Species Survival Commission E-Bulletin - June 2002

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:
IUCN/SSC and TRAFFIC launch review of CITES proposals
Asian Elephant Specialist Group meeting
Africa's threatened rhinos - numbers increasing
Veterinary Specialist Group futures workshop
New Declining Pollination Task Force
SSC statutory meetings
Saiga antelope conservation
African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) update
New publications of interest to SSC members

IUCN/SSC AND TRAFFIC LAUNCH REVIEW OF CITES PROPOSALS
The joint IUCN/SSC Wildlife Trade Programme and TRAFFIC project to provide technical reviews of the 54 proposals submitted to change the listing of plant and animal species on the CITES Appendices is underway. These proposals are to be considered by the CITES member countries when they meet for the 12th Conference of the Parties in Chile in November. SSC collects information on the status and biology of species from its Specialist Group network and the broader scientific community, while TRAFFIC collects data on the trade and use of species. CITES will need to address several proposals to include commercially-used fish species in Appendix II including the Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish, often sold as Chilean Sea bass in restaurants, and the humphead wrasse, sold in restaurants in Southeast Asia. Other species proposed for inclusion on Appendix II include bigleaf mahogany, seahorses and 26 species of freshwater turtles. The Analyses will be available on the IUCN and TRAFFIC websites on 9 September and the CITES proposals can be downloaded from the CITES website: http://www.cites.org/eng/cop/12/prop/index.shtml

ASIAN ELEPHANT SPECIALIST GROUP MEETING
The SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group met in Cambodia recently to draw up an Action Plan for elephant conservation in all of the 13 range states, following continued pressure from deforestation, hunting, and major changes in land use. The estimated number of wild Asian elephants is between 37,000 and 45,000. Many of the leading government decision makers on wildlife and forestry policy in Asia attended. Other delegates from 13 Asian countries, including Myanmar and China, as well as many international specialists brought expertise in every form of elephant conservation; from tracking ivory poachers to promoting local pride in elephants. Discussions focussed on the major issues facing the Asian elephant in the wild, including its near extinction in Vietnam, widespread land conversion on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and the potential for conservation efforts in the little-studied forests of Myanmar. Four task forces were established: human-elephant conflict; poaching and the ivory trade; captive elephant management; and data management.

AFRICA'S THREATENED RHINOS - NUMBERS INCREASING
The total populations of the two African species of rhinoceros, the black rhino (Diceros bicornis) and the white rhino (Ceratotherium simum) continue to increase, according to new estimates announced by the SSC African Rhino Specialist Group at its recent meeting in Zimbabwe. After suffering a severe reduction from around 65,000 in 1970, intensive conservation efforts in several African countries have helped the black rhino to increase from an estimated 2,704 in 1999 to a new total of 3,100 in 2001. Similarly, the estimated total population of the white rhino has risen from 10,405 in 1999, to about 11,670 in 2001. However, there is no room for complacency. Much greater increases in numbers of black rhinos (for all four sub-species) are needed to ensure long-term viability. Rhino numbers in Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are critically low and those populations remain under serious threat. Full story.

VETERINARY SPECIALIST GROUP FUTURES WORKSHOP
The SSC Veterinary Specialist Group (VSG) held a workshop to plan its future role within the SSC earlier this month in Florida, USA. Dr Richard Kock and Dr William Karesh were appointed to co-chair the VSG following Dr. Michael Woodford's lead since the Group's inception in 1984. In light of this change in leadership and the SSC new mission and strategies identified for 2001-2010, 34 professionals working in a wide variety of veterinary, health and conservation disciplines from around the world were invited to help develop a work plan for the Group. A series of timelines of significant events related to veterinary medicine and conservation activities, and assessments of current needs, constraints, opportunities and resources were developed together with a new mission statement: "The IUCN Veterinary Specialist Group is a collaborative multidisciplinary network supporting and promoting the health of wildlife and wildlife management as core components of ecosystem and biodiversity conservation."

NEW DECLINING POLLINATION TASK FORCE
SSC has a new Declining Pollination Task Force headed by Peter Kevan of the University of Guelph, Canada. The role of the Task Force is to consider pollination as an ecosystem service in the conservation and sustainability of natural systems. This new group will be working to form links with existing SSC networks, in particular the Plant Conservation Committee, and the Social Insects, Chiroptera, and bird Specialist Groups.

SSC STATUTORY MEETINGS
A meeting of SSC's governing body, the Steering Committee whose members represent a balance of regional and thematic perspectives, took place in Washington DC recently. A key topic discussed was regionalisation in the SSC network and how the Steering Committee, particularly the Regional Vice Chairs can stimulate greater cooperation between SSC members in their region, and between SSC and IUCN's Regional and Country offices. This session was followed by an SSC staff meeting where staff from the various offices, and several dispersed programme officers gathered to set priorities for the coming year. A fundraising workshop was held followed by training on the Species Information Service, SSC's data management initiative.

SAIGA ANTELOPE CONSERVATION
An international workshop on saiga antelope conservation, convened by the Government of the Republic of Kalmykia, Russia was held in Elista, Kalmykia's capital, involving several organisations including IUCN/SSC. Representatives of the five range states (Russian Federation, Republic of Kazakhstan, Republic of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Mongolia) took part together with representatives of the Convention on Migratory Species and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Range state reports noted a decrease in saiga numbers throughout its range, except for Mongolia, where there is a separate subspecies and its strict protection has been ensured in collaboration with the local population. Poaching for horns, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine, has become the main reason for the steep decline in saiga numbers and the species is also hunted for meat. Participants noted the necessity of expanding cooperation on all levels, including with nations importing saiga horns, to prevent illegal trade and restore saiga habitat and abundance for future sustainable use. An Action Plan for saiga conservation was developed.

AFRICAN-EURASIAN WATERBIRD AGREEMENT (AEWA)
SSC Programme Officer Mariano Gimenez Dixon represented SSC at the recent third meeting of the Technical Committee of the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) in Tanzania. Highlights of the discussions included: an update on the GEF Flyway project; an update on the International Implementation Priorities 2000-2004; a proposal for a resolution on phasing out lead shot for hunting in wetlands; the review and approval of new projects for inclusion in the Register of International Projects; the establishment of a small conservation grants fund; developments on the Global Register for Migratory Species (GROMS); development of the Action Plan for the Central Asian-Indian Flyway, and developments on Action Plans for the sociable plover, the great snipe, the dark-bellied Brent goose and the black-winged pratincole. The minutes of the meeting will be available soon at: http://www.unep-wcmc.org/AEWA/eng/TC3.htm.

NEW PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST TO SSC MEMBERS
The Butterflies of Cascadia: A Field Guide to All the Species of Washington, Oregon, and Surrounding Territories by Robert Pyle (Seattle Audubon Society). Bob Pyle will be recognised for his long standing connection with SSC and his time with the SSC Cambridge office during the early Red Book productions. Bob has now written six books on Lepidoptera. In this regional guide, each of the nearly 200 species includes a description and life history, as well as information on habitat, and range.

Galliformes 2000; Proceedings of the Second International Galliformes Symposium (that took place in Nepal, late 2000), is now available. Edited by Maureen Woodburn of the Game Conservancy Trust, and SSC Pheasant Specialist Group, and Philip McGowan of the World Pheasant Association (WPA) and Executive Officer for the SSC Galliformes Specialist Groups, with support from several members of these Groups, the publication is available from WPA, Email: office@pheasant.org.uk.
A second publication relating to Galliformes is a new guide in the prestigious Helm identification guide series. Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse by Steve Madge and Phil McGowan, available from general bookstores.


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.