2. Definition: Ex-Situ
means literally, "off-site conservation“
the process of protecting an endangered
species of plant or animal outside of its
natural habitat; for example, by removing
part of the population from a threatened
habitat and placing it in a new location,
which may be a wild area or within the
care of humans.
3. Purpose
Rescue threatened species of plants or animals.
Produce material for conservation biology
research.
Supply material for various purposes to remove or
reduce pressure from wild collecting.
Make available material for conservation education
and display.
Produce material for reintroduction, reinforcement,
habitat restoration and management.
4. Methods of Ex-Situ Conservation
Zoo
One of the most conventional methods of ex-situ
conservation.
Generally they are used for public enjoyment and
education
But since there are fewer animals in the wild, they
also have the additional capabilities for building up
numbers through captive breeding programs.
5. Methods-cont’d
Aquaria
Initially their role has largely been
for display and educational purposes
But due to growing threats of
aquatic species they are now used
for ex-situ breeding programs.
6. Methods- cont’d
Plant Collections
Plants are much easier to maintain
artificially than animals. They need less
care and their requirements for habitat
conditions can be provided more readily.
It is also much easier to breed plants in
captivity.
Examples of these are botanical gardens
and seed banks or germplasm banks.
7. Drawbacks of Ex-Situ Conservation
This is rarely enough to save a species
from extinction and would have to be used
as a last resort or as a supplement for in-
situ conservation because it cannot
recreate the habitat as a whole.
The species’ natural evolution and
adaptation processes are either halted
temporarily or altered by introducing the
specimen in an unnatural habitat.
8. Drawbacks- cont’d
Ex-situ conservation techniques are often
costly and sometimes slowly drain the
financial resources of the government or
the organization.
Pests or diseases foreign to the species
may cripple protected plants and/or
animals as they have no natural defense
against it.
9. Drawbacks- cont’d
Reintroducing the species to the wild may cause the
following problems:
Behavior: captive-bred species lack the in-situ learning
of their wild relatives and can be a disadvantage to the
species once they had been released into the wild.
Genetic Races: reintroduced populations may have an
entirely different genetic make up to the original
population.
Habitat: it must be present for reintroduction to take
place. In cases of destroyed habitats, those areas had to
be restored first to allow the captive populations to be
reintroduced.
10. But despite of these drawbacks, ex-situ
conservation had been successful on some
levels. An example is the head-starting of
the Philippine crocodile in San Mariano,
Isabela.
12. Philippine Crocodile
Assessment Information (IUCN)
Red List Category and Criteria: Critically Endangered
Year Assessed: 1996
Geographic Range:
Countries: Native: Philippines
Habitat and Ecology: Terrestrial nest sites and basking
areas
Systems: Terrestrial, freshwater
13. Philippine Crocodile
Distribution: islands of Busuanga, Jolo, Luzon, Masbate,
Mindanao, Mindoro, Negros, Samar are part of the
historical range, but the current distribution is largely
unverified - reported to be extirpated from Jolo, Luzon,
Masbate and Samar.
14. Philippine Crocodile
Diet: Mainly aquatic invertebrates and small
vertebrates.
Breeding: This species constructs a relatively small
(around 1.5 m wide x 0.5 m tall) mound nest, into
which the female deposits between 7 and 20 eggs.
Incubation time is approximately 85 days. The
female exhibits parental care.
15. Mabuwaya Foundation
contraction of the Filipino words Mabuhay, welcome or
long live, and Buwaya, crocodile.
The Mabuwaya foundation is an NGO in the Philippines,
that is concerned with the conservation of the Philippine
crocodile.
Currently, its efforts concentrate on educating the people
of Luzon where the animal is still found in the wild.
Mabuwaya teaches that the crocodile is 'something to be
proud of', and how unsustainable fishing methods
threaten both the animal and its environment.
16. Mabuwaya Foundation
This is an organization consisting of Dutch and
Philippine conservationists devoted to the
protection of the Philippine crocodile.
Director: Merlijn Van Weerd
Established: 2003
Other institutions involved: Isabela State
University and Leiden University in the Netherlands
17. Head-Starting
A type of conservation approach in which
young animals are collected from the wild
and raised in captivity for a certain period
of time to a larger sized in an attempt to
increase survival rates before they would
be released into the wild.
19. Activities Involved
Nest Protection:
a. Searching crocodile nests
- In 2007 two nests were located by farmers in Disulap
River and Dinang Creek.
- But the nest in Dinang Creek was destroyed while the
one in Disulap was being guarded by Bantay
Sanktuwaryo (local protection unit).
- A third nest was found in August in Dinang Creek and
when the research team had gotten there it was already
hatching.
20. b. Guarding crocodile nests
- Arrangements were made with Bantay Sanktuwaryo to
guard the nest in Disulap 24hrs/day.
- 2 members guard the nest and earn P250/day/person.
- The guardians camp at a distance (approximately 50m)
and prevent people from coming too close to the nest.
- Unfortunately, the nest was destroyed by a monitor
lizard and rats.
21. c. Rewarding communities for successful hatched crocodile
nests
- 12 crocodiles hatched in Dinang Creek in barangay
Cadsalan and the Mabuwaya Foundation gave P6,000 to
the barangay fund and P500 to the boy who discovered
the nest).
- A hatching reward scheme was made wherein the
community receives P500/per hatchling. Successful
hatching would be verified by the team.
- The reward money goes to the community development
fund and is used for development activities such as
assistance to school children and construction of a rice
and corn drying pavement.
22. Head-Start Program
Secure permits from DENR
- Had submitted an application for a gratuitous permit for
a head-start facilities in PAWS (Protected Area Wildlife
Service of DENR). This is a requirement under the
Wildlife Act (RA 9147).
- This would be submitted to PAWB and had requested to
the members of the Philippine crocodile recovery team
to comment on the proposal, which would be
resubmitted to them.
- PAWB endorsed the proposal and had requested PAWS in
Region 2 to issue the permit.
23. Collect hatchling
- 12 hatchlings were collected in Dinang Creek on July
2007.
Establish infrastructure
- A building was made with the permission of the
chairman of the committee on environment and also
using the same chairman’s land to build the facility.
24. Feeding and maintenance
- International crocodile experts were consulted to assure
crocodiles were taken cared of in their rearing station.
- Arrangements were made to the owner of the largest
poultry farm in the area to provide structural meat
supply to the crocodiles.
- Fish and meat is purchased on the market to feed the
crocodiles every other day.
25. - A caretaker was assigned and trained to feed the
crocodiles, clean the drums and provide information
to visitors.
26. Information Dissemination
- A Philippine crocodile recovery team meeting was held
on August 2, 2007 to update all stakeholders on the
head-start program and other conservation activities for
the Philippine crocodile.
- There was also wide media coverage when the facility
was opened on August 28, 2007 from ABS-CBN and GMA
7 and also articles were written about it in newspapers
like Philippine Daily Inquirer and Philippine Star.
- It was also covered by a local radio station, Bombo
Radyo.
27. Results
The head-start program was a success despite of the
setbacks that had occurred and it had also helped
increase the survival rate of the crocodiles.
On July 31, 2009 there were 50 crocodiles that were
released to the wild in Dicatian Lake, Banrangay Dicatian
in the Municipality of Divilacan, Isabela.
Ten of the crocodiles have been fitted with radio
transmitters and their movements and adaptation would
be monitored by the Mabuwaya Foundation and DENR to
gather more information as a basis of reintroducing the
crocodiles in other locations.
