News from the IUCN Species Survival Commission and the IUCN Species Programme
July2009
The monthly e-Bulletin supplementsSpecies,the published newsletter of the Species Programme and the SSC. It aims to keep staff, members and the wider IUCN network up-to-date with Species news and announcements. 2008 issues are available on the Species homepage.
Headline News
GangesRiver Dolphin in dire straits
Dolphin hotspots must be protected if the Ganges River Dolphin Platanista gangetica gangetica is to survive in the Brahmaputra river system, according to a recent study. Estimates have put the total population of the Ganges River Dolphins at around 2,000. Out of these, 240 to 300 inhabit the BrahmaputraRiver system in India, according to a recent survey by an IUCN Sir Peter Scott Fund project. Full story
Managing the invasive risk of biofuels – IUCN draft guidelines available for comment
IUCN is working with a number of organisations to develop a set of guidelines on minimising the risk of biological invasions that may result from biofuel developments. The project was launched because of growing concerns that a rush to develop biofuels may open the door to new invasions by introduced species. There is also increasing evidence to suggest that potential future biofuel feedstocks are "high risk" species that pose a serious threat to ecosystems and livelihoods. In recognition of these risks, IUCN hosted a workshop on biofuels and invasive species in Nairobi, Kenya on April 20th-22nd 2009. Full story
Toothless laws fail toothless anteaters
Rising demand for pangolins, mostly from mainland China, compounded by lax laws is wiping out the unique toothless anteaters from their native habitats in Southeast Asia, according to a group of leading pangolin experts. Illegal trade in Asian pangolin meat and scales has caused the scaly anteaters to disappear from large swathes of Cambodia, Viet Nam and Lao PDR, concluded a panel of experts whose findings were announced today by the wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC, a joint programme between IUCN and WWF. Full story
Poaching crisis as rhino horn demand booms in Asia
Rhino poaching worldwide is poised to hit a 15-year-high driven by Asian demand for horns, according to new research. Poachers in Africa and Asia are killing an ever increasing number of rhinos—an estimated two to three a week in some areas—to meet a growing demand for horns believed in some countries to have medicinal value, according to a briefing to a key international wildlife trade body by WWF, IUCN and their affiliated wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC. An estimated three rhinos were illegally killed each month in all of Africa from 2000-05, out of a population of around 18,000. In contrast, 12 rhinoceroses now are being poached each month in South Africa and Zimbabwe alone, the three groups told the 58th Standing Committee meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Standing Committee, meeting recently in Geneva. Full story
Specialist Group News
Fungi Specialist Groups
Earlier this year, agreement was reached to restructure the specialist groups working with fungi. Previously there were two groups, the "Lichen Specialist Group" for lichen-forming fungi, and the "Fungi" Specialist Group for everything else. Now there are five specialist groups for the fungi (the following terms are descriptive and not necessarily the final names) for each group:
- Mushrooms, toadstools and their allies
- Lichen-forming fungi
- Mildews, moulds and myxomycetes
- Non-lichen-forming ascomycetes and their anamorphs
- Rusts & Smuts
Cat Specialist Group
CAT NEWS N° 50 Spring 2009 now available here
Announcements
UNEP job vacancies
We have been asked to circulate the following vacancies at UNEP to our network of species experts:
- Director (D2) Division of Regional Coordination, Nairobi
- Secretary-General (D2) Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, Geneva
- Coordinator (D2) Mediterranean Action Plan Secretariat, Athens
- Executive Secretary (D1) Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, Bonn
- Deputy Secretary (D1) Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change, Geneva
- Chief, Economics Trade Branch (D1) Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, Geneva
IUCN Oceania job vacancies
- Water and Nature Initiative (WANI) Coordinator
- Energy Senior Project Officer
Publications
An Integrated Wetland Assessment Toolkit
This toolkit sets out a process for integrated assessment and provides a set of methods that can be used to investigate the links between biodiversity, economics and livelihoods in wetlands, and to identify and address potential conflicts of interest between conservation and development objectives. The integrated approach presented in the toolkit also enables practitioners to assess a wetland in terms of its combined biodiversity, economic and livelihood values. It is intended to help overcome the current methodological and information gaps in wetland assessment, thereby facilitating the factoring of wetland values into conservation and development decision-making and management planning. Download a pdf version here
Wildlife Middle East News Vol 4 Issue 1 June 2009 now available at
PagliaFonseca 2009 Assessing Changes in the Conservation Status of Threatened Brazilian Vertebrates Biodiversity Conservation DOI 10.1007/s 10531-009-9660-0
Red List Workshop calendar
New items & amendments in orange
Event / Species programme contact
Asia Region
22-26 July 2009 / Himalayas Freshwater - Red List assessment workshop,Kathmandu, Nepal /
07-11 Sept 2009 / Mekong Freshwater – Red List assessment workshop (dates tbc) /
13-18 Sept 2009 / GMSA Indo-Pacific Parrotfishes – Red List assessment workshop, Bali. /
23-24 Oct 2009 / Sturgeon Red List assessment workshop, Wuhan, China (Precedes 6th International Symposium on Sturgeon) /
30 Nov-4 Dec 2009 / Indo-pacific Tuna and Billfishes GMSA Red List Assessment workshop, Taiwan /
Meso America
07-10 Sept 2009 / GMSA - Sea Cucumber – Red List assessment workshop, Panama City, Panama. /
19-23 Oct 2009 / Iguana Specialist Group Meeting and Red List assessment workshop, Dominica (tbc)The goal is to complete new or updated assessments for all Caribbean species and a handful of Central American species. /
16-20 Nov 2009 / Chihuahuan Desert Cactus Red List assessment workshop, San Luis Potosi, Mexico /
Dec2009/Jan2010 / Mexican Freshwater Fish – Red List assessment workshop (dates tbc), Mexico /
Europe
01 Sept 2009 / Red List training at ECCB, Prague. /
21-25 Sept 2009 / European Plants - Red List assessment workshop, Spain (dates tbc). /
05-09 Oct 2009 / European Molluscs – Red List assessment workshop (dates tbc) /
South America
09 August 2009 / Red List training at the International Mammalogical Congress (IMC), Mendoza, Argentina. /
12 August 2009 / SIS training at the International Mammalogical Congress (IMC),Mendoza, Argentina /
18-21 August 2009 / Red List & SIS Training Workshop for the Brazilian government,Brazil /
09-11 Nov 2009 / GMSA Global Sciaenid Red List assessment workshop, Manaus, Brazil /
North America
05-09 Oct 2009: : / GMSA - Butterflyfishes and Angelfishes Red List assessment workshop, Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, USA /
Other IUCN News
Contribute to species extinction discussion
IUCN has just launched a new discussion on the Species Extinction Crisis on , the green online community from IUCN and WWF where young people can exchange directly with top environmental experts and share ideas with other young people around the world.
- Help us populate the site with interesting, quality content to start the discussion by posting your comments on You just need to take 1 minute to sign up (click on “register” at the top of the webpage) and then click on ‘Join the discussion’ from the homepage or use the “What do you think” box at the bottom of the species expert summary page to comment on the issues raised. You can also just reply to comments from other users.
- Help us spread the word by encouraging young people you know to register and debate, or posting a news item or a connect2earth banner on your website!
For more information or if you wish to submit an item please contact
Claire Santer– SSC Membership & Administrative Assistant, Species Programme.