Species Survival Commission E-Bulletin - June 2001

This bulletin, as a supplement to Species, the Commission's published newsletter, aims to keep staff, members, and the wider IUCN network up-to-date with news and announcements from SSC's active programme.

Previous issues:
January 2001
February 2001
March 2001
April 2001
May 2001

In this issue
-Don McAllister
-Rediscovery of "extinct" species on Mauritius by SSC member
-The truth about bats - new Action Plan to boost their conservation
-Major upgrade of Red List website
-Greater SSC collaboration on wildlife trade issues
-Record number of grant applications submitted to SSC's Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force
-SSC Specialist Groups to present at International Ornithological Congress

DON McALLISTER
SSC sadly reports that Dr Don McAllister passed away on June 17. Dr McAllister was Chair of the SSC Coral Reef Fish Specialist Group for many years. A committed environmentalist, he founded "Ocean Voice International," a small, Canadian-based NGO committed to raising awareness about marine issues. Dr McAllister took a leading role on SSC's contribution to the report to the World Commission on Dams.

REDISCOVERY OF "EXTINCT" SPECIES ON MAURITIUS BY SSC MEMBER
The rediscovery of a Mauritian plant last seen in the wild in 1863 has spurred collaborative efforts on the island to help save the species. Trochetia parviflora, a small, attractive tree found only on Mauritius, was recently rediscovered by Vincent Florens and his colleague Jean-Claude Sevathian during their third expedition to find the species. Vincent is a member of the SSC Indian Ocean Island Plant Specialist Group. The pair found one plant clinging to a rocky slope in the Corps de Garde Mountain Nature Reserve, some 6km from the nearest area in which it was previously known. Since the initial rediscovery, Vincent and Jean-Claude have intensified their search on the mountain and have now found 63 plants. Efforts to secure the species have been boosted by a $2,500 grant from the Chicago Zoological Society applied for by the Specialist Group. Full story

THE TRUTH ABOUT BATS - A NEW ACTION PLAN TO BOOST THEIR CONSERVATION
A new Action Plan that unveils the often feared, but fascinating world of bats and provides a framework for their conservation worldwide has been published by IUCN's Species Survival Commission (SSC) to coincide with "International Year of the Bat." 2001 is the Year of the Bat, marking the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Agreement on the Conservation of Bats in Europe (EUROBATS). Microchiropteran Bats: Global Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan, compiled by the SSC Chiroptera Specialist Group, uses information gathered from about 150 bat specialists around the world. Illustrated with maps and photographs, the Plan provides the first detailed review of threats facing bats, conservation activities underway, and those needed to stop the decline in populations. Full story

MAJOR UPGRADE OF RED LIST WEBSITE
The Red List website www.redlist.org has undergone a major upgrade and will be back online shortly. It has been moved to an Oracle database platform, housed at Natural Resources Canada, and is now more stable with a much faster search engine. Users can now search on a wider range of common names which will help the general public use the site more easily. Many glitches in the data have been ironed out, there is a new page providing links to other organizations conducting work on species conservation, and the help menu has been significantly improved.

The SSC Red List Programme wishes to remind all those submitting information, new assessments, corrections or new documentation for the 2002 Red List of Threatened Species, that the deadline is 31st August 2001.

GREATER SSC COLLABORATION ON WILDLIFE TRADE ISSUES
SSC's Wildlife Trade Programme (WTP) planning meeting took place in Paris on 18 June. Representatives from CITES, Africa Resources Trust, TRAFFIC and the US Fish & Wildlife Service attended the meeting and called for greater collaboration between the organizations on the wider aspects of SSC's work on wildlife trade, such as policy development and tools for CITES Parties. It was also felt that development of the SSC network to improve coverage of timber and marine fish species, might bring useful conservation expertise to broaden the debate surrounding management of these species. A draft WTP workplan will be circulated among the organizations identifying tasks or issues on which they can work more closely to maximise impact.

GRANTS TO SUPPORT PARROTS ACTION PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
The World Parrot Trust is launching a new Action Grants Programme to support the implementation of the SSC Parrot Action Plan by funding conservation activities on behalf of the nearly 100 parrot species that are globally threatened. For the current round of grants US$50,000 will be allocated to 10-15 projects - proposals should be for a maximum of US$5,000. Projects will be reviewed by the Trust's Scientific Committee and priority will given to those directed toward effective conservation of parrot species included in the Parrot Action Plan, available online at http://www.worldparrottrust.org/parrotactionplan.html. For further details on the project, or guidelines on proposal submission contact ActionGrants@WorldParrotTrust.org

RECORD NUMBER OF GRANT APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED TO SSC'S DECLINING AMPHIBIAN POPULATIONS TASK FORCE
The SSC Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force (DAPTF) has just completed its 2000-01 round of Seed Grants, which fund original research into the nature, distribution, and causes of amphibian declines. A record 47 applications from 26 different countries were received, from which, 21 grants are being awarded for a total of $40,000. The DAPTF is delighted with the response this year, because it has been aiming to increase the geographical spread of its Seed Grant Programme. An award of $2,000 was made from the Rapid Response Fund to support the investigation of major mortalities among frogs at high altitude in Peru; the chytrid fungus that has affected amphibians elsewhere in the world is strongly suspected. This award will link Peruvian field-workers with amphibian disease experts in Australia and the USA.

SSC SPECIALIST GROUPS TO PRESENT AT INTERNATIONAL ORNITHOLOGICAL CONGRESS
The International Ornithological Congress, the world's largest gathering of avian scientists, to be held in August 2002 in China, has agreed to include a symposium on Galliformes conservation and forest management. This was proposed by the World Pheasant Association and will contain presentations from members of four SSC/WPA/BirdLife Galliformes Specialist Groups: Cracids; Pheasant; Grouse; and Partridge, Quail and Francolin. The aim of the session will be to review current knowledge about the ecology of these species, and how this has been used to frame conservation management at various scales, from the continental to the small protected area. Subjects will include fragmentation and habitat requirements of Chinese forest Galliformes: the case of the Chinese grouse; and forest management and sustainable use of Galliformes: European and North American experiences.

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.