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IUCN Species Survival Commission
(SSC) E-Bulletin March 2005
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.
This issue and all previous issues are available on the SSC website: www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/
Previous issues: visit the archives
In this issue:
Headline news
Workshops and meetings
Awards
Publications
Other announcements
LAUNCH OF MILLENNIUM ASSESSMENT HIGHLIGHTS GLOBAL ECOSYSTEM DEGRADATION
The landmark Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) released on 30 March reveals that approximately 60 percent of the ecosystem services that support life on Earth - such as freshwater, capture fisheries, air and water regulation, and the regulation of regional climate, natural hazards and pests - are being degraded or used unsustainably. Scientists warn that the harmful consequences of this degradation could grow significantly worse in the next 50 years. At the same time, eight international conservation organisations, including IUCN, released a joint statement in support of the MA findings, and pledged their commitment to conservation action in support of human well-being. The MA is the largest scientific assessment ever of ecosystems and human wellbeing. A series of reports will be released over the coming months including the Biodiversity Synthesis in May, in which many SSC staff and members were involved. Full story: www.iucn.org and www.MAweb.org.
PIPELINE REROUTE TO HELP PROTECT WHALES
The Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd. (SEIC) will reroute offshore pipelines in its oil and gas development in the Russian Far East to help protect the Critically Endangered western gray whale. The pipelines - linking two production platforms in the Piltun-Astokhskoye field off Sakhalin Island to the shore - will be moved 20 kilometres south of the original location, away from the key feeding area of the whales. Russian government agencies will be asked to approve the change. The decision was formed partly on the basis of the findings of the Independent Scientific Review Panel, convened by IUCN and chaired by SSC Cetacean Specialist Group Chair, Randy Reeves. More information here.
SAMPLED RED LIST INDEX: MEASURING TRENDS IN THE WORLD'S BIODIVERSITY
The Red List Index measures trends in extinction risk for a group of species by assessing their conservation status at regular intervals and documenting genuine change. It has been applied to birds and amphibians and shows a continual decline in their status. Regularly assessing the conservation status of all species in large groups such as insects and plants is not feasible however. So, IUCN with participation from the Red List Consortium and other partners held a meeting at the Zoological Society of London March 9-11 to further develop the sampled approach - the IUCN Sampled Red List Index (SRLI). This approach regularly assesses the conservation status of a representative sample of many of the world’s major species groups such as crustaceans, insects and spiders. Combining these indices will provide insight into changes in the conservation status of groups such as vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, fungi and algae. It will also provide an index of extinction risk broadly representative of the world’s biodiversity.
SPECIES 2000 EUROPA WORKSHOP NO. 3
The 3rd Species 2000 europa Project Workshop took place 15-16 March in Qwara, Malta to report on progress achieved to date. The Species 2000 europa initiative, in which the IUCN Species Programme is a partner, aims to address the lack of a comprehensive list that specifies the species that make up biodiversity. Its purpose is to produce a Catalogue of Life which will be a synonymic taxonomic checklist. SSC is interested in the possibility of using Species 2000 as a "provider" of standard taxonomic lists to use within the Species Information Service. Supported by the European Commission, the project is scheduled to run until 31 January 2006. For more information go here.
Reports from Species europa3 will be posted here.
WORLD ORCHID CONGRESS
The SSC Orchid Specialist Group (OSG) met on 13 March in conjunction with the World Orchid Congress, which draws thousands of visitors every three years. Held in Dijon, France this year, the event was organised by OSG Vice-Chair Vinciane Dumont. Group Chair Phil Cribb reported on the work of the OSG and five regional Group Chairs (Phil Seaton, Marilyn Light, Udai Pradhan, Alex Hirtz, and Gloria Siu) provided updates on their activities. OSG website manager Graham Smith has also developed a new website for the newly launched charity Orchid Conservation International (OCI) and a charity auction benefiting OCI was held at the Congress. For more information contact the new OSG Secretary Phil Seaton (philip@seatonorchids.freeserve.co.uk).
ETHNOBOTANIST WINS AWARD FOR SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION
Michael J. Balick, a leading ethnobotanist and member of SSC’s Medicinal Plant Specialist Group has been awarded the 2004 International Scientific Cooperation Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). His research has helped transform ethnobotany - the study of indigenous people's use of plants - into an internationally recognised academic discipline, and the award citation recognises his efforts to promote scientific collaboration within the field. Details of the award are posted on the Science and Development Network website.
PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE PROJECT
The Precautionary Principle Project, in which IUCN/SSC is a partner, aims to promote the application of precaution in natural resource management and biodiversity conservation. Its recent publication “The Precautionary Principle in Biodiversity Conservation and Natural Resource Management: An issues paper for policy-makers, researchers and practitioners” is now available.
USING RED LIST INDICES TO MEASURE PROGRESS TOWARDS THE 2010 TARGET AND BEYOND
The paper “Using Red List Indices to measure progress towards the 2010 target and beyond” has recently been published online in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. It discusses the use of Red List Indices, derived from the IUCN Red List, to illustrate the change in overall extinction threat status of a particular set of species. Among the authors are Craig Hilton-Taylor, Red List Programme Officer and Simon Stuart, Head of the IUCN/SSC-CI/CABS Biodiversity Assessment Unit. An abstract of the paper is available here.
DEADLINE FOR 2005 RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES SUBMISSIONS
All SSC Specialist Groups are reminded that the deadline for the submission of Red List assessments for the 2005 Red List is 30 April 2005.
SPECIES PROGRAMME STAFF NEWS
The new Head of the IUCN Species Programme, Dr Jane Smart joined IUCN on 1 April. Jane was founder and Chief Executive of Plantlife International for 15 years. A long standing member of IUCN, Plantlife works for the conservation of wild plants and their habitats in Europe and worldwide. More recently Jane has been Chair of the UK National Committee and served for several years as a member of SSC’s Plant Conservation Committee.
Dr Amy Spriggs is the new Assistant to SSC Chair, Holly Dublin. Amy has a PhD. in Botany from the University of Cape Town, a keen interest in medicinal plants, and has previously worked for WWF. She is based alongside Holly at the South African National Biodiversity Institute.
Carmen Mury joins the SSC team as Finance Assistant. Carmen comes from Guatemala and spent 14 years working with international organizations such as UNDP, USAID as accounting technician, administrative assistant and project development specialist.
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 (alk@iucn.org) or Andrew McMullin (mcmullina@iucn.org); tel: +41 (0)22 999 0153.
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