Species Survival Commission E-Bulletin - December 2001

This 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.

Previous issues:

In this issue:

New Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment Officer for Species Programme
South Asia Sustainable Use Specialist Group fisheries workshop
Sustainable use analytic framework
Award for Specialist Group Chair
Plant conservation techniques course
Launch of The Red Book
Major boost for tapir conservation
Commercial captive propagation and wild species conservation
Deadline for Species issue 37

NEW FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY ASSESSMENT OFFICER FOR SPECIES PROGRAMME
William Darwall has been appointed the new Species Programme Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment Officer. William has a MSc degree in fish ecology/evolutionary biology and, since 1998, has been working on a PhD on community ecology of the demersal (bottom-dwelling) fish assemblage in lake Malawi and their response to fishery exploitation. He has spent the last five years at Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika working as a Fisheries Ecologist and Biodiversity Survey Planner and Trainer respectively. Before that he spent five years working on marine conservation issues. William will be based at the IUCN/SSC office in Cambridge, UK, starting in January. This position will help implement a freshwater biodiversity assessment which is part of a global programme of IUCN/SSC and the IUCN Water and Nature Initiative.

SOUTH ASIA SUSTAINABLE USE SPECIALIST GROUP FISHERIES WORKSHOP
The South Asia Sustainable Use Specialist Group (SUSG) recently held a fisheries workshop that brought together experts from several South Asian government fisheries/marine agencies, NGOs, and the fisheries trade and export sectors. The workshop, held in Goa, India, was characterised by open dialogue and knowledge-sharing, and marked the first time such experts had been brought together to discuss fisheries and marine issues. Participants proposed a number of recommendations relating to inland freshwater, riverine, estuarine and marine fisheries. One recommendation called for the establishment of a South Asia Sustainable Fisheries Network for the exchange of information on species of interest to more than one country and to initiate trans-boundary (collaborative or complementary) research projects. The recommendations will guide the South Asia SUSG's future activities relating to sustainable fisheries management. A full report is available from the SUSG website.

SUSTAINABLE USE ANALYTIC FRAMEWORK
An analytic framework for assessing factors that influence sustainability of uses of wild living natural resources has been developed by the IUCN/SSC Sustainable Use Specialist Group (SUSG) Technical Advisory Committee and is now available from the SUSG website. The framework is an early contribution to the broad set of analytic and management tools that need to be assembled by IUCN and others to help societies use biological systems sustainably. This tool was produced by a multidisciplinary team and provides an overview of the different issues that must be considered in assessing use practices including economic, ecological, socio-political, and institutional. The framework includes various modules to aid understanding of the complexities of sustainability, and provides a systematic way to assess specific use practices. Next steps include field testing and refinement of the framework. The aim is not to develop a single, all-purpose template, as that runs contrary to IUCN's approach to sustainable use; it is expected that a variety of frameworks and assessment tools might be developed according to specific use sectors and/or regions. Comments and observations about the framework are welcome. A PDF copy (245KB) is available by contacting susg@iucnus.org

AWARD FOR SPECIALIST GROUP CHAIR
Professor Michael Samways, Chair of the IUCN/SSC Southern African Invertebrate Specialist Group and Director of South Africa's Invertebrate Conservation Research Centre, has been awarded the National Research Foundation's (South Africa) highest accolade, an 'A-rating'. This award is based on scientific merit with the recipients being internationally peer-judged to be an acknowledged world leader in their field. Michael's work has been primarily on insect ecology and conservation, especially in sub-tropical and tropical systems. He published Insect Conservation Biology (Chapman & Hall) in 1994 and is currently writing a book on insect diversity conservation for Cambridge University Press. Much of his work is devoted to biodiversity conservation at the landscape scale and outside reserves. Michael is also a member of the SSC Executive Committee and has been involved in the SSC Odonata (dragonflies) Specialist Group for many years.

PLANT CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES COURSE
The Australian Network for Plant Conservation (ANPC) held its third national Plant Conservation Techniques Course in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia, 1-8 December. The ANPC acts as the SSC Australasian Plant Specialist Group. Associate Professor David Given, Chair of the IUCN/SSC Plant Conservation Committee was a keynote presenter. The course covered a range of issues relating to plant conservation including assessing rarity, habitat rehabilitation techniques, germplasm conservation, surveying and monitoring techniques, recovery planning, threat abatement and habitat management, translocation, and community awareness and partnerships. There was a diverse range of participants including representatives from state and national conservation agencies, community groups, botanic gardens, industry, and universities. Other presenters were drawn from local, state and national experts and included Dr Maurizio Rossetto, Conservation Geneticist at the Centre for Plant Conservation Genetics, Southern Cross University. A full report on the course will be published in the March 2002 issue of Danthonia, the newsletter of the ANPC.

LAUNCH OF THE RED BOOK
The Red Book: The Extinction Crisis Face to Face was launched at a ceremony led by David Anderson, Minister of the Environment, Canada on 4 December at the Museum of Nature in Ottawa. The book, published through a collaboration between IUCN/SSC, CEMEX, one of the world's largest cement companies, and Agrupación Sierra Madre, a Mexican conservation organisation, is a new tool to help communicate the issues surrounding extinction and conservation to broad audiences. More than 100 stunning photographs from world-renowned photographers are included in the book and a selection of these were enlarged to create a dramatic exhibition for the launch. The book is available from the IUCN bookstore. Further information.

MAJOR BOOST FOR TAPIR CONSERVATION
The First International Tapir Symposium held in Costa Rica last month proved a major boost to tapir conservation efforts. Results, plans, insights and ideas generated by the conference will be available on the Tapir Gallery website soon. This was the first time that so many tapir experts and conservationists have gathered together to share knowledge and address future challenges for these threatened species. Participants included field researchers, husbandry and captive management specialists, NGO and university representatives, and other key players in the development and implementation of tapir conservation programmes, as well as almost half of the SSC Tapir Specialist Group membership (the TSG was one of the four main organisers). The broad-ranging presentations and posters provided a complete overview of current tapir research (in situ and ex situ), conservation, education, veterinary, husbandry and management issues. The level of zoo participation was notable - 10 years ago there was little or no collaboration between zoos and tapir field researchers - today, modern zoos are focusing more on a conservation mission and are using their animals as ambassadors for their wild counterparts. Over 80% of the symposium's budget was covered by donations from four major zoos (Houston, Los Angeles, Disney and San Diego). A full report will appear in the next issue of Species.

COMMERCIAL CAPTIVE PROPAGATION AND WILD SPECIES CONSERVATION
A workshop on commercial captive propagation and wild species conservation, organised by the IUCN/SSC Wildlife Trade Programme was held in Florida 7-9 December, and generously hosted by the Gilman Foundation. This aimed to: review the known conservation benefits and costs of a range of commercial production systems for wild species such as aquaculture, medicinal and horticultural plant cultivation, and production of terrestrial animals; prioritise further research needs to determine the circumstances under which such production systems can relieve pressure on wild stocks; evaluate the direct environmental costs of these systems; and provide a strategy to develop policy guidelines on commercial captive production systems to ensure that species conservation and human development needs are met in future. Participants came from a variety of private, governmental and non-governmental organisations representing a range of disciplines including wildlife conservation, biology, economics, social anthropology, and commercial producers of medicinal plants and animals for the pet and ornamental trades. The workshop provided an opportunity to share views and develop understanding between these diverse groups. Outcomes included: for the domestication of plants issue, a model to investigate the transition from wild collection to the domestication of medicinal species; for fish aquaculture, a checklist of issues to be addressed when assessing the conservation costs and benefits of potential aquaculture projects; for production of terrestrial animals, a study of the potential costs and benefits of captive production, a stakeholder analysis to determine who is likely to benefit under certain production systems, and (to be developed) a programme to review case studies and develop a widely tested set of recommendations.

DEADLINE FOR "SPECIES" ISSUE 37
Species issue 36 was posted to all SSC members in early December. As usual, limited funds mean the newsletter can only be sent by surface mail (from Canada), so members in Asia, Africa and South America often receive it several weeks after it is printed. Team Species is looking for options for funding the newsletter so that it can be sent by airmail. The deadline for issue 37 is May 15 2002 and submissions should be sent to Carolina Caceres at ssc_iucn@ec.gc.ca

THE SPECIES PROGRAMME WOULD LIKE TO WISH ALL READERS A VERY HAPPY FESTIVE SEASON.

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 at alk@iucn.org; tel: +41 (0)22 999 0153.