Grant: Alliance Grants

The number of endangered species is climbing rapidly with many vertebrates experiencing severe population declines, leading to statements that we are now entering Earth's sixth mass extinction period. These declines require reliable and timely conservation solutions to save species from extinction. The Vancouver Island marmot (VIM, Marmota vancouverensis) is one of Canada's most endangered mammals, occurring only on Vancouver Island, and its conservation program is one of the most iconic and successful in the country. Current efforts to save the marmot include captive breeding, augmentation of the wild population, and habitat improvement. These methods have led to a successful recovery in the short-term but their ability to thrive as a self-sustaining population over the long-term, a national conservation goal, remains unknown. Our team will assess the impacts of conservation actions over the last 30 years to determine what factors led to a successful population recovery and develop predictive tools that forecast how the population will persist under alternative future scenarios. We will model potential population growth considering risk from predators, available habitat, lifespan, and reproduction to better understand marmot ecology and population resilience. By analyzing VIM DNA, we will quantify the genetic diversity of the population and identify how individuals are related to each other. This research will help the captive breeding program select suitable mating pairs while minimizing potential health risks associated with inbreeding. Because the VIM is one of the most iconic conservation programs in Canada, the lessons learned from this species will be highly visible and widely applicable to other captive breeding and reintroduction programs nationwide. Hence, this project will lead the way and model a new paradigm of how conservation groups, zoos, governments, and academia can share expertise and the latest scientific approaches to achieve the most innovative and impactful conservation action plans for endangered species. This project will strengthen Canada's ability to fulfill its legal imperative of recovering species at risk, protecting biodiversity, and maintaining the health of our ecosystems.