IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) E-Bulletin - October 2003

This monthly 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: visit the archives

In this issue:

PARTNERSHIP LAUNCHED TO PROMOTE CONSERVATION EFFORTS FOR THREATENED MARINE SPECIES
SSC AT GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR PLANT CONSERVATION EXPERT LIAISON GROUP MEETING
GUIDELINES FOR APPLICATION OF IUCN RED LIST CRITERIA AT REGIONAL LEVELS
SSC MEETING AT THE ASIA REGIONAL CONSERVATION FORUM
JOINT MEETING OF SSC CONSERVATION BREEDING AND REINTRODUCTION SPECIALIST GROUPS
SECOND INTERNATIONAL TAPIR SYMPOSIUM
MORE SSC ACTION PLANS ONLINE
AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA SHARK RED LIST WORKSHOP REPORT ONLINE
VACANCY NOTICE: SSC WILDLIFE TRADE PROGRAMME ASSISTANT

PARTNERSHIP LAUNCHED TO PROMOTE CONSERVATION EFFORTS FOR THREATENED MARINE SPECIES
SSC is joining forces with the Perry Institute for Marine Science to help protect the world's oceans through research and the development and promotion of conservation efforts for threatened marine species. The alliance between the Florida-based Perry Institute and IUCN/SSC will support critical scientific efforts to identify the growing number of threatened marine species worldwide. Full story.

SSC AT GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR PLANT CONSERVATION EXPERT LIAISON GROUP MEETING
SSC's Plant Conservation Committee (PCC) was represented by Jane Smart and Jean Christophe Vié at the recent Expert Liaison Group meeting to discuss the Convention on Biological Diversity's Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, in Dingle, Ireland. Hosted by Botanic Gardens Conservation International, the meeting was dedicated to presenting the results of stakeholder consultations carried out by the lead organisations for each of the Strategy's 16 targets. The PCC has a key role in achieving two of these targets: Target 2: A Preliminary assessment of the conservation status of all known plant species at national, regional, and international level, and Target 5: Protection of 50% of the most important areas for plant diversity assured. IUCN/SSC and Plantlife presented their fundraising plans for implementing work towards achieving these two targets, as well as linking to others.

GUIDELINES FOR APPLICATION OF IUCN RED LIST CRITERIA AT REGIONAL LEVELS
The Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional Levels have been published as a booklet in three languages: English, French and Spanish and are now available on the SSC website in PDF, also in three languages here.

SSC MEETING AT THE ASIA REGIONAL CONSERVATION FORUM
A Species Survival Commission meeting is being held as part of the upcoming Asia Regional Conservation Forum in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Forum will be held from 10-13 December and the SSC meeting will take place on the afternoon of 9 December. More information on the Conservation Forum is available online at www.rcfasia.org. Among the topics for discussion will be the next IUCN Intersessional Programme for 2005-2008. Several SSC Specialist Groups will make presentations that focus on their biggest successes and challenges, and there will be a plenary session on common issues and lessons learned. All SSC members are invited to the meeting which offers a great opportunity to interact with fellow Commission members from the region.

JOINT MEETING OF THE SSC CONSERVATION BREEDING AND REINTRODUCTION SPECIALIST GROUPS
The first joint meeting of the SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, South Asia and the Reintroduction Specialist Group (RSG), South & East Asia takes place 8-9 December at the National Zoological Gardens, Dehiwala, Sri Lanka. This is being organized by the Zoo Outreach Organisation & Wildlife Information Liaison Development and their suite of taxon networks in collaboration with the National Zoological Gardens, Sri Lanka, and the Amphibian and Reptile Research Organisation of Sri Lanka. The objective is to review RSG Guidelines on confiscations and reintroductions and make a start at evaluating how effective such activities are in this part of the world. Email zooreach@vsnl.com for more information.

SECOND INTERNATIONAL TAPIR SYMPOSIUM
The programme for the Second International Tapir Symposium, to be held in Panama City, Republic of Panama, January 10-16, 2004 is now online (www.caligo.com/tapir/prog_sched.html). Held in Costa Rica in November 2001, the first Symposium, attracted 85 participants from 22 countries, and proved to be a major boost for tapir conservation. The second Symposium organized by the SSC Tapir Specialist Group (TSG) and the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) Tapir Taxon Advisory Group (TAG), will once again bring together a multi-faceted group of tapir experts, including field biologists, educators, captivity specialists, researchers, veterinarians, government authorities, politicians and other interested parties. For more information contact Patrícia Medici, TSG Chair (epmedici@uol.com.br). For further details about registration and abstract submission visit the symposium website (www.caligo.com/tapir/).

MORE SSC ACTION PLANS ONLINE
SSC member Guillaume Chapron has helped boost the number of SSC Action Plans that are available online. Guillaume, who is based at the University of Angers in France, works on the Carnivore Conservation Portal: www.carnivoreconservation.org. This is becoming one of the international references on the subject and always makes a strong link with SSC's work including posting all of SSC's carnivore species Action Plans. This is one example of the hard work that SSC members contribute to the Commission on a voluntary basis and on which it is founded.

AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA SHARK RED LIST WORKSHOP REPORT ONLINE
The SSC Shark Specialist Group Australia and Oceania Red List workshop report is available on the group's website.

VACANCY NOTICE: SSC WILDLIFE TRADE PROGRAMME ASSISTANT
The IUCN/SSC Wildlife Trade Programme (WTP), based in Cambridge, UK, is seeking a Programme Assistant, starting in January 2004, to assist its work on the biological aspects of wildlife trade. The Programme aims to promote the conservation of wild species subject to trade by assessing the effect of this trade on the species' status and generating appropriate recommendations and conservation strategies. For the full job description, requirements, and details of how to apply, contact the WTP (tradeprog@ssc-uk.org). The closing date is 6 November 2003 and applicants should be EU residents.

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.