Equids: Zebras Asses an Horses: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan

The new Equid Action Plan provides summaries of the conservation status, biology, and ecology of wild zebras, asses, and horses. During the Pleistocene, equids were the most abundant, medium-sized grazing animals of the grasslands and steppes of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Today there remain only seven species and many of these species are at risk, the majority of which are endangered or vulnerable. Equids persist in some of the harshest climates and terrains in the world. These arid habitats are also home to human populations that are at risk from climatic extremes. Conservation of wildlife will be closely linked to local nomadic pastoralists being able to participate in, and benefit from, the conservation management of their areas.

The Action Plan presents chapters on taxonomy, genetics, reproductive biology, population dynamics, management, disease and epidemiology, and the importance of developing an assessment methodology that considers the role of equids in ecosystems.

The plan provides recommendations for action that are hoped will assist researchers, management authorities, government agencies, donor organizations, and local resource users to prioritize and activate conservation on threatened and endangered equids in their native habitats.