concept
Full-fledged Zoos
Biodiverse, full-fledged zoos entail facilities whose collections contain multiple taxonomic groups rather than focusing on only one, as the Institutes do.
concept FULL-FLEDGED ZOOS
The reason BICE advocates for full-fledged zoos to be geographically specialized within counties/regions of multiple cities with populations of 100,000 or more concentrated within them is to promote incentive to visit nearby zoos, receiving a different geographic experience from each of them.
Large cities with full-fledged zoos, such as Jacksonville, FL, Albuquerque, NM, Louisville, KY etc, and relevant cities without zoos, i.e. Grand Junction, CO, Sierra Vista, AZ, Yuma, AZ etc. would and should have geographically diverse collections, as there would not be cities of 100,000 or more within their near-travel proximity. As with all collections and full-fledged zoos, collections at those facilities would be chosen relative to their ability to thrive in that region, considering altitude and climate.
Collection Planning
Determined by appropriate climate when planning collections, especially those at full fledged zoos, the more threatened the taxon, the higher priority for placement at the institution. In other words, the taxa chosen for exhibition, of any given population trend, are “Not Evaluated”, “Data Deficient”, “Near Threatened”, “Conservation Dependent”, “Vulnerable”, “Endangered”, “Critically Endangered”, and “Extinct in the Wild”. Of those populations that are considered “Least Concern”, Decreasing trends would take priority over Stable or Unknown population trends. Decreasing trends take higher priority, (Institutes, on the other hand are, to an extent, the same in their collection planning and resource allocation strategies but have broadened conservation status choices because they are restricted to their designated taxonomic group).
Cițies and metropolitan statistical areas with a population of 100,000 or more would have full-fledged, biodiverse zoos. Counties or other such subdivisions with multiple cities of 100,000 or more concentrated within them would have zoos/facilities geographically focused or specialized. Take, for example, Orange County, California (a county/region) which has multiple cities with populations of 100,000+ concentrated within it. The existing Santa Ana Zoo is, effectively, to some degree, specializing/focusing on the Neotropical Zoogeographic Region (Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean).
Importance:
- Showcasing multiple taxonomic groups in one place, like full-fledged zoos, puts the world's biodiversity into broader context, presenting a bigger picture. Whereas Institutes serve a different purpose, elaborating on smaller segments of that web of life.
- In comparison to Institutes, full-fledged zoos are an accustomed pastime for families and are likely to attract larger crowds and repeated visitors, who then might be encouraged to visit Institutes.
- On a global scale, BICE highly recommends developing countries to concentrate on taxa native to their region, whereas industrialized and developed countries in the Northern Hemisphere should have more geographic diversity in their collections.
