WORKSHOP - POPULATION-GENETICS AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY IN NONHUMAN-PRIMATES

A workshop on conservation genetics was held as part of the Internatio nal Conference on the Biology and Conservation of Prosimians, at Chest er Zoo, on September 15, 1995. The contribution of population genetics to conservation biology was questioned by most of the speakers gather ed for this animated round-table discussion. The main topics of discus sion were: (1) the importance of ex situ conservation for the preserva tion of the genome of some species by way of genome banking and captiv e breeding; (2) the choice of genetic parameters for measuring the mag nitude of genetic variation; (3) the need for preliminary screening of genetic variation in the founding populations of captive breeding pro grammes; (4) the need for more sophisticated computer software for bre eding programmes, and (5) the importance of preserving natural habitat s for the conservation of non-human primates.