e-Bulletin
Species Survival Commission
November 2008
The monthly e-Bulletin supplements SPECIES, SSC’s published newsletter, and aims
to keep staff, members and the wider IUCN network up-to-date with news and
announcements from the Species Survival Commission. It is complied by the IUCN
Species Programme. All 2008 issues are available on the Species homepage. See
archive for pre-2008 issues.
Contents
HEADLINE NEWS
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Vaccine hope for endangered wolf
Getting seabirds off the hook
Quarter of northeast Atlantic sharks and rays threatened with extinction
India’s wild medicinal plants threatened by over-exploitation
Florida turtles need a reprieve
2008 IUCN WORLD CONSERVATION CONGRESS NEWS
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WCCIV Adopted Resolutions and Recommendations available on the web
SPECIES PROGRAMME AND SSC MEMBER NEWS
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Advancing Sustainable Fisheries – News from the Wild Salmon Centre
New species focal person in IUCN Sri Lanka office
Asian Rhino SG workshop on Rhino Translocation Protocol held in Assam
News from the Rhino Resource Centre
South American e-Bulletin for species news produced in Spanish
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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5th International Martes Symposium, September 8-12, 2009
Noel Simon, conservationist and writer, died on October 20, 2008, aged 86
Property Rights & Sustainability Conference - call for papers
Dr Peter Pritchard, lifelong turtle conservationist honored
PUBLICATIONS
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Rare Birds Yearbook 2009
Pre-emptive strike: outwitting extinction – Wendy Foden in the news
Guidelines for applying IUCN protected area management categories
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New SSC Handbook on Strategic Planning for Species Conservation
Headline News
Vaccine hope for endangered wolf
With fewer than 500 left, the endangered Ethiopian wolf teeters on the brink of
extinction. In their stronghold in the Bale Mountains National Park wolves live in close
contact with the Oromo people. Whilst this coexistence is encouraging, it places the
wolves at great risk of catching the rabies virus from the dogs the Oromo use to herd
livestock. The Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme (EWCP), led by Dr Claudio
Sillero, chair of the SSC Canid Specialist Group, is hard at work in a race to to save
the world’s rarest wolf from rabies by creating a ‘barrier’ of vaccinated wolf packs. The
species Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis), is classified as Endangered on The IUCN
Red List of Threatened Species™. Details here
Getting seabirds off the hook
The Hawaiian longline tuna fishery has managed to reduce seabird bycatch by 67%
since 2001 by making alterations to their fishing gear and methods, a new scientific
study shows. A combination of new bait technologies and fishing techniques have
dramatically reduced seabird bycatch. More birdlife could be saved, however, if the
rules were applied in a larger area and fishing effort reduced in certain seasons. Read
more here
Quarter of northeast Atlantic sharks and rays threatened with extinction
The release of the first ever IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ assessment of
northeast Atlantic sharks, rays and chimaeras reveals that 26 percent are threatened
with extinction and another 20 percent are in the Near Threatened category.
The total number of threatened species may well be higher as there was insufficient
information to assess more than a quarter (27 percent) of the species.
The report, released by the IUCN Shark Specialist Group (SSG), reveals that shark,
ray and chimaera species are much more threatened in the northeast Atlantic than
they are globally. Specifically, seven percent of species in the northeast Atlantic are
classified as Critically Endangered, seven percent as Endangered, and 12 percent as
Vulnerable, primarily due to overfishing. This means 26 percent are threatened in the
northeast Atlantic, compared with 18 percent globally. Full report
India’s wild medicinal plants threatened by over-exploitation
India is a hub of the wild-collected plant medicine industry in Asia, but key species
have declined due to over-collection to supply domestic and foreign medicinal
markets, according to IUCN and TRAFFIC researchers. The report focuses on seven
plant species of conservation concern protected under the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
“The importance of these long-traded plant species to local livelihoods cannot be
over-emphasized,” says Danna J. Leaman, Chair of IUCN’s Medicinal Plant
Specialist Group. “But we need the best possible information about the extent of
regional and global trade to ensure sustainable supplies can continue to support
family incomes long into the future. Read more here
Florida turtles need a reprieve
Several of the world’s leading turtle scientists have called on the Governor of Florida
to end the commercial hunting of turtles which supplies eastern Asia.
The experts, brought together by the Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group
made their plea in a letter to Governor Charlie Crist.
“Florida’s freshwater turtles are being harvested at an unsustainable rate to supply
East Asian food and medicinal markets,” the letter said. “New rules recently
implemented by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) do not
resolve this issue.”
On September 17, 2008, the FWC had voted to allow commercial fishermen to catch
20 softshell turtles a day.
“Although this was an improvement, as previously there were no catch limits, the limit
is still too high,” says Anders Rhodin, Chair of IUCN’s Tortoise and Freshwater
Turtle Specialist Group. Read more here
2008 World Conservation Congress News
All the draft texts of the Barcelona resolutions and recommendations, in English, have
been posted on the IUCN website here.
The final texts in the three IUCN languages will be posted online in early 2009.
Species Programme and SSC Member News
Advancing Sustainable Fisheries
On November 12-13, 2008, the Wild Salmon Center organized and hosted the second
annual Sustainable Fisheries coordination meeting with NGO and private sector partners,
including World Wildlife Fund, Pacific Environment, and the Sustainable Fisheries
Partnership, amongst others. The purpose of this meeting was to identify and prioritize key
barriers to sustainable salmon fisheries in the Russian Far East (RFE) and develop
common strategies to address them. The meeting's participants discussed current
sustainable fishery projects across the RFE, including Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
assessments and major seafood buyer's work for Russian salmon. Barriers to sustainable
fisheries in the RFE, such as Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fisheries,
administrative barriers, and hatchery impacts, were described and prioritized strategies
developed. More here
New species focal person in IUCN Sri Lanka office: Dr Devaka Weerakoon joins the
Ecosystem & Livelihoods Group Asia in Colomba
Dr Weerakoon is a conservation biologist and has over 20 years of experience in the field
of species and biodiversity. He has worked on the ecology of the Asian elephant and
Human Elephant Conflict for nearly a decade. He has played an active role in the
RedListing process of Sri Lanka where he led the team that compiled the 2001 IUCN list of
threatened fauna of Sri Lanka. He was also a technical consultant for the 2007 RedList.
He has assisted the Biodiversity Secretariat to prepare recovery plans for selected
threatened species and develop a database on fauna and flora. He has extensive
experience in preparation and implementation of Protected Area Management plans,
managing alien invasive species, habitat mapping, protected area gap analysis, and
conducting biodiversity baseline surveys. Devaka has work experience in the USA and Sri
Lanka. Contact him at dkw@iucnsl.org
Asian Rhino SG workshop on Rhino Translocation Protocol
Guwahati, 12th November 2008: a one day workshop on the Rhino Translocation Protocol
took place at the College of Veterinary Science of Assam Agricultural University and was
attended by some 17 veterinarians from all over Assam. Presentations were given by
experts from the College, Dr Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, co-chair of the Asian Rhino
Specialist Group as well as Dr. Richard Kock, Chair of the Wildlife Health Specialist
Group. The workshop aimed to provide a forum for experts to exchange knowledge and
experience and to develop an improved approach to rhino capture and translocation
practices in India. Dr. Kock of the Zoological Society of London praised the efforts being
made by the veterinarians in Assam to improve practices and shared his experiences in
rhino and other wildlife translocation elsewhere in the world. The SSC Guidelines For Reintroduction and Translocation of African and Asian Rhino for in-situ Conservation
Purposes are in preparation and will be published shortly. View photo
News from the Rhino Resource Centre
The 13th issue of the quarterly e-newsletter of the Rhino Resource Centre (RRC) is now
available. Edited by Dr Kees Rookmaaker it includes information on forthcoming meetings
and calls for proposals relating to rhino conservation. Newsletter
South American e-Bulletin for species news produced (in Spanish)
This news bulletin produced by the IUCN South America Regional Office Species Unit in
Quito is available here.
Announcements
5th International Martes Symposium
The Martes Working Group is pleased to announce that the 5th International Martes
Symposium will be held at the University of Washington in Seattle during the week of
September 8-12, 2009. The theme of this symposium will be “Biology and Management of
Martens and Fishers: a New Synthesis”. One of the objectives of this gathering will be to
update review or synthesis topics that were featured at the 1st Martes Symposium in
1994, and in subsequent meetings. Topics covered previously include evolutionary
history, phylogenetic relationships, distribution and status, population structure and
spacing, remote detection and population monitoring, reproductive biology, habitat
ecology, food habits, and translocations. Recent developments in our field will likely
necessitate additional review chapters on the use of genetic data in Martes research and
conservation, relations with snow, potential effects of global warming, and others. More
details and call for abstracts available here.
Noel Simon
We are all saddened to hear of the death of Noel Simon in October. Noel Simon founded the
Kenya Wildlife Society which went on to become the East African Wild Life Society. Working for
IUCN in the 1960’s he played a major role in starting the IUCN RedList. He left IUCN in 1969
after the publication of "Mammalia", which was the first volume of the Red Data Books. The
basic idea for the series of Red Data Books had been Sir Peter Scott’s, but Simon was given a
free hand to compile the first volume, with full discretion in devising the system, deciding the
content and format, as well as the species warranting listing. Except for a part-time secretary,
he worked on his own, single-handedly undertaking the huge amount of research and
worldwide correspondence involved in gathering the data on which all else depended. Read
Noel Simon’s obituary from The Times.
Property Rights & Sustainability Conference - call for papers
The University of Auckland Faculty of Law and the New Zealand Centre for Environmental
Law will host a conference on property rights and sustainability 16-18 April 2009 in
Auckland. The conference will bring together leading academics, judges, government
officials, policy analysts and practitioners to examine the future of property rights within the
context of sustainable development. The conference will open with a public address from
Judge Christopher Weeramantry (former Vice President of the International Court of
Justice) and will feature presentations from a number of prominent scholars and
commentators on property rights, sustainability, the environment and resource
management. For more information, including a description of key conference topics, visit
www.nzcel-conf.auckland.ac.nz
Dr. Peter Pritchard, lifelong turtle conservationist honored
The third annual Behler Award for freshwater turtle conservation has been presented to
Dr. Peter Pritchard, at a joint symposium of the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), and the
IUCN / SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (TFTSG).
Dr. Pritchard received the award for his inspirational leadership and huge commitment to
the conservation of turtles and tortoises. Having written several important texts on the
subject he also founded the Chelonian Research Institute, which houses the world’s
largest collection of turtle specimens at around 13,000 exhibits. His influence has led to
three types of turtle being named after him and Time Magazine hailing him a ‘Hero of the
Planet’.
The award was announced at the 6th Annual Symposium on Conservation and Biology of
Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises in September at Tuscon, Arizona. It was presented by
the Chair of the IUCN/SSC TFTSG, Anders Rhodin, and Co-Chair of the TSA, Rick
Hudson.
Publications
Rare Birds Yearbook 2009 launched
Erik Hirschfeld, author of the Rare Birds Yearbook visited IUCN HQ recently. Staff were
impressed with the resourcefulness, energy and enthusiasm required to produce this
impressive book himself. It is a field-guide like reference book of the 190 Critically
Endangered bird species in the world and includes stunning photos, distribution maps and
feature stories. Click here for details of this fascinating publication – a must have for all
bird enthusiasts. Buy the book online here and Erik donates £4 to Birdlife for every copy
purchased.
Pre-emptive strike: outwitting extinction
Venerable conservation organization predicts how climate change will affect individual
species. Will conservationists take pre-emptive action? Read an article appearing in
Nature Reports Climate Change featuring the Red List and the work of Wendy Foden here
Guidelines for applying IUCN protected area management categories
IUCN is not only famous for its Red List Categories, but also for its Protected Area
Categories. The World Commission on Protected Areas, custodian of the protected area
categories has recently produced new guidelines which are now available. These new
guidelines contain a new protected area definition, which focuses more on nature
conservation and management effectiveness: Categories are generally the same, albeit
with more explanatory text and sections on different biomes and governance types, but
category IV, habitat/species management area, is broadened from somewhere needing
management intervention to a place that “protects particular species or habitats and
management…” The full guidelines are available here
New SSC Handbook on strategic planning for species conservation
The Species Conservation Planning Task Force chaired by Robert Lacy (Conservation
Breeding SG) has published a handbook to provide guidance to Specialist Groups on how
and when to prepare and promote Species Conservation Strategies (SCSs). The
handbook includes advice on how to:
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conduct a thorough status review of a species or species group
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develop, through broad consultation with stakeholders, vision and goals for the
conservation of a species or species group
set objectives for achieving the vision and goals
address those objectives through geographically and thematically specific actions
The Handbook describes recommended methods for creating successful SCSs, brief case
studies or examples of aspects of SCSs, and references to sources of additional help and
guidance. Download the handbook here (123 pages, 7MB)
A much shortened version has been produced as an overview – download this overview
here. (34 pages, 3MB)
These documents can also be found on the IUCN website by searching the publications
database under Resources
For more information or if you wish to submit an item please contact Claire Santer –SSC
Membership and Administrative Assistant, Species Programme. claire.santer@iucn.org