RELEASE OF THE 2006 IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES
The latest update, on 4 May, reveals an ongoing decline in the status of the world’s plants and animals. Of the 40,177 species assessed using the IUCN Red List criteria, 16,119 are now listed as threatened with extinction. This includes one in three amphibians and a quarter of the world’s coniferous trees, on top of the one in eight birds and one in four mammals known to be in jeopardy. The ranks of those facing extinction are joined by familiar species like the polar bear, hippopotamus and desert gazelles, together with ocean sharks, freshwater fish and Mediterranean flowers. Full press release and website package at: www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/redlist2006/redlist2006.htm

BIODIVERSITY INDICATORS - SSC PLAYING A CENTRAL ROLE IN MEASURING PROGRESS TOWARDS THE 2010 BIODIVERSITY TARGET
The 2010 biodiversity target, which aims to slow the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010, is only four years away, yet we still lack the means to measure trends in biodiversity. At the 8th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Curbita, Brazil, the CBD formally adopted a set of indicators that will be used to measure progress toward the 2010 target. IUCN is playing a key role in 13 of the 18 indicators adopted, demonstrating the importance of IUCN’s data in helping the CBD to measure the 2010 target.Full story at: www.iucn.org/en/news/archive/2006/03/31_indicators.htm

SWOT REPORT GIVES GLOBAL VIEW OF ENDANGERED SEA TURTLES
At the 26th annual International Sea Turtle Symposium, held in Crete, Greece, several hundred experts saw for the first time a publication that offers a new view of sea turtle conservation—a global view. This first volume of SWoT Report, produced by the State of the World’s Sea Turtles (SWoT) initiative, is a product of collaboration by Conservation International, Duke University’s Marine Geospatial Ecology Laboratory, IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG), International Sea Turtle Society, and more than 150 other individuals and institutions from 46 countries. For more information about sea turtles and to read SWoT Report, visit SWoT’s new website at: www.seaturtlestatus.org/

BOWHEAD WHALES RESURFACE IN THE ARCTIC
Scientists, including SSC members, recently spotted several bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) near Svalbard where they have only been spotted a few times in the last several decades. Two weeks of searching on a recent research mission to the arctic waters between Greenland and the Svalbard Archipelago ( Norway) was rewarded with 8 whale sightings. Full story: www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/news/2006_articles/bowhead_whales.htm

TRAFFIC WORKS TO PROMOTE CONSERVATION IN TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE
Traditional Chinese medicine is the most widely practiced traditional medicine system in the world. Its popularity is also growing in the West, but many practitioners and consumers are not aware that some of the medicine may be threatening the survival of animals such as tigers, rhinos, and plants such as the wild-grown Asian Ginseng. To help address this growing threat, representatives of the Chinese government and TRAFFIC East Asia - China Programme came together on March 28 for a workshop titled 'Relationship between Use and Conservation of Rare Animal Medicinal Resources'. Full story. www.traffic.org/news/Chinese_Medicine.html

NEW ZEALAND THREATENED VASCULAR PLANTS ASSESSMENTS
The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network is the IUCN Red List Authority (RLA) for the country’s plants and to date has produced fact sheets for 127 acutely threatened species. For full details contact John Sawyer, New Zealand Plant RLA, email: jsawyerdoc.govt.nz

ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF THE PALLAS CAT IN MONGOLIA - CAT SPECIALIST GROUP PROJECT OF THE MONTH
The Pallas cat Otocolobus manul is a small, little known cat endemic to Central Asia. Listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN, the species is thought to be at risk from habitat fragmentation, a declining prey base due to rodent control programs and hunting for furs and traditional medicines. The steppes of Mongolia are one of the few places in the world containing healthy populations and this project is a joint venture between Mongolian and foreign researchers to address our poor understanding of the species by intensive field based research. For more information: http://lynx.uio.no/lynx/catsgportal/project-o-month/20_potm/home/index_en.htm

SEED AWARDS – CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
The Supporting Entrepreneurs for Environment and development (Seed) Awards, an international biennial competition, is designed to support innovative, entrepreneurial partnerships. Through the provision of targeted services, support, training and exposure to additional networks, the Seed Initiative helps young and promsing partnerships bring their initiatives to fruition. The award is not monetary but a comprehensive package of tailor-made services from a range of organisations. Submissions should be made from 1 July to 15 September. More information and application forms are available on: www.seedinit.org

FOURTH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON TRADE IN BEAR PARTS
TRAFFIC with the support of the IUCN/SSC Bear Specialist Group and WWF Japan is organizing this event on 4 October in Japan, with an emphasis on conserving wild bears in Asia and increasing compliance and the implementation of CITES controls on the trade in bears and bear parts. For more information contact Akiko Ishihara, TRAFFIC SE Asia, email: traffictrafficj.org or website www.trafficj.org/kuma/symposium2006/

18TH IUCN/SSC CROCODILE SPECIALIST GROUP MEETING
This will be held in Europe for the first time and will take place in Montélimar in the south of France from 19-24 June. For more information: www.lafermeauxcrocodiles.com/meeting

CITES PLANTS AND ANIMALS COMMITTEE MEETING
This will take place on 3-13 July in Peru and the IUCN Species Programme will be represented at both meetings and will present the Review of Significant Trade for 19 animal and 4 plant species listed on CITES. CITES Plants Committee 3-8 July 2006 Lima PERU Full agenda: www.cites.org/eng/com/PC/16/index.shtml
CITES Animals Committee 7-13 July 2006 Lima PERU
Full Agenda: www.cites.org/eng/com/AC/22/index.shtml

THE STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION OF FRESHWATER FISH ENDEMIC TO THE MEDITERRANEAN BASIN
The first in a series of regional Mediterranean assessments, this publication has evaluated 253 endemic freshwater fish, of which 56% are threatened with extinction. This is the highest proportion for any regional species assessment undertaken so far. The report has been compiled and edited by Kevin Smith and William Darwall of the Species Progamme Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment Unit with support from the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation.
Full details: www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/news/2006_articles/med_fwfish_pub.htm
Full report: http://iucn.org/places/medoffice/cd%5Ffwfish/