Ex-situ conservation brings together all actions carried out outside of the natural environment that contribute to the protection of the living world. This contribution encompasses a very wide range of activities that continue to follow the main missions of zoos, which are research, education, and the conservation of genetic heritage.
If we want to bring about lasting change, it is essential to educate the general public about conservation. This key point begins with (re)discovery and wonder at the living world. This reconnection of people with the living world around them encourages them to become active participants in the preservation of biodiversity. It is well known that we only love what we learn to know, and we only protect what we care about.
The contribution of zoological parks to scientific studies is essential for researchers. Always within an ethical and non-invasive context, scientists have access to valuable resources for their studies. The animals in zoological parks faithfully represent their wild cousins, in a controlled environment to which they are fully acclimated. Thus, important scientific breakthroughs can happen in the understanding of ethology, physiology, nutrition, and more. All these discoveries help improve animal welfare, better understand the impact of humans on wild animals, and find sustainable solutions that do not compromise either human activities or the survival of animals.
At the speed at which the wild world is dwindling, it is inevitable that some species will disappear before we have had time to find sustainable solutions. That is where zoos play an important role. Indeed, the close-knit and extensive network formed by the zoo world offers the possibility to conserve certain species ex situ, by grouping all individuals under the banner of a single program, the EEP (EAZA Ex-situ Program). Today, these species are breeding and forming stable and genetically viable populations. This has been made possible thanks to precise monitoring and active participation from all zoos included in the program. No wild captures have taken place for many years, and animal exchanges between parks are carried out at no cost.
To date, Amnéville Zoo is involved in over 80 EEPs.
Moreover, if the in situ environment can be sufficiently restored in a sustainable way, it may be necessary to reintroduce animals for the return or survival of their species. In this case, zoos entrust their animals to specialized organizations for the long and complex process of reintroduction.
To date, Amnéville Zoo is involved in 3 reintroduction programs.
If we want to bring about lasting change, it is essential to educate the general public about conservation. This key point begins with the (re)discovery and wonder of the living world. This reconnection of humans with the living world around them encourages becoming a part of biodiversity preservation. It is well known that we only love what we learn to know, and we only protect what we hold dear.
