Save the Migratory Species in 2020 - the culture intervention from the United Kingdom

Here, with their kind permission is the intervention made by the UK delegation on culture:

We would like to thank the Secretariat, Scientific Council, and Animal Culture and Social Complexity working group for developing this proposal and for all of their work in this area so far.

This is an important emerging area of conservation research and we recognise the need to conserve the unique behavioural traits of populations.

Learning offers species the opportunity to use their environment adaptively, and can be important in contributing to their survival.  For example, when Matriarchal elephants guide their herds to food and water in times of drought. 

In a number of cases learning can be regarded as ‘culture’, such as when specific ways of sourcing food are passed on within particular populations or sub-populations. 

This is potentially important for population management and human interactions with these species.  Taking the work that has been done already and considering how the literature on animal culture can be applied practically is, we consider, an important step forward. For example, in discussions around how human interactions with species might affect the structure of a population. 

The UK therefore supports this proposal. We welcome suggestions from the Scientific Council and working group as to how this new area of research can be applied via practical management advice for the conservation of migratory species and we look forward to hearing more in the future. Thank you.

The walkway outside the meeting rooms for CoP13