The use of conservation translocations as a transdisciplinary conservation tool to prevent extinction, recover populations, and restore ecological function is on the rise. The growing impact of reintroductions, reinforcements, assisted colonisations, and ecological replacements can be attributed to a number of factors including an escalation of benefits for species, ecosystems, and human communities driven by bold innovations and courageous ambitions of the global conservation translocation community. The inclusion of diverse philosophical perspectives combined with increased need, interest, scope, and policy alignment has driven a broadening of novel approaches, innovations, and tools, but associated aspects can be contentious. To advance conservation impact of conservation translocations, we group eleven of these contentious issues into three broad categories – genes, species, and ecosystems – and then reframe them as growth opportunities. Contentious issues can create conflict, but we suggest that identifying common ground on agreed conservation values, negotiating with respectful kindness, and advancing progress through collaboration will enable powerful advancements for effective conservation translocations in the future.

Tasmanian devils are endangered due to an infectious clonal cancer that has reduced populations by up to 80 per cent since it first arose in 1996. As part of a management strategy for the species, an island population was established through an assisted colonisation event on Maria Island National Park. The original scope of the Maria Island population was to establish and maintain a disease-free population of devils. The island is now used as a source site for these trial releases of devils to mainland Tasmania populations. The 2012 release cohort to the island had a high degree of relatedness. However, through dedicated management strategies, including contraception and selective harvesting, this situation has been rectified and the Maria Island population now represents a genetically diverse group. Monitoring, using traditional methods of trapping and camera traps, in addition to genetic monitoring, has been essential to the establishment and maintenance of the Maria Island population.

The May 2019 IPBES emphasised the scale of the current biodiversity crisis and the need for transformative change, but highlighted that the tools exist to enable this change. Conservation translocation is an increasingly used tool that involves people deliberately moving and releasing organisms where the primary goal is conservation – it includes species reintroductions, reinforcements, assisted colonisations and ecological replacements. It can be complex, expensive, time consuming, and sometimes controversial, but when best practice guidelines are followed it can be a very effective conservation method and a way of exciting and engaging people in environmental issues. Conservation translocations have an important role to play not only in improving the conservation status of individual species but also in ecological restoration and rewilding by moving keystone and other influential species. As the climate continues to change, species with poor dispersal abilities or opportunities will be at particular risk. Assisted colonisation, which involves moving species outside their indigenous range, is likely to become an increasingly used method. It is also a tool that may become increasingly used to avoid threats from the transmission of pathogens. Other more radical forms of conservation translocation, such as ecological replacements, multi-species conservation translocations, and the use of de-extinction and genetic interventions, are also likely to be given stronger consideration within the wider framework of ecological restoration. There have been significant advances in the science of reintroduction biology over the last three decades. However new ways of transferring and sharing such information are needed to enable a wider spectrum of practitioners to have easier access to knowledge and guidance. In the past the biological considerations of conservation translocations have often heavily outweighed the people considerations. However it is increasingly important that socio-economic factors are also built into projects and relevant experts involved to reduce conflict and improve the chances of success. Some level of biological and socio-economic risk will be present for most conservation translocations, but these can often be managed through the use of sensitivity, professionalism, and the application of tried and tested best practice. The role of species reintroduction and other forms of conservation translocations will be an increasingly important tool if we are to restore, and make more resilient, our damaged ecosystems.

Law can influence conservation translocations in two basic ways: it can play a supportive and/or a restrictive role. Regarding the first role, legislation can provide support, a mandate, and/or an obligation to consider or perform a translocation. This may involve both general obligations to conserve or restore certain species or ecosystems, as well as specific obligations concerning species reintroductions or other types of translocation. Regarding the second role, legislation can impose limitations on translocation possibilities and/or make translocations conditional on meeting certain requirements. Such limitations and conditions may follow from legislation on native species protection, area protection, invasive non-native species, disease, trade, animal welfare, and several other areas of law. Requirements of both types may flow from international and national law. The legal requirements that will apply to any projected conservation translocation will depend on the countries, areas, and species involved, and there may be significant differences between one project and the next. The applicable requirements may be easy to meet for some projects, and be prohibitive for others. It is crucial that a careful analysis of applicable domestic legislation is carried out in the early stages of any contemplated conservation translocation. Practitioners should also make themselves aware of the relevant international legislation to provide them with the wider legal context of their work, and to help them influence the development of future legislation.

Although conservation translocations always aim to result in ‘conservation benefit’ for a species or ecosystem, there are many motivations and contexts in which people undertake conservation translocations. Establishing a need for translocations involves considering other ways to deliver the ‘conservation benefit’ to a species or ecosystem. Typically, translocations are initiated alongside other conservation measures. Destination sites must be carefully selected based on more than just vegetation type; attention must be paid to climate, biotic interactions, and other species’ requirements for survival. Socio-economic risks and benefits and legislative constraints should also be considered when evaluating destination sites. Translocated plants, animals, or fungi may be sourced from in situ or ex situ populations, or a combination of the two. Ideally, source populations are those that can support the removal of individuals for translocation without negative consequences for individuals that remain in the wild. It also helps to have ecological similarity between source and destination sites when using wild individuals. Releases should only occur where the original cause of extirpation/decline has been minimised. The choice of one or several sites, and the possibility of several releases over multiple timepoints should be considered, perhaps using pilot releases to evaluate suitability. Monitoring is crucial to being able to report the outcome of the conservation translocation but, perhaps more importantly, allows the translocation team to adapt to changes in status and may prompt the implementation of an exit strategy. Sharing monitoring results is important for others to benefit from lessons learnt. Seek as much advice as you can in the planning phases and build a team that can deliver the various components of the project.