The reintroduction of addax to Djebil National Park features in a new book on global reintroductions

We are pleased to report the inclusion in the sixth edition of Global Reintroduction Perspectives, published by the IUCN SSC Reintroduction Specialist Group, of a case study submitted by Marwell Wildlife on reintroduction efforts for addax in Djebil National Park, Tunisia. The book, which is the latest edition in an ongoing series, contains 59 case-studies from around the world covering invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals and plants.

The addax Addax nasomaculatus was once widespread and abundant across the dunes and gravel plains of the Sahara, but suffered catastrophic declines due to unsustainable hunting, habitat degradation, competition with domestic livestock, regional insecurity, and impacts of oil exploration. As a result, the species is listed as Critically Endangered by IUCN and may well be on the verge of extinction in the wild. The addax is listed in Appendix 1 of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), Appendix I of Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) and is specifically protected under national legislation in Tunisia and other countries in North Africa. Historically, addax occurred throughout the Grand Erg Oriental, including in the south of Tunisia. Whilst it persisted south of the Sahara, albeit in very small numbers, it disappeared in Tunisia in 1932. However, in the last 25 years addax have been introduced to one national park (Haddej) and reintroduced to further two national parks (Djebil and Senghar-Jabbes) in Tunisia.

The case study published describes the re-establishment of addax in Djebil National Park, highlighting the challenges faced in meeting the project aims and the lessons we learned, providing insights for both the work we continue to undertake at Marwell Wildlife and conservation translocations, including reintroductions, more generally.

Global Reintroduction Perspectives is available for download in PDF format from the IUCN SSC Reintroduction Specialist Group web page: http://iucnsscrsg.org