Future for Wildlife
Oregon Zoo's Field Conservation Program
Program Guidelines | Fund Proposals | Fund Proposal Evaluation | Identifying Applicants
When the Oregon Zoo (formerly Metro Washington Park Zoo) revised its Masterplan in 1992, it recognized the need to extend its conservation efforts to address the future of animals in the wild. This vision was reinforced in April, 1995, when the board of the zoo's non-profit support organization, Friends of the Zoo, dedicated $20,000 annually to support conservation of and research on wildlife populations in their native habitat.
Metro Washington Park Zoo's 1995-1999 Conservation Program Guidelines
Metro Washington Park Zoo's 1995-1999 Projection for Conservation Programs included the following definition and criteria for project evaluation: The term `conservation' is used here to refer to work in range countries supported in part by our zoo. Range Country programs include:
- travel to work in other countries in support of free-ranging and captive animals in those countries;
- support of national parks and the wildlife within those parks;
- research on free-ranging animals in their native habitat;
- providing training and expertise to people in those countries.
In order to evaluate how these funds are allocated, we developed the following criteria to assist in evaluating requests for funds:
1. Does the proposed project fit within the context of the zoo's 5-year Research Plan?
2. Does the project fit within the context of the zoo's animal collection plan, i.e., does the project involve species in our present collection?
3. Is the project consistent with our master plan, i.e., future plans of acquisition?
4. Do we exhibit the species?
5. Is this project an IUCN global conservation priority?
6. Is this project also part of a CBSG/TAG/SSP/PMP/FIG national priority?
7. Do we have cooperation of the country of origin and governmental agencies responsible for the species?
8. Is the proposed species listed under CITES I, II and/or US or Oregon threatened or endangered species legislation?
9. Do we have the resources to adequately address the welfare and well-being of the species under consideration?
10. Do we have staff expertise?
11. Is regional expertise available, e.g., University of Portland, Oregon Graduate Institute, Oregon Regional Primate Research Center, Portland State University?
12. Is the project sustainable in terms of long-term commitment of funding sources and project length?
13. Does this species have a high profile and/or marketability?
In the 1995-1999 Five-Year Plan, six specific cooperative field studies were identified for further development. They included:
1. Continue our collaborative relationship with the Myanmar government and Dr. Khyne U Mar on developing AI and natural breeding programs for their 6000 working Asian elephants (Elephas maximus).
2. Support of Peruvian and Chilean fieldwork on Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti).
3. Choose a suitable national park in a developing country for adoption or support.
4. Support captive breeding programs for small cats at the San Paulo Zoo, Brazil.
5. Study the behavioral dynamics of drills/mandrills (Mandrillus) in Nigeria.
6. Behavioral studies and field census of Francois' langurs (Presbytis francoisi) in Vietnam and China.
The Oregon Zoo Foundation 1999-2004 Conservation Fund Guidelines
Several changes in zoo staffing and our animal collection occurred between the time these guidelines and projects were developed in 1995 and drafting the 1999-2004 Five-Year Conservation, Research, and Propagation Plan. Virtually every animal management position responsible for developing the 1995 plan had turned over by 1999, including Director, Assistant Director/General Curator, Collection Managers, Veterinarians, and Conservation/Research Program Coordinator. Several departing staff had particular interests in the field studies that were identified in the 1995 plan, and continue to pursue those interests at their new institutions. The structure and administration of the Friends of the Zoo, the zoo's support organization, was changed and a new non-profit organization, The Oregon Zoo Foundation, assumed development responsibility for the zoo. New staff were committed to increasing the Zoo's role in situ conservation, especially for species native to the northwestern United States. As a result, new guidelines were developed for evaluation of conservation projects.
Because of the wide variety of field conservation projects, including conservation education programs, we have not developed a checklist of criteria for proposal evaluation. Instead, our general guideline states that The Oregon Zoo Foundation Conservation Fund supports projects that directly contribute to the survival of populations of free-living animal species and the ecosystems in which they are found.
Two types of field conservation projects are considered for funding: 1) conservation projects identified as priorities by AZA Conservation Programs may be submitted upon invitation of the Conservation Fund Review Committee; and, 2) conservation projects that enhance the survival of populations of species of special concern may be solicited by the zoo's conservation program.
The current guidelines allow more flexibility in the types of projects we will support. In particular, the presence of the species being conserved in our collection is no longer a major factor in proposal evaluation. We do, however, give priority to projects involving our species of special concern. Two of these, Asian elephant and black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), are flagship species at our zoo (and in the wild). Our zoo has long participated in the AAZK-sponsored Bowling for Rhinos fund-raising event. Last year, Oregon Zoo's cumulative contribution to Bowling for Rhinos topped $100,000. Because of the continuing success of this event, we are not actively soliciting Conservation Fund proposals for black rhinos. While we have awarded a small grant for a conservation education project aimed at reducing human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka, field conservation projects for Asian elephants have largely been beyond the financial scope of our Conservation Fund.
Our other two species of special concern, Humboldt penguins and Rodrigues fruit bats (Pteropus rodricensis), were selected for several reasons. Most importantly, we felt that the field conservation needs of these two species were both urgent and of a scope that could be meaningfully addressed with our limited field conservation dollars. Second, we had the opportunity to become partners in established field conservation and research programs initiated by other institutions (WCS: Humboldt penguin; Philadelphia Zoo's One with Nature program: Rodrigues fruit bat), thereby leveraging our limited funds. Finally, both are high profile species at our zoo and we are one of a relatively small number of zoos participating in SSPs for these species. In short, we felt that we would be able to get the biggest bang for the buck with these species.
Our new guidelines also permit funding of conservation projects for species that are of local concern but that may not yet have been listed as endangered by IUCN, CITES, or USFWS. For example, the western pond turtle (Clemmys marmorata) is nearly extirpated in the state of Washington but is not federally listed. We have joined a Woodland Park Zoo turtle head-starting project to supplement pond turtle populations in Washington. We feel identifying specific projects or field sites in our proposal guidelines is too restrictive.
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FORMAT OF CONSERVATION FUND PROPOSALS
The Oregon Zoo Foundation Conservation Fund Application Form
We modeled our conservation fund application form on those from several other zoos. We deliberately limited the length the application to three pages to reduce the burden of the review process. We also ask for letters of support. Letters from AZA Conservation Program Chairs are preferred, but other letters of support are also acceptable. Proposals should contain:
A TITLE PAGE with the applicant's name, institutional affiliation, address, job title, degree being sought or highest degree obtained, telephone number, fax number, email address, total budget, amount requested from OZF, and desired starting date.
A 100 word ABSTRACT of the proposed project, stating the purpose, methods, and significance of the project to conservation.
An INTRODUCTION explaining the rational for the project, specific goals and objectives, and hypotheses to be tested.
METHODS and PLAN OF ACTION describing data collection methods, sample size, detailed timetable, including the project's completion date and dissemination plan.
A PROCESS for evaluating the project's outcome and plans for implementation of the results into conservation action or policy.
A detailed project BUDGET is required, including justification for all items requested from The Oregon Zoo Foundation.
In addition to the three pages of material described above, a two page CURRICULUM VITAE for the applicant must be included. Also, include at least two LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION by individuals familiar with the applicant and the proposal. Proposals that do not follow these guidelines will not be competitive.
DATES: Applications are reviewed in August (application deadline 30 June) and February (application deadline 31 December) of each calendar year.
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CONSERVATION FUND PROPOSAL EVALUATION
Twice a year a review committee of four meets to consider proposals received in the preceding six months. The Review Committee consists of the Conservation Program Coordinator, Program Scientist, Assistant Director/General Curator, and Development Director of The Oregon Zoo Foundation. The zoo's Director is also invited to attend review sessions. The Review Committee determines whether the proposal meets our general guideline and if it is feasible within budget and has a high probability of success. If there questions arise during the review, the applicant will be given an opportunity to respond before a decision is made. Among other criteria, the Review Committee considers the history and past performance of the sponsoring institution, the qualifications of the principal investigator(s), the degree to which qualified individuals and institutions in range countries are involved in the project, letters of support (especially from AZA Conservation Program Chairs), and other sources of funding listed in the proposal's budget.
Proposals may be fully or partially funded. The review committee must unanimously agree to fund the proposal and on the amount of funding. The Review Committee then recommends funding of approved proposals to the Director. Upon approval of the Director, The Oregon Zoo Foundation will disperse funds for approved proposals to the non-profit organization sponsoring the research. Awards are not made to individuals, with the exception of the Oregon Zoo's own staff and research associates. If the Review Committee determines that a high priority proposal is time-sensitive, it may meet in special session at any time during the year to consider the proposal and make recommendations to the Director.
The current Review Committee has evaluated 17 proposals received since January, 1998. Of these, two have been rejected, six have been partially funded and nine have been fully funded. One proposal was deemed such high priority that The Oregon Zoo Foundation successfully conducted a separate fund-raising campaign to repair a protective barrier at the Punta San Juan, Peru, Humboldt penguin colony. That campaign raised nearly five times the amount requested in the original proposal. The average award for the other 14 funded proposals was $2,140. Four other individuals have received awards for different aspects of conservation of the Punta San Juan Humboldt penguin colony. Another continuing program, Philadelphia Zoo's support for a Mauritian Wildlife Foundation Conservation Education Program on Rodrigues, received nearly twice the average annual award for the past two years. By vertebrate class, two awards support reptile conservation and six awards each support bird and mammal conservation. Four proposals focus on species not currently in our collection.
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IDENTIFYING APPLICANTS FOR CONSERVATION FUND AWARDS
Several zoos, mostly those with larger conservation funds, invite proposals from the general zoo, conservation, and academic community. Given Oregon Zoo's relatively new and small conservation fund, we have not yet publicized the availability of funding for conservation projects. Instead, the majority of our funding has been awarded to partners in conservation projects for our species of special concern. Zoo staff also solicit proposals for projects they feel meet our criteria and represent cost-effective conservation opportunities. We feel fortunate to have been able to collaborate with in situ conservation projects developed by other AZA institutions. We support the concept that AZA institutions participating in SSPs have an obligation to assist conservation efforts for those species in the field in addition to supporting the captive population. There are SSPs for our four species of special concern. As our in situ conservation efforts grow, we will look to TAG, SSP, and CAP recommendations to help identify future Conservation Fund awards. In situ conservation projects developed by our own staff, research associates, and science advisors are also eligible for awards. To date, three of our awards have gone to proposals from zoo staff and associates.
We are concerned that opening our Conservation Fund awards to a national audience could lead to an overwhelming number of proposals. Many of those proposals are likely to be for projects totally unfamiliar to our Review Committee. In such an event, it is likely that our evaluation criteria would have to be both more explicit and more restrictive. For example, we might consider only proposals that have top TAG, SSP, or CAP priority. Given the small size and limited number of our Conservation Fund awards, we feel that soliciting large numbers of proposals would lead to false expectations for applicants and require an unrealistic work load for our Review Committee. As our Conservation Fund grows, we may reevaluate this position.
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