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Developing a plan for the whole lifetime of a conservation translocation

A conservation translocation is a complex, long‑term intervention that carries ecological, social and biosecurity risks. Developing a clear and proportionate project plan is essential to demonstrate that the proposal is well justified, that risks have been identified and can be managed, and that meaningful conservation benefits are achievable.

A project plan provides a structured framework for setting clear goals, objectives and actions that directly link to the identified conservation need. These should be realistic, measurable and achievable, and clearly describe what success looks like. The plan should explain how the goals will be delivered, how progress and outcomes will be monitored, and how the project will adapt if things do not go as expected.

The plan should set out the practical details of the translocation, including the sourcing and transport of donor stock, any captive breeding component, and the selection and preparation of receptor sites. It should describe how the release will be carried out, any post‑release management required, and how this will be funded and secured over the long term. Where possible, methods should be based on established best practice. Any novel or experimental approaches should be clearly identified, with justification provided and a commitment to sharing lessons learned.

A well‑developed project plan supports transparency and accountability by clearly explaining decision‑making, risk management and how outcomes will be evaluated. It also enables adaptive management, allowing the project to respond to new information or unforeseen impacts.

The plan must include an exit strategy, setting out when and how active management will end if the project is successful, as well as clear provisions for ending the project early if outcomes are unacceptable. This should include defined triggers and clarity over who is responsible for making these decisions.

Without a robust project plan, conservation translocations are more likely to fail, cause unintended harm, or fail to deliver lasting conservation gains.

Develop a plan that includes:

  • ­  Goals, objectives and actions
  • ­  Governance and decision-making
  • ­  Biological feasibility needs and vulnerabilities of a species
  • ­  Social feasibility
  • ­  Identify and obtain all necessary permissions and licences
  • ­  Resource and Funding
  • ­  Monitoring programme design
  • ­  Exit strategy and contingency plans
  • ­  Risk Assessment
  • ­  Selecting a release site
  • ­  Create a release strategy
  • ­  Sourcing of donor populations
  • ­  Continuing management

Your plan should be proportionate to the complexity and risk of your proposal.

For more information on developing a plan click here.

Identify and obtain all necessary permissions and licences

All conservation translocations must operate within the law. Prior to undertaking a conservation translocation, you must establish which licences and other permissions will be required before you can legally carry out any of your proposal. This applies to both the donor and the release site.

Obtain permissions from landowners before collecting or releasing organisms in the wild.

Consult with Natural Resources Wales to get any licences, consents or other permissions that will be required to complete the plan legally. These may include:

  • protected species or designated sites
  • moving species outside their current range

For further information see: Natural Resources Wales / Apply for a protected species licence

If the translocation involves moving organisms to or from other countries, you must:

  • obtain all necessary import/export permissions and licences
  • consult with the relevant statutory bodies in all involved countries to establish national legislative requirements

Adhere to any relevant animal welfare, health and safety, biosecurity, quarantine and sanitation legislation and good practice.

Understand and account for the biological needs and vulnerabilities of the species

You must have thorough knowledge of the species’ ecological requirements.

  • any threats that caused previous extinction are identified and removed or
  • sufficiently reduced
  • the release site(s), wider area and management meets all requirements for survival and maintenance of healthy populations into the foreseeable future considering climate change
  • the timing, life stage, numbers and sexes of individuals to be released is based on the reproductive ecology and likely seasonal changes – this will impact the species’ chance of survival and establishment
  • you provide ongoing adaptive management to help the translocated species
  • survive, reproduce and achieve population goals

Avoid selecting from donor populations that:

  • have reduced or inappropriate genetic diversity
  • are likely to be poorly adapted to the release site

A donor population is the species population where translocated organisms are taken from.

Ensure you identify the reasons the species declined in the first place and why those pressures will not now threaten any reinforcement or reintroduction. If additional intervention is needed to manage those threats, make sure you have planned for that and built it into your proposal.

Minimise the risk of harm to biodiversity

Translocation of species into areas where they have not previously occurred naturally should only be undertaken if the desired conservation outcome cannot be achieved by other means.

Do not remove organisms from a donor site if it will place that population at risk.

Consider potential negative impacts on species and habitats at the donor and receptor sites as well as to the wider environment.

Any risks identified must be thoroughly assessed and any safeguards or mitigations you propose must be clearly set out. If necessary, get independent advice. If risks have not been identified in your assessment, or have not been fully addressed, your proposal is likely to be delayed or rejected. Prioritise biosecurity and include appropriate measures to manage the risk of spreading invasive non-native species, pests, and diseases.

Be especially cautious when proposing translocations into genetically isolated populations or areas that are geographically inaccessible, such as islands. The potential to do irreversible harm should not be underestimated and this should be reflected in your assessment of the risk and the associated safeguards and mitigations.

If you need a licence or other permission from NRW, we may also require a Veterinary Risk Assessment as part of your application. This will be a separate document and must follow an established format and be signed-off by a qualified veterinary surgeon.

Identify and manage any potential for conflict with other land users

You should engage positively with landowners and communities who may be affected. You should demonstrate pre-proposal engagement, so stakeholders and the public have an informed view of the project. Do this from an early stage and try to address any concerns they raise. If possible, communicate how the proposals could benefit them, as well as the environmental benefits.

Proposals will be less likely to succeed if local communities are against them, so it is worth planning this element carefully. Involving local communities and stakeholders in the governance of the project may help build confidence.

Evaluate the potential for a translocation to cause harm to human health, well-being and livelihoods and only proceed if acceptable mitigation and management mechanisms can be identified and delivered appropriately.

Again, this aspect of your proposal will need to be proportionate to the nature of the translocation. Some proposals may need ongoing public engagement and proactive management of conflicts throughout the life of the project.

Be accountable, transparent, and open

You should be clear about how decisions are made and who makes them. Again, this will give people confidence that the proposal will be well-managed and that there will be procedures in place to promptly deal with any problems.

If your proposal is likely to be of high public interest, it is important that you plan for significant pre and post release dialogue with local communities and stakeholders.

Monitor, evaluate, and communicate

Appropriate monitoring will enable you to demonstrate that the translocation is succeeding and will enable you to act quickly if things are not developing as expected, including triggering the exit strategy if needed. Monitoring and reporting are also likely to be required as conditions of any licenses or other permissions you have been granted.

The greater the potential for a translocation to affect other people, the greater the importance of an effective communication strategy.

At the end of the project, or at agreed milestones, you should assess the success of the translocation and share the findings so others can learn from your experience.

Every proposed conservation translocation will need a detailed plan that is proportionate to the risk and complexity of what is proposed. Where possible, you should base your methodology on established best practice. If any elements of your proposal are novel or experimental clearly set these out; explain your reasons for using them and how you will share the results to inform future proposals.

Develop a plan that includes:

  • clear goals, objectives and actions - Your goal, or goals should set out what you ultimately hope to achieve. Objectives are the stages that you need to complete to achieve your goal. Actions are the steps you propose taking to achieve your objectives. They should be measurable and achievable, and you should be able to clearly set out what success looks like

  • assessment of feasibility and desirability - Where possible a translocation should be designed in liaison with key stakeholders to maximise societal benefits and to minimise the risk of societal harm. The greater the potential for a translocation to affect other people, the greater the importance of an effective communication strategy

  • risk Assessment - Identify the risks associated with the project and, where appropriate, outline strategies to mitigate those risks

  • aclear methodology for the whole lifetime of the proposal - Three stages include:
    • pre release: donor and receptor site selection, sourcing stock, habitat improvement and other preparatory works
    • release: method
    • post Release: Managing needs of the species, managing conflicts

  • resource plan - explain how the project will be resourced. Resource includes funding, provision of goods or services, commitments of support from partners and volunteer time. This should include the resourcing of all interventions throughout the whole lifetime of the plan, including post release management and the implementation of the exit strategy. If there are any uncertainties about the availability of funding or other support, then you should be clear about these. Some uncertainties in the provision of funding for longer-term proposals may be acceptable provided they are acknowledged, included in the risk assessment, and provided for in the exit strategy

  • monitoring Strategy - monitoring programmes should be designed to enable progress against goals/objectives/milestones to be assessed to determine whether the translocation is succeeding and/or identify the need for any management interventions and to monitor any potential impacts. If you need licences or consents, they may also include specific monitoring and reporting requirements

  • clear exit strategy - The exit strategy must set out how the project will end. This may be when the project has achieved its goals, the exit strategy will need to identify any on-going management that may be required in the longer term. The exit strategy must also identify the circumstances under which the project may end early. Ensure you include clear triggers that would mean ending the project early and say how that decision would be made and by whom. You will need to ensure that any triggers will be promptly identified by your monitoring strategy
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