Many organizations around the world contribute to the protection of species, and a new partnership called Friends of Target 12 brings several of these organizations together to support the achievement of "Target 12."

Target 12 is one of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. These 20 targets are a part of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, and will help the CBD and its partners, including the IUCN and SSC, to fulfill specific conservation objectives. Target 12 states: By 2020, the extinction of known threatened species has been prevented and their conservation status, particularly of those most in decline, has been improved and sustained. 

The aim of the Friends of Target 12 partnership is "providing practical guidance and raising awareness of initiatives and programmes that contribute to the implementation of the activities needed to stem the tide of species’ extinctions." CBSG is proud to be a partner in this important new initiative.

There are several Targets which CBSG contributes to, but Target 12 aligns especially closely to our mission and work. Here are some of the key areas in which we are working to help prevent extinction of threatened species and improve conservation status:

Zoos Saving AZE Species - In collaboration with John Fa of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, CBSG is developing a partnership between zoos and the Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE). AZE, a consortium of biodiversity conservation organizations, has defined places around the world that house Critically Endangered and Endangered species whose survival depends on the single site they inhabit. A partnership between zoos and AZE would allow zoos to use their resources—living collections, expertise, space, communication platform, and financial support—to safeguard AZE species and their habitats. Check out our blog post on the IUCN blog to learn more. 
 
One Plan Approach to Conservation - CBSG supports an integrated approach to species conservation planning through the joint development of management strategies and conservation actions by all responsible parties. We strive to ensure that a broad range of stakeholders is represented at each workshop. As a result, one comprehensive conservation plan for the species helps bridge the gap between wild and captive population management. For more information, visit http://www.cbsg.org/one-plan-approach-conservation.

Integrating in situ and ex situ population management tools - Our challenge is to design/implement a new plan to fulfill the conservation role for ex situ management. CBSG (led by Kristin Leus, Phil McGowan and Kathy Traylor-Holzer) is contributing to the revision of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Guidelines on the Use of Ex Situ Management for Species Conservation. These guidelines outline why and when ex situ management should be used for conservation of a species. New management tools with increased capabilities for ex situ planning provide more capacity to model for ex situ populations. CBSG’s role is to help oversee the development and maintenance of the manual for this software and conduct training on the use of these and other management tools.

Zoo and Aquarium Climate Change Movement – Climate change stands to undermine all other conservation efforts, and must be addressed with urgency. CBSG is inviting the zoo and aquarium community to join a climate change movement that sends a strong message to the world’s leaders that we need them to act to bring climate change under control. This movement has a key message—that the world’s governments need to act to get and keep atmospheric levels of CO2 back to a “safe” 350 ppm.

For more information about Friends of Target 12, visit: http://www.cbd.int/doc/press/2013/pr-2013-05-27-target12-friends-en.pdf.