SSC Members in Action

This section provides some examples of the broad ranging conservation work that SSC members are already carrying out around the world on a wide range of species. A full list of Specialist Groups with contact details and links to their respective websites is available here. Several groups have also been profiled. Read more about progress being made in the field thanks to the SIr Peter Scott Fund here.

With 10-25 individuals remaining in the wild, the Grand Cayman blue iguana (Cyclura nubila lewisi) is one of the most endangered animals on Earth. In 2001, a recovery plan was drawn up for the species. It contains several objectives aimed at restoring a viable wild population of the Grand Cayman blue Iguana, including the creation of a core protected area that will support up to 1,000 iguanas, habitat restoration, restocking of part of the iguanas' former range, creating nesting areas, and feral animal control. The plan is being implemented by a number of individuals and institutions together under the auspices of the SSC Iguana Specialist Group. Webstory 07.10.2005

Before it was rediscovered clinging to a rocky slope in 2001 by Vincent Florens, a member of the SSC Indian Ocean Island Plant Specialist Group, the small Mauritian tree Trochetia parviflora was last seen in the wild in 1863. Its main threat is invasive introduced plant species that have taken over almost all the island's natural habitats, and introduced rats and monkeys that eat the tree's fruit. Members of the Specialist Group are bagging fruits to collect seeds for propagation and prevent damage from animals.

 

 

Members of the SSC South Atlantic Island Plant Specialist Group have teamed up with the St Helena Government Conservation Section in an effort to save three of St Helena's rarest endemic species, the St Helena olive (Nesiota elliptica), the bastard gumwood (Commidendrum rotundifolium) and the boxwood (Melissia begoniifolia). All three species were thought to have become extinct by the beginning of the 20th century but were rediscovered between 1976 and 1998 as single individuals surviving in remote refuges. Low genetic variation, inhibition of fertilization, and poor health hamper efforts to save the olive and bastard gumwood. The future of the boxwood, which seeds freely and grows well from cuttings, however, looks brighter.

The humphead, or Napoleon, wrasse, one of the largest of all reef fishes is considered a gourmet food and is highly valued in the restaurant and seafood market trade which has expanded rapidly in areas of Southeast Asia. SSC's Grouper and Wrasse Specialist Group is working with government and non-governmental organisations throughout the geographic range of this species to raise awareness among traders, the public, and fishery departments, of its threatened status which has resulted from the growing export live seafood trade.

SSC Crocodile Specialist Group member Dr Alejandro Larriera has been working on the broad-snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris) since 1982, The Proyecto Yacare. Proyecto Yacare aims to achieve sustainable use of the wild wetlands of Northern Santa Fe in Argentina, through caiman ranching, benefiting the local inhabitants who are usually employees of the cattle ranches. Alejandro leads a team of 10 people who work on different aspects of the biology of the broad-snouted caiman including reproduction, growth, and eating habits in the wild. He is also working on an ecotourism project where tourists can take part in the field work such as night counting and catching animals in the wild for the different research activities.