Assessing the benefits and risks of translocations in depauperate species: a theoretical framework with an empirical validation

1. Conservation translocations are becoming more common to assist in the management of threatened native species. While many translocation programs focus on maximizing survival in newly established populations, consideration is also required for the persistence of source populations. 2. Here, we present and test a theoretical framework that assesses the translocation trade-off between increasing a species probability of survival and decreasing a species’ overall genetic diversity. We anticipate that i) the genetic diversity of translocated populations will be reduced compared to the source due to a failure to capture and retain genetic diversity, and ii) the genetic diversity of the source population will decline due to the removal of founder individuals. 3. We test this framework with an empirical study of redfin blue eye, Scaturiginichthys vermeilipinnis; a critically endangered fish species which has undergone several replicate translocations, established with founders sourced from a...