CONSERVATION IN SITU
We protect nature where it is born
SCOPE .
When a species disappears from its natural environment due to human activities, it is necessary to adopt an integrated conservation strategy; on the one hand taking care of individuals in safe places, albeit far from their areas of origin, to conserve their genetic heritage, intervene directly in their places of origin to allow their survival and return, and on the other hand raise awareness among local communities by involving them in projects in order to thus ensure the future of the species in the wild.
With more than 30 active projects around the world, we implement and support in situ conservation projects (from South America to Asia, passing through the African continent and several islands, biodiversity hot spots such as Madagascar and the Seychelles), combining scientific research, reintroduction in the wild, environmental education and concrete actions to safeguard biodiversity.
We work in networks with international agencies and local communities, contributing to the recovery of ecosystems damaged due to human impact, It is a complex challenge, but essential to ensure the survival of species in balance with the natural environment and humans.
PROJECTS LAUNCHED.
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Wild Lions Project - Africa
In Namibia, in the Klip River Valley, an ecological corridor between Etosha Park and the Skeleton Coast, the dynamics between humans and large predators such as lions and hyenas, often in conflict with human activities, are being studied. The project involves monitoring populations to collect data useful for conservation and coexistence with local communities, promoting concrete solutions and raising awareness of the value of biodiversity.
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Hermit Ibis - Europe
Reintroduction into the wild of a species that has disappeared in Europe for more than 400 years, thanks to human-guided migration that teaches young ibises the route to wintering areas. The project also involves the establishment of new breeding colonies and constant monitoring of individuals, and is supported by the European LIFE program.
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European Bison Project - Carpathian
From birth in zoos to return to the wild: the project aims to rebuild a stable population of European bison, which became extinct in the wild after World War II, by reintroducing captive-bred individuals in the Southern Carpathians. A European initiative that also supports ecotourism and human-fauna coexistence.
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Seychelles Project: giant tortoises and endemic bats
Since 2017 we have been active in the Seychelles archipelago to protect two unique species: giant tortoises and the rare Coleura seychellensis bat. Our actions include research
WILD LIONS PROJECT .
The project started in 2022, in collaboration with Wildlife Initiative, to understand the seasonal activity rhythms of lions and the interaction with livestock of shepherds living on the border of the corridor to reduce conflict with humans. That is because in areas without full protection, the presence of rural communities and grazing lands exposes lions to greater danger from frequent attacks on livestock, exacerbating conflict and increasing the species' mortality rate. In Africa, the lion population has declined dramatically, with a decline of more than 50% in the past 30 years and about 20,000 remaining in the wild. In Namibia, lions occupy a vast territory of about 94,300 km².
Currently, the population estimated by the Ministry of the Environment is 600-700 individuals, with significant concentrations in Etosha National Park, where numbers have remained between 400 and 450 for more than two decades, despite pressure on the park's boundaries. The most critical areas in Namibia are those in which lions have stable populations (about 130-180 lions,) but act as passage and border areas for the country's populations, in particular:
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Kunene: this is one of the most threatened areas, as it is not fully protected with national park status (a project area that the ZOOM Foundation is working on in collaboration with the Wildlife Initiative)
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Caprivi: border region, where interactions with ranchers increase the risk of conflict.
Goals include:
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Analyze the underlying aspects of human-carnivore conflict and then target local authorities to implement effective solutions and reduce livestock pressure on local people on the edge of the area.
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Raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity conservation and its potential benefits.
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Community monitoring program to directly involve local people in collecting data on carnivores, with incentives for conservation.
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Compare the data collected ex situ in different European zoological facilities with the data that will be collected in the wild, in order to better understand their behaviors and dynamics in order to support local rangers and organizations in their knowledge and conservation in the wild.
Thanks to the Safari Selfie initiative, held at the Barberino Outlet in Barberino di Mugello (FI), in collaboration with Promos, €2,000 was raised to support this important conservation project.
ACTIVITIES IN PROGRESS .
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A field sampling protocol has been established
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45 phototraps have been placed at 44 sites in an area of 570 km2
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Studies have been activated with the University of Turin (4 students have gone to Namibia to collect data) and more will be going in the coming months
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A data storage has been created
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Identification of all mammal species present in the study area has been done
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Dissemination of collected data and environmental education to raise awareness in local communities about coexistence with wildlife.
FUTURE
ACTIVITIES.
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Understanding the seasonal activity rhythms of carnivores and interaction with prey and co-predators in order to identify strategies to reduce spatial pressure between flocks and large carnivores.
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Creation of a community monitoring program to directly involve local populations in carnivore data collection, with incentives for conservation. Community conservation initiatives, protection of natural prey and improved livestock management are key to ensuring the survival of the species, reducing conflicts, and enhancing the lions' value through tourism and ecological monitoring programs.
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Demonstrating the ecological value of the Klip Valley as a wildlife corridor.
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Promoting responsible tourism
PARTNER.
IBIS EREMITA PROJECT .
For 30 years, the European Union has supported long-term environmental projects through the LIFE program, including LIFE+12-BIO_AT_000143, which marked the beginning of the reintroduction of the hermit ibis in the Alps (2012-2019), and the current LIFE20 NAT/AT/000049 - LIFE20 Ibis Eremita (2022-2028), in which Natura Viva Park and the Foundation are partners. This second project aims to establish a stable wild population of at least 260 migratory hermit ibises between the Alps and Tuscany (Orbetello Oasis) by establishing new colonies in northern Italy, Austria (Carinthia) and Switzerland, supporting human-led migration (HLM) and promoting genetic diversity. Satellite colonies, consisting of ibises from Kuchl (Austria) and Burghausen (Germany), will be established near each breeding colony to provide stopover points during migration and promote successful reintroduction. Natura Viva Park with the Foundation will build and manage a new aviary for the hermit ibis in a suitable area, taking advantage of the experience gained in caring for this species already present in the park. This experience will also make it possible to contribute to public awareness, particularly on the issue of poaching, which in Italy, still represents a serious threat. The project involving 10 European partners aims to return to the European continent a symbolic species of biodiversity that once disappeared and is now present again thanks to conservation efforts.
ACTIVITIES IN PROGRESS .
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Participation in the European Species Conservation Program (EEP - EAZA Ex-situ Program) for the conservation of genetic variability
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Coordination of the national campaign against poaching
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Support for the human-guided migration (HLM) of young hermit ibises
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Environmental education in numerous schools surrounding the park, many of which also “remotely adopted” reintroduced specimens by following their movements, creation of a board game on the return of the species to the wild and migration to Orbetello, participation in numerous events with educational activities to publicize the species and promote the project, participation in several Hunting Fairs to raise awareness of the poaching problem
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The children's story “The Hermit in Flight Home” is included in the booklet “10 success stories” designed by EDUZOO, a working group of educators from UIZA (Italian Union of Zoos and Aquariums) as a contribution to the “Reverse the RED” campaign
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Scientific dissemination through press releases of the different phases of the project
FUTURE
ACTIVITIES.
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Construction of the new aviary for the Italian free flying colony
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Starting the colony with individuals from European breeding centers
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Daily management and monitoring of housed individuals
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Reproduction to increase the number of specimens for reintroduction
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Collaboration with international partners to foster genetic exchange between colonies
EUROPEAN BISON PROJECT.
The European bison (Bison bonasus) conservation project was created with the goal of contributing to the survival and reintroduction into the wild of Europe's largest terrestrial herbivore, once extinct in the wild. The reintroduction into the wild of European bison born at Natura Viva Park began in 2004, in Poloniny National Park in Slovakia, giving rise to a wild population through the birth of Valentina, the first bison born in the wild in that area since 1415. The project has expanded over time to other areas in Eastern Europe, the Southern Carpathians, and Romania, with international collaborations leading to the release of numerous individuals including 11 individuals born and bred at Natura Viva Park. From 2016 to 2021 LIFE RE-Bison (LIFE14 NAT/NL/000987), in collaboration with Rewilding Europe and WWF Romania, comes to life to rebuild a stable population in the Tarcu and Fagaras Mountains, with the release of about 100 individuals.
Goals also include promoting ecotourism, reducing human-fauna conflicts, engaging local communities, and continuously monitoring the species using radio-collars and phototraps. As a result of conservation efforts, the European bison is now classified as “near threatened” on the IUCN Red List, after decades in which it was considered “critically endangered,” with a global population of more than 6,200 individuals.
ACTIVITIES IN PROGRESS .
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Participation in the European species conservation program (EEP - EAZA Ex-.situ Program) for the conservation of genetic variability
Reproduction and appropriate management of individuals to be returned to the wild -
Reintroduction into the wild of 11 individuals born in a controlled environment
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Collaboration with international agencies for the success of the project
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Purchase and donation of radiocollars and phototraps for monitoring reintroduced individuals
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Post-release monitoring using radiocollars and fecal analysis in collaboration with national and international agencies and universities
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Supporting the establishment of a sustainable wild population in the Carpathians
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Raising awareness of the value of the species and promoting local ecotourism
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Collecting and sharing data to improve biological knowledge on the European bison
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Wrote children's story “The Return of Ulysses” included in the booklet “10 success stories” designed by EDUZOO, a working group of educators from UIZA (Italian Union of Zoos and Aquariums) as a contribution to the “Reverse the RED” campaign
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Transposing the story “The Return of Ulysses” in Kamishibai format (ancient puppet theater of Japanese origin) to illustrate the project to the youngest among visitors to the park and other events conducted by Foundation
FUTURE
ACTIVITIES.
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Reintroduction of other individuals born in a controlled environment into the wild
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New collaboration with international entities for the success of the project
SHEYCHELLES
PROJECT .
The project was established in 2017 to help conserve Seychelles biodiversity, particularly the Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) and the insectivorous bat Coleura seychellensis, among the world's rarest mammals.
A five-year agreement signed in 2022 with the Seychelles Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment called for the implementation of an action plan to protect this bat, found only in a few caves in the archipelago.
The project also involves the Seychelles Parks and Gardens Authority and the Green Teen Team Foundation, in order to combat the illegal trade in young giant tortoise specimens and improve the reproduction of the species by rebuilding the nursery on the island of Curieuse, where a specialized center is located. Once found throughout the Indian Ocean, giant tortoises now survive almost exclusively due to the population on Aldabra Atoll, after centuries of hunting and anthropogenic impact.
Scientific research, carried out in collaboration with the University of Bologna, has resulted in the publication of studies on the gut microbiota of tortoises, while new research on bat population monitoring is underway.
Finally, the project expanded at the educational level with Erasmus+ CBHE GreenTraINT, an international university track to train new professionals in sustainable land management, natural resources and local biodiversity conservation.
ACTIVITIES IN PROGRESS .
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Development of a five-year plan to protect the Coleura seychellensis bat
Collaboration with local authorities and international partners for giant tortoise conservation
Provision of 5,000 microchips, readers and scales for monitoring and census -
Analysis initially of 100 fecal samples of tortoises with the University of Bologna to which annual censuses are added
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Publication of scientific articles to increase knowledge of bats and tortoises and provide tools for protection
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Activities against poaching
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Erasmus+ CBHE GreenTraINT project to train new professionals needed to protect Seychelles' land and biodiversity
FUTURE
ACTIVITIES.
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Reconstruction of the nursery to house the young specimens on Curieuse Island
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New monitoring with collection of fecal samples and behavioral data
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Repatriation of 20 individuals illegally removed from the islands
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Development of conservation education projects to educate the local community about the importance of their country's extraordinary biodiversity and to raise awareness of eco-sustainable behavior among tourists
