Constructing regulation on assisted migration: findings from science and ethics

Many scientists and environmentalists suggest using assisted migration (assisted colonization, managed relocation) as one of the responses to environmental degradation. Assisted migration (AM) is a translocation of animals and plants to the areas outside their native ranges suitable for them under the changing conditions. The international bodies, for example, the Secretariat to the Convention on Biological Diversity, recognize AM as a possible conservation tool. Some jurisdictions inserted it within their law and policy documents such as the 2019 Translocation Operational Policy in New South Wales, Australia. As climate changes, a need for AM can proliferate at national and international levels and further development of the regulation would be needed. However, the tool is a controversial one, for example, due to the risks for the translocating organisms and for the recipient communities, e.g., in case of possible invasiveness of the translocating animals and plants or changes in disease dynamics. This article seeks to summarize the law- and policy-relevant findings from science and ethics concerning AM that could help to construct the regulation that maximizes the benefits of using this tool and minimizes its risks. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021.