Wildlife conservation charity pledge to reverse the decline of 50 species by 2030

Wildlife conservation charity pledge to reverse the decline of 50 species by 2030 - Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS)

An ambitious new strategy has been launched by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) which aims to reverse the decline of at least 50 species over the next eight years.

The wildlife conservation charity has also pledged to significantly increase the number of people and communities protecting nature.

Chief executive David Field said, “With more than a million species at risk of extinction, our planet’s life support system is in crisis and the time to act is now. The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland has an important role to play because our teams have incredible expertise in conservation science and animal care. A perfect example is the ground-breaking Saving Wildcats project we are leading at Highland Wildlife Park, working with national and international partners to restore Scotland’s critically endangered wildcat population by breeding and releasing wildcats into carefully selected locations in the Cairngorms National Park. Our pledge is to reverse the decline of at least 50 species by 2030, including wildcats, pine hoverflies and pond mud snails in Scotland. We will also develop plans to protect other native Scottish species. Internationally, the species we are working with partners to protect include chimpanzees in Uganda, giant anteaters and giant armadillos in Brazil and Pallas’s cats in Central Asia.”

The charity’s 2030 strategy also aims to create deeper connections with nature for more than a million people.