Restoration and rescue in an age of extinction: Translocation and reintroduction of insects and other arthropods

Abstract Translocation is the intentional movement of organisms for conservation purposes, including species reintroductions and augmentation of declining populations. There is growing interest in insect translocation, and our understanding of best practices is rapidly developing. Relative to vertebrates, which have been the foci of most translocation programmes, insects and other arthropods provide both distinctive challenges and under‐explored opportunities. This special issue of Insect Conservation and Diversity explores some of the insect translocation efforts taking place globally. The papers in this special issue include translocations at various stages of progress and across diverse taxa and geographic regions. They address many key topics in insect translocation, including the critical role of ex situ rearing and breeding, disease monitoring and control, landscape context and dispersal ability, post‐translocation monitoring and the human context of translocation programmes. The papers illustrate common challenges faced by insect translocation programmes and provide new solutions and approaches, ranging from technical methods for disease monitoring in captive populations to comprehensive frameworks for planning. The idiosyncrasies of individual translocation programmes and the need to prioritize management goals can present challenges to disseminating the results of translocation programmes in traditional scientific venues. Nonetheless, more consistent documentation and dissemination of translocation efforts and outcomes will be important to advance the field.