Reintroduction: challenges and lessons for basic ecology

Ecology is a subject where theoretical predictions are often difficult to test experimentally in the field. To address this challenge, the Ecological Society of America suggested exploiting large-scale environmental management decisions in a scientific way. This 'adaptive management' constitutes one of the purposes of the Sustainable Biosphere Initiative. Meanwhile, in the current context of the biodiversity crisis, translocations and particularly reintroductions of threatened species are becoming more numerous. It is time for ecologists and wildlife managers to collaborate on these unique opportunities for large-scale studies.