Legalities and logistics of meta-population management

Abstract

Much of the philosophy propounded for meta-population management, and the long-term plans for species survival depend fundamentally on the ready transfer of individuals, gametes or embryos between populations or breeding groups, both wild and captive. But the question must be asked whether it will actually be possible to execute such transfers on the scale envisaged, or whether the legal requirements and practical logistics inherent in the process will become so cumbersome and expensive that the process can only be realistically undertaken for a limited number of species.