Conservation translocations in Britain

Conservation translocations, the intentional movement and release of an organism for conservation purposes, are increasingly being used to restore biodiversity and well-known reintroduction projects have caught the imagination of the public in particular. Here, the authors review the history, best practice and potential uses of these techniques.

Conservation translocations – the movement of species for conservation benefit – are some of the most high-profile conservation interventions in Britain today. With some notable exceptions, many do not always have the direct, large-scale biodiversity impacts of major habitat-restoration programmes.