The Species Conservation
Toolkit Initiative (SCTI)
Software for Saving Species
The Species Conservation Toolkit Initiative (SCTI) is a community-funded partnership to ensure that the new innovations and tools needed for species risk assessment, conservation planning, and managing populations are developed, are globally available, and are used effectively. The initiative leverages expertise in population biology, computer programming, and species conservation planning to: build and support modeling tools that are essential to guiding conservation actions for thousands of threatened species in the wild; facilitate the intensive management of hundreds of species that are being protected within ex situ programs; and integrate conservation efforts across the spectrum of management approaches.
Brookfield Zoo Chicago, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the IUCN Species Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG) played a pivotal role in founding and developing the Species Conservation Toolkit Initiative (SCTI), helping to advance conservation planning through innovative software tools and methodologies. Their leadership and collaboration with global partners have been instrumental in shaping SCTI into a vital resource for wildlife conservationists worldwide.
In 2023, Species360 brought in the Species Conservation Toolkit Initiative, which embodies our dedication to providing practical solutions for conservation challenges. Together with our partners, we plan to continue the legacy of founders Jonathan D. Ballou and Robert C. Lacy in making these conservation planning tools accessible for all.
The toolkit contains:
PMx
A package of demographic and genetic analysis tools to assist with the management of breeding programs for wildlife species. PMx is crucial to ZIMS for Studbooks.
Vortex
Provides a stochastic simulation of the extinction process, enabling us to model many of the extinction vortices that threaten the survival of small species populations.
Outbreak
Provides a stochastic simulation of disease dynamics. A crucial tool in helping to predict the survival and potential for disease dynamics of reintroduced species populations.
Metamodel Manager
Links multiple models for simulation of interacting systems. “Metamodels” provide a novel approach to species risk assessment for systems in which diverse threats are most effectively addressed through different disciplines, act at different spatiotemporal scales, or interact in non-linear ways.
Spatial
An agent-based model of the movements of animals on landscapes, which simulates the movements over time, and displays final location, tracks, or density of occupancy.
Learn more
Global information
serving conservation.