Is Revival Possible?

The plan for a successful recovery  

 

The International Union for Conservation of Nature classified this species as critically endangered. While there are strides being taken to help recover this species, a lot more needs to be done. Consumers play the most crucial role in its conservation. We are fueling the demand for their meat, and if we reduce our consumption, a huge chunk of their population could be restored. While there hasn't been a legal plan for recovery, the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservatory is currently working on educating the public about this threat. Across the world in 2012, the Zoological Society of London initiated a three-year project in hopes to conserve this species. This project lead to a greater scientific understanding of the species and threats posed to it. They are currently analysing the genetic and pathogen samples, and they plan to hold a multi-stakeholder conservation planning workshop once the current analyses are completed (ZSL, 2017). Pathogens are also likely to spread to any surviving wild populations in the proximity of infected farms through untreated wastewater. This is when genetic diversity is extremely important. Genetic diversity helps maintain the health of a population by including alleles that could potentially be valuable in resisting diseases, pests and other stresses. With this, genetic diversity provides species with the flexibility to adapt. The issue with adapting to farms quickly, is that the Giant Chinese Salamander can’t. Their gene pool is increasingly getting smaller while being on the farms, limiting their population’s chances for future adaptation to changing environmental conditions. Whereas if their population had a larger gene pool, it’s probable that they would be thriving. Therefore, understanding how to mitigate disease in the farming industry and the threats this poses to wild Chinese Giant Salamanders, will improve the health and productivity of farms, as well as reducing disease threats to wild salamanders.