THE FIRST-EVER MEETING OF THE SSC SPECIALIST GROUP CHAIRS

A long-held aspiration of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) is finally being fulfilled, and the SSC Steering Committee is pleased to announce that a historic meeting of the SSC’s Specialist Group Chairs will take place in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates on 11 – 14 February 2008. This is the first-ever meeting of its kind in the Commission’s almost-60-year history.

The purpose of the meeting is two-fold. Firstly, and most importantly, it is a meeting for the Chairs, about their leadership of the SSC’s Specialist Groups and the unparalleled contributions to conservation by these groups. The meeting will enable the Chairs to share their challenges, their triumphs and their wisdom, and is an opportunity for us to honour those who have given so much of their personal, voluntary time and energy to the IUCN and SSC over the years. Secondly, it is a means for us to create a platform of learning and sharing that will ensure the persistence of the cumulative SSC knowledge into the future, and improve relationships between the SSC, IUCN Headquarters, the Regional Offices and the other Commissions. The meeting will be a forum for interacting in creative ways on challenging subjects and an opportunity for the IUCN Regional Offices to form lasting linkages with the groups to tackle these challenges.

130 people will attend the meeting – the majority being the Chairs of SSC Specialist Groups and members of the SSC Steering Committee. Many of the Chairs and Steering Committee members are renowned conservation professionals, associated with some of the most important conservation undertakings in the world. SSC Chair, Dr Holly Dublin, says, “I believe that this diverse profile will add considerable value to the meeting and spark many highly topical, timely and interesting debates. It will also be an incredible opportunity for us all to learn more about species conservation activities across the world – broadening our horizons beyond our specific areas of expertise”.

It is thanks to the generous financial contribution from the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi and their willingness to host the meeting in Al Ain that SSC’s longstanding aspiration to hold a meeting of all Specialist Group Chairs will become a reality. Small co-sponsorships for the meeting have been secured through diligent savings from the SSC Commission Operations Fund, and through sponsorships from Conservation International and D. Swarovski & Co – while some Chairs have agreed to generously cover their own travel expenses to the meeting.

We look forward to publishing the main outcomes of the meeting in the near future.