Species Survival Commission E-Bulletin - March 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:

Global Amphibian Assessment makes rapid progress
International consultation on migratory wader population evaluation in Africa and Eurasia
Confiscation guidelines availble in Arabic
SSC input to potental new IUCN Arid Lands programme
Antbase
South Atlantic Island Plants Specialist Group
Action Plans online
New Polar Bear Specialist Group website
Policy papers for CBD Cop 6

GLOBAL AMPHIBIAN ASSESSMENT MAKES RAPID PROGRESS
The Global Amphibian Assessment (GAA) project is progressing rapidly with regional coordinators now in place for all parts of the world, data collection complete for most regions of the Old World, and data collection well underway in the Americas. Initial data have been received for about half of the world's 5,000 amphibian species and although it is too early to draw an overall picture of the results of the project, there are some reasons for concern. For example, 28% of Africa's 632 amphibian species appear to be threatened with extinction. Full report

INTERNATIONAL CONSULTATION ON MIGRATORY WADER POPULATION EVALUATION IN AFRICA AND EURASIA
The International Wader Study Group (WSG) also known as the SSC Wader Specialist Group, has been undertaking a major project to review and update population size estimates for all migratory wader species in the African-Eurasian region. This began with workshops associated with WSG Conferences in 1996 and 1998 and has involved the compilation of a huge amount of data - principally January counts, but also breeding estimates where counts are unavailable. The project has grown from updating 1980s estimates for the East Atlantic Flyway populations to a more comprehensive assessment of all migratory species within the area covered by the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA). Although significant new data have been rarely available for many populations using other flyways, this comprehensive approach enables comparisons of status between flyways. The review is intended for publication later in 2002 so that the conclusions can be used at the Second Meeting of Parties of AEWA (September) and the eighth Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention (November). The re-assessment will have significant implications for other issues being discussed at both meetings. Results will also feed into the third edition of the global collation of Wetlands International's Waterbird Population Estimates, due to be published in time for the Ramsar conference. The first draft text is available on the WSG website (under What is new?) and is open to comment until the end of April 2002. More information on the consultation is available on the website.

CONFISCATION GUIDELINES AVAILBLE IN ARABIC
The IUCN Guidelines for the Placement of Confiscated Animals have been translated into Arabic and published as a booklet, thanks to the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency (ERWDA) of Abu Dhabi, and Dr Frederic Launay and Pritpal Soorae of the SSC Reintroduction Specialist Group. The booklet is available from: ERWDA, PO Box 45553, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Tel: 971 2 681 7171; Fax: 971 2 681 0008. Email: Flaunay@erwda.gov.ae or PSoorae@erwda.gov.ae

SSC INPUT TO POTENTAL NEW IUCN ARID LANDS PROGRAMME
With 48% of the earth's terrestrial surface classified as arid or semi-arid, and many of the world's poorest people dependent on these ecosystems, establishment of an Arid and Semi-Arid Lands programme is imperative for IUCN, according to a special Task Force which met earlier this month in Botswana. The Task Force on which SSC was represented, recommended that the new programme works towards improving management of arid and semi-arid ecosystems, and conserving biodiversity in these ecosystems to sustainably support improved livelihoods. It proposes that the Programme focuses on five broad areas: conservation of biodiversity, that takes into account social and economic requirements; promoting actions to achieve sustainable livelihoods of the people living within these ecosystems; understanding and applying ecosystem restoration techniques and methods; conservation of water and wetlands in arid and semi-arid lands; and providing technical advice and assistance for the implementation of conventions and policies that support arid and semi-arid land conservation and sustainable development. Expertise and input from the SSC network was recognised as critical to the successful implementation of the work if it is approved by IUCN Council at its May meeting.

ANTBASE - HELPING TO PUT INVERTEBRATES ON THE CONSERVATION MAP
Ants are one of the most ecologically important groups of animals but are not included in mainstream conservation efforts and most of the information that could be used to conserve or manage them is not catalogued or easily available. To address this, the IUCN/SSC Social Insects Specialist Group (SISG) is part of a global collaboration that is producing Antbase, the first online database providing Internet access to knowledge of all ant species (approximately 11,000) as well as images, publications, distribution data, and a bibliography. "Antbase.org is a unique system as it is not only based on a complete list of all the world's ant species, but provides links to the growing number of other relevant sources of information for particular species, such as identification aids, descriptions, and distribution details. We offer, so to speak, 'one-click shopping' for ants," says Donat Agosti, SISG Chair and one of Antbase's designers. More information.

SOUTH ATLANTIC ISLAND PLANTS SPECIALIST GROUP
The South Atlantic Island Plants Specialist Group has been re-established with Dr Rebecca Cairns-Wicks resuming as Chair. This group covers St Helena Island, Ascension Island, Tristan da Cuhna and the Falkland Islands. On St Helena, little of the original flora exists today and the island's landscape has changed beyond recognition. The small land areas, and the small numbers of individual species they are home to, makes these islands (like other unique island ecosystems), extremely vulnerable to human disturbance. Key threats include habitat destruction and modification, introduction of grazing animals and competition from invasive species. The Group will help coordinate the various conservation activities underway across the islands.

ACTION PLANS ONLINE
Thanks to the efforts of SSC's publications intern, Luke Watson, all of SSC's most recent Action Plans are being made available on the website in pdf. Several Action Plans have been available online for some time, hosted by other organizations. Latest additions or full list of Action Plans (with links to all those online).

NEW POLAR BEAR SPECIALIST GROUP WEBSITE
The SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group has a new website containing a wealth of useful information including answers to frequently asked questions about polar bears, reports of Group meetings, and polar bear population figures. See: http://pbsg.npolar.no/

POLICY PAPERS FOR CBD COP 6
SSC led the development of two key IUCN policy recommendation papers to be submitted to the 6th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity that takes place next month. These are: Alien Species that Threaten Ecosystems, Habitats or Species, and a Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. All IUCN policy papers are available here in English, French and Spanish.

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.