- Summit to develop conservation action plan for the Scimitar-Horned Oryx -
At a four-day summit, conservation experts from Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort together with ecologists from more than 15 of the world’s leading conservation organizations, will develop the conservation road map to help save the Scimitar-horded oryx from extinction.
The workshop, a partnership between AWPR and the Sahara Conservation Fund, gathers conservation experts from countries including the UAE, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Tunisia, United Kingdom, and the United States. The experts will gather at the Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort Headquarters in Al Ain to hammer out a practical strategy for the recovery of the Scimitar-horned Oryx whose wild populations crashed in North Africa. Major institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, Zoological Society of San Diego, Zoological Society of London and the World Conservation Union will participate.
Once common in the grasslands of North and sub-Saharan Africa, these antelopes have gone from abundance to extinction within the span of a few decades. The Scimitar-horned oryx currently only survive in zoos and captive breeding institutions such as AWPR. The Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort is home to a herd consisting of more than 200 individuals.
This conservation summit focuses on the developing an action plan. To do this the experts must solve concerns of population viability and the details of establishing a secure and genetically viable captive population that will provide animals for reintroduction. AWPR’s large herd of Scimitar-horned oryx will participate in re-introductions of the species. Summit delegates and researchers include government representatives and experts on genetics, demography and disease dynamics.
Dr. Mike Maunder, Chief Collection, Conservation and Education Officer, at AWPR said: “Both the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) and AWPR hold globally important herds of the Scimitar-horned oryx. The future of this species is dependent upon international cooperation with breeding institutions such as those here in Abu Dhabi, working with scientists all over the world and most importantly, working with the range nations in North Africa where the herds will be re-established. The leadership of EAD in working with the government of Niger on this subject is to be applauded”.
Dr Frederic Launay, Chief Executive Officer of AWPR said: “The successful conservation of the Arabian oryx in the UAE provides a model for rescuing the Scimitar-horned oryx. Following the principles established in the Abu Dhabi 2030 Framework Plan, working in partnership we aim to become a leader in arid land conservation and education and it is our privilege to partner with the world’s most knowledgeable conservationists in pursuing the goal of reintroducing the Scimitar-horned oryx back to the wild.”
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