BOOST NEEDED TO IMPROVE REGULATION OF WHALE SHARK TRADE IN TAIWAN

TRAFFIC welcomed Taiwan’s recent announcement that it is to halve its Whale Shark Rhincodon typus harvest quota from the current 60 to 30 by 2008. Taiwan is implementing the world’s first Whale Shark harvest and monitoring system, an important step towards long-term management of the fishery. However, this may not be enough to ensure a sustainable future for the species while unreported catch may continue to be entering domestic markets through unofficial channels. Full story: http://www.traffic.org/news/Whale_shark.html

FENCING SPELLS DISASTER FOR THE LAST OF CHINA'S PRZEWALSKI'S GAZELLES

China’s only endemic antelope, the Przewalski’s gazelle Procapra przewalskii, is in imminent peril as less than 300 animals remain. The SSC Sir Peter Scott Fund for Conservation Action has supported a population and habitat survey undertaken by Dr Zhigang Jiang of the IUCN Antelope Specialist Group. The study aims to identify the reasons for its decline and the conservation measures needed to save it. Full story: http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/news/2006_articles/Przewalski%27s_gazelle.htm

SSC PLAYING A KEY ROLE IN THE CONSERVATION OF A CORAL REEF GIANT

The IUCN Groupers & Wrasses Specialist Group is playing a central role in the development of a sustainable management plan for the Humphead wrasse Cheilinus undulatus fishery. A highly prized food fish, over-fishing is having a serious impact on many populations throughout its Indo-Pacific range and numbers have fallen by over 90% in some areas. Full story: http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/news/2006_articles/Humphead_wrasse_report.htm
Full report: http://intranet.iucn.org/webfiles/doc/SSC/SSCwebsite/News/HHwrassereport.pdf

AMPHIBIAN GLOBAL ACTION TEAM NEEDED TO AVERT AN EXTINCTION CATASTROPHE

The formation of an Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA), to coordinate global conservation plans for amphibians in the face of a massive extinction catastrophe has been called for by a group of the world’s foremost amphibian experts, in the latest edition of the journal Science. Full story: http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/news/2006_articles/amphibian_action_team.htm

WEST AFRICAN BLACK RHINO FEARED EXTINCT

While most subspecies of Africa’s two rhinos, the black and white rhino, continue on the road to recovery, this is not true for two of Africa’s most threatened rhino subspecies: the West African black Diceros bicornis longipes and the northern white Ceratotherium simum cottoni. The West African black rhino is now feared extinct and numbers of the northern white rhino have reached an all time low of only four animals in the wild. Full story: http://www.iucn.org/en/news/archive/2006/07/7_pr_rhino.htm

To be held on 17-21 September 2007 at Oxford University, United Kingdom, organized by the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit in partnership with the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group. The conference is open to professionals, graduate students and conservationists with an interest in the Felidae. Plenary and poster sessions will cover aspects of felid systematics, palaeontology, biogeography, genetics, ecology, behaviour, physiology, management and conservation biology. Additionally there will be a series of workshops on felid conservation. For further information contact Andrew Loveridge: felid.conference@zoo.ox.ac.uk or check www.wildcru.org/conference

IVth WORLD CONGRESS ON CAMELIDS, Argentina, October 2006

This will focus on three main themes: scientific research, cattle production, and commercialization. The scientific panel will include papers that will be evaluated by a committee of researchers, and will concentrate on anthropology, archaeology and history, grasslands, ecology and ethology, health, conservation and management.

For further information, contact Ing. Guillermo Vila Melo, General Coordinator of the IVth World Congress on Camelids, E-mail: llamas@fibertel.com.ar Web Site: http://www.congresocamelidos.com.ar

SSC NEWSLETTER - SPECIES 45

This is currently with the designer and should be available in late August/early September.

SPECIES STAFF CHANGES

Marie- Christine Labernardière will be leaving at the end of August after 23 years with IUCN, the last 11 in the Species Programme. We thank her for her many years of devoted service and wish her good luck for the future.

Dr Suzanne Livingstone will be working as a Global Marine Species Assessment Research Associate with Kent Carpenter at the Old Dominion University, Virginia USA. She has just completed a PhD on marine turtles in Trinidad at the University of Glasgow, UK, and will start in mid- September.

Pavritha Ramani is working as an intern with the Species Programme based in Washington DC. She recently graduated from the University of Virginia. Pavritha comes from India but was bought up in Indonesia.

Simon Stuart is moving to Bath, UK in August where he will take up the role of Species Senior Scientist. He will continue to oversee Species Programme staff based in the United States.