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Con Edison Presents the 2nd Annual 5k and Family Fun Run at WCS’s Bronx Zoo Former Pro Bowl running back, Tiki Barber, returns as the Run for the Wild's official starter Registration is now open at www.wcs.runforthewild.org April 24, 2010 - Race Day Bronx, N.Y. – March 4, 2010 – Calling all runners and ath...
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Gland, Switzerland, Tuesday 2 March 2010 (IUCN) – The next 10 to 20 years could be extremely significant for restoring wild populations of American bison to their original roaming grounds. But for this to happen, more land must be made available for herds to roam free, government policies must be updated and the public must change its attitude towards bison. A new publication by IUCN, ‘American Bison: Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines 2010’, reports on the current status of American bison, in the wild and in conservation herds, and makes recommendations on how to ensure that the species is conserved for the future.

“Although the effort to restore bison to the plains of North America is considered to be one of the most ambitious and complex undertakings in species conservation efforts in North America, it will only succeed if legislation is introduced at a local and national level, with significant funding and a shift in attitude towards the animal,” says Simon Stuart, Chair, IUCN Species Survival Commission.

Five hundred years ago, tens of millions of American bison roamed free on the plains of North America, from Alaska to northern Mexico. Now the American bison – which includes both plains and wood bison - is listed as Near Threatened on IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species™. As of 2008, there were approximately 400,000 bison in commercial herds in North America, some 93 percent of the continental population. But little progress has been made in recent decades to increase the number of animals in conservation herds, which are managed carefully for their genetic diversity and ecological roles. In 2008, there were 61 plains bison conservation herds in North America containing about 20,500 animals, and 11 conservation herds of wood bison, containing nearly 11,000 animals.

“While substantial progress in saving bison from extinction was made in the 20th Century, much work remains to restore conservation herds throughout their vast geographical range,” says University of Calgary Environmental Design Professor and co-editor of the study, Dr. Cormack Gates, who is also co-Chair of the IUCN/SSC Bison Specialist Group. “The key is recognition that the bison is a wildlife species and to be conserved as wildlife, it needs land and supportive government policies.” 

The survival of bison populations is affected by many factors, including limited habitat and severe winters. Yet the greatest challenge is to overcome the common perception that the bison, which has had a profound influence on the human history of North America, socially, culturally and ecologically, no longer belongs on the landscape.

“The decimation of the American Bison in the late 1800s inspired the first recovery of bison and an entire conservation movement that protected wildlife and wild places across North America,” says Keith Aune, Senior Conservation Scientist, Wildlife Conservation Society. The IUCN Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines provide a new framework for inspiring a second recovery of bison and restoring functional grassland ecosystems.”

Bison have the best chance of full recovery as wildlife by being allowed to roam freely across hundreds of thousands or even millions of hectares. Making this possible poses one of the biggest challenges for restoring bison herds as both public and private landowners will need to give their support.

“The bison is the largest land mammal in North America, and yet it is perhaps the most neglected icon,” says Steve Forrest, WWF Northern Great Plains Manager for Conservation Science.

“These guidelines provide a roadmap for bringing the bison back to its rightful place as a keystone of the great plains." 

 

Editor’s notes:

American Bison: Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines 2010  was edited by Cormack Gates, Curtis Freese, Peter Gogan and Mandy Kotzman, and is the product of more than three years of cooperative effort by numerous contributors.

The production of the report was made possible with funding from several non-governmental organizations and government agencies including the World Wildlife Fund, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the University of Calgary Faculty of Environmental Design, the American Bison Society, the US Geological Survey and the US National Parks Service.

PDF version of the report and photos available at: www.iucn.org/?4750



Media team:

Nicki Chadwick, Media Relations Officer, IUCN, t. +41 22 999 0229, m +41 76 771 4208, e nicki.chadwick@iucn.org

Vanessa Ferreira, Media Relations, the University of Calgary Faculty of Environmental Design, t. +1 403-210-6854, e ferreirv@ucalgary.ca 

Mara Johnson, Media Relations, World Wildlife Fund, t. +1 406 585 3022, e mara.johnson@wwfus.org

Stephen Sautner, Director of Communications, Wildlife Conservation Society, t. +1 718 220 3682, e ssautner@wcs.org

 


About IUCN
IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges.

IUCN works on biodiversity, climate change, energy, human livelihoods and greening the world economy by supporting scientific research, managing field projects all over the world, and bringing governments, NGOs, the UN and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice.

IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization, with more than 1,000 government and NGO members and almost 11,000 volunteer experts in some 160 countries. IUCN’s work is supported by over 1,000 staff in 60 offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world. www.iucn.org


About University of Calgary Faculty of Environmental Design
www.ucalgary.ca/evds

About World Wildlife Fund
www.worldwildlife.org

About Wildlife Conservation Society
www.wcs.org

About The American Bison Society
www.americanbisonsocietyonline.org

About US Geological Survey
www.usgs.gov

About US National Parks Service
www.nationalparks.org

 

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Video: “Parrots Make Bad Secretaries: Save New York Jobs”When you hurt our state’s zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums, you hurt New York State’s communities and familiesAnyone remember Wednesday, the Porcupine? New York – February 17, 2010 – Today, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) released a home-made video to inspire New Yorkers to send a message to Albany to reject Governor Paterson’s proposal to cut by nearly 50 percent the funding for New York State’s 80 zoos, botanical...
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Savings Tigers Now: A Prognosis for Tigers in Eight Priority Landscapes Report Issued as World Celebrates "Year of the Tiger" For more than 1.5 million years, tigers have roamed the earth. They could be extinct in our lifetime. NEW YORK (February 17, 2010) – The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) released a “report card” today for wild tigers in Asia revealing how these iconic big ca...
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New York, NY– This spring, the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Central Park Zoo offers fascinating hands-on education programs that give kids a unique chance to learn about the wonderful world of animals. The programs take children behind the scenes and allow them to directly utilize their senses, whether they watch a snow leopard pounce within her exhibit or even prepare delicious treats for many of the zoo’s residents. For those extra enthusiastic animal lovers, there’s even a unique summer...
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Albany’s Proposed State Budget Cuts of Almost 50 PercentCould Severely Impact New York State’s Jobs, Merchants, Communities and StudentsZBGA Institutions Bring Jobs and a Tremendous Amount of Stimulus to New York State’s Economy with 12 Million Visitors AnnuallyGo to www.wcs.org to Sign the Petition! New York, NY – February 9, 2010 – Today, the Wildlife Conservation Society announced the launch of a petition drive and letter-writing campaign against the devastating cuts to the state b...
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To collaborate on field conservation and public education to protect biodiversity in the face of global climate change and human encroachment Singapore, January 29, 2010 – Wildlife Reserves Singapore Pte Ltd (WRS), the parent company of Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari and Singapore Zoo, together with its recently established Wildlife Reserves Singapore Conservation Fund (WRSCF) today signed an agreement to collaborate with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), based in New York, and Wildlife...
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Matchmaking Goes a Long Way for Animals New York, N.Y. -- Experience the wild side of romance at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s zoos this Valentine’s Day. While we humans exchange heart-shaped boxes and red roses, creatures of all kinds at the zoos will be showing their own version of animal magnetism. An array of exotic wildlife lives at each WCS facility. Some animals prefer to live alone; others chose to live in very large groups that can sometimes be dominated by one high-ranking...
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What can crawl like a caterpillar, do a backbend like a gymnast, bark on cue, and dive down to 600 feet in the ocean? Find out at the Wildlife Conservation Society New York Aquarium’s Aquatheater. This Valentine’s Day and all winter long, catch a training demonstration starring our outgoing and talented California sea lions. Each performance features cool facts about sea lions and their role in the web of life, in addition to music, humor, and lots of mischief.   “Our pinnipeds (the scientific t...
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WCS’s New York Aquarium Partners with New York Cares and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz for Annual Coat Drive Coat Donors to Receive Free Ticket for Next Visit to WCS’s New York Aquarium NEW YORK, NY – (December 3, 2009) – While the sea lions, penguins and other animals at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium naturally adapt to the cold weather, there are some New Yo...
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