In november 2019 The PP was approached by Andrea Swatman, head of the Aquarium Team at Chester Zoo. She had been tasked with
maintaining IUCN insurance populations as an outcome of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) ex-situ mandates and EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria )Regional Collection Plans.
The task is to maintain ‚insurance populations‘ of the REDLIST critically endagered species of P. alfredi and P. tweediei.
This is a difficult task for Chester Zoo to do on their own and because keeping ‚insurance populations‘ is very close to what we have preciously done with our ‚old‘ GODFATHER program, it was logical for us to offer to engage in this work.
The Parosphromenus Project therefore is now engaged in keeping, maintaining, breeding and reporting these two species. P. alfredi is only present at very few holders in Europe, but cooperation has been established, and will report this — in Census, and to Chester Zoo. The same is happening for P. tweediei.
Also, a DNA testing of a species, which in the past was wrongly identified as P. tweediei, — but actually may be P. alfredi, is underway.
It is our intention to develop this structure in the future to include other species, and other keepers. We are quite aware that not all really critically endagered species are listed as such on the REDLIST, so this will not stop us from trying to create a structure within the PP — using in particular Census — to observe and create ‚insurance populations‘ for other species.
The species we are particularly conserned about right now are p. deissneri, p. rubrimontis.
‚Insurance population‘ = IUCN has determined that to prevent extinction for one particular species, it has become more important to make sure that this species is not kept in too small numbers with few people. Therefore they wish to make certain that the species is kept by a minimum of 3 people, with a stock of a minimum of 50. Such a stock is called an ‚insurance population‘.
IUCN works together with EAZA (European Association of Zoos) of which Chester Zoo is a member.