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This monthly Bulletin, as a supplement to SPECIES, SSC’s published newsletter, is to keep staff, members and the wider IUCN network up-to-date with news and announcements from the Commission. This issue and all previous issues are available on the SSC website: www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/ Previous issues: visit the archives In this issue: Conservation workshops and events Upcoming meetings involving SSC
FIRST NEW MONKEY SPECIES TO BE DISCOVERED IN AFRICA FOR OVER 20 YEARS A new species of monkey, the highland mangabey (Lophocebus kipunji), has been discovered in southern Tanzania - the first new monkey species to be identified in Africa for over 20 years. In an amazing coincidence, the discovery was made independently by two different research teams, made up of partnerships of different conservation organizations, working several hundred miles apart. Dr Tom Butynski, SSC Primate Specialist Group’s Regional Coordinator for Africa, was among the first scientists to find the animal. “These monkeys have probably been here for hundreds of thousands of years,” he said. “What are the chances of two independent projects finding them within a 10-month period?!” Full story MILLENNIUM ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT RELEASES BIODIVERSITY REPORT The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment released its Biodiversity Report to mark World Biodiversity Day on May 22. Many of the Report’s facts and figures come from the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and Global Species Assessment. But the Report provides considerable detail on the sources of threats, the implications of biodiversity loss for human welfare, and what can be done to halt the rate of loss.“ Biodiversity is where the human hunger for resources is taking its heaviest toll, and the inclusion of 15,589 species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the clearest sign that we need to change the way we produce and consume,” said Jeff McNeely, IUCN’s Chief Scientist and contributor to the Report. Full story INTERNATIONAL STANDARD FOR SUSTAINABLE WILD COLLECTION OF MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation/Bundesamt für Naturschutz (BfN) has provided start-up funding for the development of an international standard and performance criteria for the sustainable wild collection of medicinal and aromatic plants. This project is being implemented by SSC’s Medicinal Plant Specialist Group members through IUCN-Canada, and by WWF/TRAFFIC Germany. An international advisory group has been established with members from the medicinal plant and herbal products industry, small-scale collection enterprises, non-government organizations working with community collectors, conservation organizations, and certification organizations. The advisory group met on the island of Vilm, Germany , in December 2004 to revise a first draft of the standard. The criteria, indicators, and verifiers will be tested in several field projects beginning in July 2005. See www.floraweb.de/proxy/floraweb/map-pro/ for more information. CHICAGO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY GRANTS TO SSC SPECIALIST GROUPS The Chicago Zoological Society has been generously supporting the work of SSC Specialist Groups for many years through its Chicago Board of Trade Endangered Species Fund. The following awards were granted the Board’s April meeting: SOUTH AFRICAN REPTILE CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT A four-year conservation assessment programme aimed at identifying reptile species threatened with extinction in South Africa was launched on 10 May. South Africa has an extremely rich reptile fauna – over 360 species from 22 families, but little is known about its conservation status. SARCA – the Southern African Reptile Conservation Assessment – plans to rectify this as status information is essential for identifying priorities for conservation action. Funded and developed by the South African National Biodiversity Institute, the project will involve experts from South African universities, museums, conservation agencies and the Herpetological Association of Africa. SARCA intends to engage the public in helping describe the distribution of all reptile species in the country. SSC Chair Holly Dublin, who attended the launch, commended South Africa for carrying out the project according to internationally accepted criteria, developed by IUCN/SSC. SARCA will conduct the South African section of the Global Reptile Assessment that is being carried out by SSC/IUCN and Conservation International. AN UP-STREAM BATTLE TO SAVE THE WORLD’S STURGEON Finding ways to reverse the catastrophic decline of sturgeon and paddlefish stocks worldwide was the mission of more than 500 experts when they gathered in Ramsar, Iran for the 5th International Symposium on Sturgeon. The most recent findings on sturgeon and paddlefish biology, conservation, economics, fisheries, farming and trade were discussed. Presentations and posters covered the entire distribution range of the 27 species, from North America to China, including many European river basins. SSC’s Sturgeon Specialist Group was represented by more than 10 members, who discussed ongoing and new activities for the period 2005-2008. Main issues on the agenda were the group’s involvement in Red Listing, sturgeon trade and CITES, stock assessments, aquaculture and the creation of a gene bank. Full story ASSESSING EXTINCTION SUSCEPTIBILITY IN CORAL REEF FISHES The SSC Coral Reef Fishes Specialist Group (CRFSG), in conjunction with the Perry Institute for Marine Science, convened a technical workshop, 25-27 April, to assess extinction susceptibility in coral reef fishes. Hosted by the University of East Anglia (UK) School of Biological Sciences and chaired by CRFSG Chair Terry Donaldson, the workshop reviewed 160 reef fish families. It used the SSC Extinction Susceptibility Matrix developed by Elodie Hudson as a tool for screening large numbers of marine species for extinction susceptibility based on intrinsic (e.g., life-history) and extrinsic (e.g., habitat loss, exploitation) factors. Although the preliminary findings were that over 25% of reef fish families are highly susceptible to extinction, further analysis of these results is expected lead to an even higher percentage. In addition to publication in the peer-reviewed literature, the results of this workshop will be incorporated into the Global Assessment of Reef Fishes, a collaborative project being developed by the CRFSG aimed at evaluating the IUCN Red List status of more than 5,000 species over the next three to five years. PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE OPEN-ACCESS E-CONFERENCE The Precautionary Principle Project in which IUCN/SSC is a partner is holding a web-based conference 7-19 June 2005. Anyone with experience of, or interest in, the precautionary principle in the areas of biodiversity conservation and natural resource management is invited to comment on a proposed ‘best practice guidance’ for the application of the principle in these areas. This is an opportunity to influence thinking and practice on this important and controversial topic. See www.pprinciple.net/econference.html for more information. XIX ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY IUCN is preparing two workshops as part of the XIX Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology to be held in Brasilia 15-19 July. The first, "Science and Politics: contributing for Species Conservation" will take place on Saturday 16 July, 6.30pm-8.30pm. The second, "Global Amphibian Assessment: addressing their Conservation Action Plan" will be held on Sunday 17 July, 6.30pm-8.30pm. IUCN’s Office for South America wishes to coordinate the involvement of IUCN staff and SSC members in the meeting, so if you are participating, please contact : listasrojas@sur.iucn.org If you would like more information on any of the items included in this issue or wish to submit an item to future issues, please contact Anna Knee (alk@iucn.org) or Andrew McMullin (mcmullina@iucn.org); tel: +41 (0)22 999 0153.
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