The Species Conservation Toolkit Initiative (SCTI) is improving the functionality of PMx — the program used for demographic and genetic analysis of wildlife populations. Improvements include:

• Enabling population management of plants and some invertebrate species that reproduce in ways very different from vertebrate animals, such as corals
  
  
• Sharing data with Zoological Information Management Software (ZIMS) and transferring data from PMx to Vortex, the software used to generate computer models to test the viability of populations under different types of management scenarios
  
  
• Modelling of population management strategies to maintain sustainable captive populations
  
  
• Online training modules that will shortly be available through a dedicated learning portal
  
  

PMx, Vortex, and Outbreak are just three of the SCTI software tools that are now essential to zoos’ and field conservation organizations’ ability to plan and manage threatened wildlife populations. SCTI is closely aligned with CPSG and relies on funding from zoos and regional zoo organizations as well the donation of time and expertise by the conservation scientists responsible for designing and updating these tools.

For more information, visit SCTI's website.