 AM
MIGRATION AS an option to
safeguard the survival of, in particular, rare species has been brought into
sharp focus, after one Caribbean island took just that action, following last
year's extreme hurricanes that dealt a resounding blow.
Dominica last month relocated a
dozen of its rare birds - 10 Jacos and two Sisserous - to Germany, prompting
stinging criticism from BirdsCaribbean, a regional organisation committed to
the bird conservation, while also serving to spotlight relocation as a response
to climate change for not only humans.
Local scientists have weighed in
on the issue, while staying clear of commenting on the particulars of the
Dominica case.
"Captive breeding
and ex situ conservation have been dependable conservation practices
for many years and have improved the survival probability of many threatened
species, when carried out legitimately and responsibly by institutions that
have the necessary capacity," said Dr Kimberly Stephenson of the Climate
Studies Group Mona.
Climate change, Stephenson said
further, poses "a very real threat to the endemic biodiversity of our
small islands, not only because of extreme events like hurricanes, but also due
to more gradual changes, like drying and warming".
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