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ENVIRONMENT AGENCY – ABU DHABI SUPPORT FOR THE OFFICE OF THE CHAIR OF
THE IUCN SPECIES SURVIVAL COMMISSION
Submitted by Jon Paul Rodríguez, Ph.D. Chair, IUCN Species Survival Commission
2017 Activities Report
© Kira Mileham
2
CONTENT
Introduction
Chairs’ Office
The team
Network Coordinator
Partnerships and Grants Officer
Communications Officer
SSC Chair’s Office Organizational Chart (December 2017)
Key priorities for 2017-2020
Increasing diversity of SSC
Capacity building
Bolster work at national scales
Conservation action
Barometer of Life
Ensure continuity
Species Conservation Cycle
Specialist groups
IUCN CEESP/SSC Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group (SULi)
Red List Training and Assessments
Invasive Species ISSG
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Implementing the Key Biodiversity Areas Programme (KBA)
Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG)
Advancing the SSC’s Work Climate Change and Species - Climate Change Specialist Group (CCSG)
Addressing Major Conservation Crises
The IUCN Green List of Species
Interventions
Concluding Remarks
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©EAD
INTRODUCTION
Since 2008, The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) has been a key partner of the work carried out by
the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC). On that year, the leadership of SSC met in Abu Dhabi for the
first of a series of transformative meetings which heavily influenced the functioning, growth and
integration of species conservation work across both IUCN and the SSC. A second meeting in February
2012 and a third in September 2015, served to consolidate the SSC Leaders’ Meeting as a central feature of
planning, thinking and cooperating within SSC and with the other components of the Union and beyond. A
fourth meeting of the SSC Leadership is proposed for 2019.
In parallel to this, EAD has also provided direct support to species conservation activities. A first three-year
framework agreement was reached between EAD and SSC in 2011, and followed by a second agreement
that spanned 2013-2016. Here, we report on the results of the first of a four-year Memorandum of
Agreement signed by EAD, SSC and Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC), concerning Support for the office
of the Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission for 2017-2020.
5
This Agreement seeks to build on the productive relationship already established between EAD and the
SSC, with a view to helping to implement key aspects of the 2017-2020 IUCN Species Strategic Plan. This
Agreement runs for a four-year period covering 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Under this Agreement, funds
may be allocated to key aspects of the agreed Strategic Plan, selecting in particular aspects of work that
are of high strategic importance, and which have proven hard to fund from other sources. The funds may
be given directly to SSC-related bodies, or to the IUCN Global Species Programme that supports SSC
activities.
We begin with a brief summary of the highlights of the work carried out by the SSC Chair’s Office team in
2017, followed by key achievements of the SSC network in the context of the present agreement.
CHAIRS’ OFFICE
The Chair’s Office supports the mission of SSC by empowering and accompanying the network, providing
leadership, boosting impact, helping build capacity, keeping efforts on track, and building relationships and
partnerships. Our six core values are:
Strategic and impactful: Working and evaluating towards priorities and impacts.
Adaptable: Responsive to uncertainty and to the needs of the network.
Communicative: Ensuring that all key stakeholders have accurate, up-to-date and straightforward
information on where we stand.
Collaborative: Integrating with each other and with external stakeholders.
Bottom-up: With inclusion and empowerment from the base and through all levels in the network.
Passionate: Working with energy, optimism and commitment.
The team
During 2017 the SSC Chair’s Office team grew in responsibilities and positions. Rachel Hoffmann and Kira
Mileham, who were already part of the team during the last quadrennium, were promoted to the Director
level, increasing significantly their responsibilities and impact on the network. New positions were
recruited to improve office management, tracking and reporting of achievements, and administrative
tasks. In early 2018 new staff will join to boost Red Listing work in Africa and other regions, as well as
strengthen network coordination, partnerships and communications.
Network Coordinator
In close collaboration with Network Coordinators from the Global Species Programme, this post will
support the management of SSC Sub-Committees, Specialist Groups, Red List Authorities and Task Forces,
particularly on the appointment of roles, creation of new groups, and integration with other components
of IUCN, as well as channeling enquiries and requests.
6
Partnerships and Grants Officer
This position will support the development, expansion and sustainability of SSC partnerships to achieve
joint targets. The officer will lead on the implementation of grant-making programmes established as SSC
partnerships, as well as catalyze partnerships and provide guidance to grant development by SSC groups.
Communications Officer
This position will be in charge of communicating the work of the SSC through original and captivating story
ideas, via press releases, web stories, blogs, social media and external partnerships. These efforts will
follow a communication strategy developed in close collaboration with IUCN’s Global Species Programme
and Global Communications Unit.
SSC Chair’s Office Organizational Chart (December 2017)
7
Key priorities for 2017-2020
The SSC Chairs team has chosen the following areas to focus the work on the next quadrennium. These
areas are in alignment with the Species Strategic Plan and will be further refined with feedback from the
SSC Steering Committee to meet in July 2017 in Cartagena, Colombia.
Increasing diversity of SSC
Regional, gender and age diversity across the SSC will enrich perspectives and increase our efficacy in
addressing global conservation challenges. To bolster this, we:
Included at least two members from each statutory region of IUCN on the SSC Steering Committee.
Are working to choose one Vice-Chair for each region.
Plan that each Vice-Chair selects one Regional Deputy Chair who has to be a young person (under
35), and consider gender representation.
These regional leaders will be tasked with increasing the SSC membership from their regions and
strengthening engagement with the network.
Capacity building
A key element of expanding the impact of SSC is strengthening local capacity for carrying out and using
IUCN Knowledge Products focusing in particular on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, the Red List
of Ecosystems, identification of Key Biodiversity Areas, conservation planning and implementing
conservation action. We need to develop cost-effective methods to achieve this. A first step taken has
been the development of intensive training courses that build on the on-line training provided by the IUCN
Red List of Threatened Species. We are exploring partnerships with universities, research institutions and
zoos, aquaria and botanic gardens to move this forward.
Bolster work at national scales
Recognizing that conservation action is primarily carried out at the national level (or below, for example, by
local communities), we plan to:
Work with countries to help them develop and use the information from Knowledge Products at
national scales.
Strengthen the links between Specialist Groups and IUCN Members, with special attention on
governmental members.
Conservation action
There is clear interest among the SSC community to catalyze conservation actions that improve the status
of threatened species. We are currently identifying ways to move this forward. One way, which emerges
from preliminary conversations with Global Wildlife Conservation and National Geographic Society, focuses
on reducing extinction risk for a group of selected species by 2020. The process will start from reviewing
species with existing Action Plans.
8
The final selection will include threatened species with different threat categories, which face a range of
different pressures, belong to various taxonomic groups, and come from different regions of the globe.
Barometer of Life
SSC plays a key role in providing the scientific knowledge that underpins the IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species. IUCN aims, by 2020, to complete 160,000 global assessments or reassessments of species for the
Red List. Working closely with the Global Species Programme and IUCN Members, SSC will continue
pushing forward to successfully fulfill this goal. In the short term, we are looking to appoint a new Chair of
the Red List Committee. In the medium term, we believe National Red Lists will be a key resource to
achieve this goal.
Ensure continuity
Additionally, there are key items of work and initiatives carried over from the previous Chair’s Office that
the SSC will continue to work on. These include, for example, producing a Green List, and conducting a
situation analyses on oil palm, hunting as a conservation tool, and bear-farming. Ongoing initiatives include
the Asian Species Action Partnership (ASAP), Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA) and the West and Central
African Species Action Partnership (WCASP). The SSC will continue to focus on follow-up to IUCN
Resolutions and Recommendations from both the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Jeju, 2012, and
Hawai’i, 2016.
Species Conservation Cycle
All the activities of SSC come together under what we call the Species Conservation Cycle: Assess-Plan-Act.
9
Specialist groups (as well as many others, including Red List Partnership members, the IUCN Global Species
Program) initiate the cycle with assessments for the Red List. But this is only the first step: data are then
used to develop species action plans, following a systematic process spearheaded by the SSC Conservation
Planning Specialist Group. Next, prioritized actions in these plans represent the interventions that are most
likely to improve the status of species, encouraging donor organizations, conservation practitioners and
governments to align their financial and human resources with the best available evidence of possible
success. Donors, such as National Geographic provide the funds that motivate conservation action. This
cycle never ends, however. Once interventions are implemented, their impact on the status of species
must be evaluated, action plans adjusted, and interventions adapted to the new conditions, starting over
again. SSC Groups engage in any part of the cycle, not only in the assessment phase.
SPECIALIST GROUPS
The Memorandum of Agreement signed by EAD, SSC and Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC), concerning Support for the office of the Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission for 2017-2020, establishes that the following are examples of eligible work to be supported:
Sustainable Use and Livelihoods. The Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group (SULi) will focus on the following priorities in 2017-2020:
a. Exploring the role of communities in combatting wildlife crime and promoting actions to
enhance the effectiveness of community-based action in preventing such crime;
b. Enhancing the conservation and livelihood benefits of legal and sustainable trade;
c. Promoting sustainable wildlife management;
d. Supporting the integration of Traditional Knowledge into assessment and management of
wild species;
e. Improving sustainable use and livelihood benefits in small-scale and recreational
fisheries;
f. Contributing to international policy and dialogue on sustainable use and livelihoods; and
g. Building the SULi network and vision.
2. Red List Training.
a. The work on the online Red List training course will continue, with a large focus on building more capacity in the SSC Red List Authorities and in IUCN members, especially State members and national agencies around the world.
b. There will be a particular focus on capacity building in the Arabian Peninsula, and providing support to the UAE’s emerging new national Red List programme so that the UAE will have its own red list trainers operating in both Arabic and English.
3. Red List Assessments. Priority will be given to the following assessments as part of the ambitious
agenda, called The Barometer of Life, to expand the number of species groups covered on the IUCN Red List to make it more representative of biodiversity as a whole:
10
a. Continued attention will be given to expanding the coverage of plant species on the IUCN
Red List, including plants of high economic value.
b. The assessment of all 10,000+ species of reptiles will be completed.
c. The update of all 7,000+ species of amphibians will be completed.
d. There will be continued focus on assessment of species in the Arabian Peninsula, in
particular on marine species and plants.
4. Invasive Species. The SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) will prioritize the following activities:
a. Continuing to lead for IUCN in policy intervention on invasive species, including in the
Convention on Biological Diversity and in the European Union.
b. Furthering the development of indicators on invasive species in the context of the
Biodiversity Indicators Partnership, thereby guiding governmental decisions relating to
invasive species.
c. Completing the development of the IUCN Environmental Impact Classification for Alien
Taxa (EICAT), seeking formal adoption by Council, and fully implementing EICAT in the
Global Invasive Species Database.
d. Enhancing the ISSG capacity to provide a rapid advisory service to guide those facing
problems from invasive species.
5. Implementing the Key Biodiversity Areas Programme.
a. Initiating the new KBA Programme, with a particular focus on helping to identify KBAs in
the Arabian Peninsula, and also KBAs for neglected groups of species.
b. Developing the new guidelines for the application of the KBA Standard, especially in the
context of sites contributing significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity already
designated by previous schemes, and disseminating these widely.
c. Implementing the new KBA Standards and Appeals Committee to oversee the technical
and scientific independence of the KBA Programme.
6. Species Conservation Planning.
a. The SSC will increase the overall planning effort in order to achieve its new vision for
planning, so that the effort matches the magnitude of the task. This will involve
significant capacity building within SSC specialist Groups.
b. The SSC will update and enhance its planning guidelines, “Strategic Planning for Species
Conservation”, on a regular basis, and promote these among selected SSC Specialist
Groups, governments and NGOs.
c. There will be a particular focus on building planning capacity and developing high-priority
species conservation plans in the Arabian Peninsula.
11
7. Advancing the SSC’s Work Climate Change and Species.
a. The new SSC Guidelines on Assessing Species’ Vulnerability to Climate Change will be
published and widely disseminated and promoted, thus making it much easier to
incorporated climate change considerations into conservation initiatives.
b. The SSC’s system for assessing the vulnerability of species to climate change, based on
the biological traits of species, will be further enhanced and integrated with the Red List,
thus helping to ensure that the impacts of climate change are better included in the IUCN
Red List assessment methodology.
c. Additional guidelines will be developed to incorporate climate perspectives into species
conservation planning.
8. Addressing Major Conservation Crises.
a. The SSC is heavily engaged in addressing major conservation crises, for example through
the Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA), and the Asian Species Action Partnership (ASAP).
These initiatives will be continued.
b. New priorities will emerge during 2017-2020, many of which cannot be predicted at the
present time, but could include reviewing the impact of threats such as nitrification,
ocean acidification, and emerging infectious diseases.
9. Measuring Conservation Success.
a. The SSC is developing new Green List standards for measuring and monitoring the overall
effectiveness of conservation initiatives at the species level. This will be an important
priority for 2017-2020. The development IUCN Green List Criteria to categorize species
according to the effectiveness of the conservation action will be completed.
b. Once this development is completed, it will be implemented within the overall Red List
programme and database.
10. Strategic Investments in the SSC Network.
a. The SSC Specialist Groups, Red List Authorities, Task Forces and Sub-Committees are all
carrying out very important components of work that collectively add up to the overall
impressive conservation contribution that the SSC makes. Most of this is done with very
limited funding, and often in-kind support. Under this Agreement, small grants may be
provided to high-priority activities of the SSC Specialist Groups, Red List Authorities, Task
Forces and Sub-Committees.
In the following sections we summarize the achievements of the-SSC network in a series of tables,
indicating how they align with the eligible activities described above.
12
IUCN CEESP/SSC Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group (SULi)
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Developed a major report
“Wild Life, Wild Livelihoods:
Engaging Communities in
Sustainable Wildlife
Management and
Combating Illegal Wildlife
Trade”.
* This report was commissioned by the United Nations
Environment Programme, working with the International
Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and
IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Programme (IUCN
ESARO), in response to United National Environment
Assembly Resolution 2/14
* The report reviewed decades of research on lessons
from community based wildlife management, as well as
more recent research and lessons from responses to the
current IWT crisis, with the aim of informing
governments, donors, NGOs, community organizations
and other key stakeholders.
* To be published in 2018.
1a, 1b
Partnered in the
“Communities: First Line of
Defense against Illegal
Wildlife Trade” project, led
by IUCN Eastern and
Southern Africa Regional
Office
* This project is carrying out action research to help
enhance understanding of the conditions under which
community engagement against IWT does and does not
work in different contexts. It is testing and further
developing the “Theory of Change” developed in
previous SULi-led work on how community-led
approaches can successfully reduce poaching for illegal
wildlife trade.
1a, 1b
Key theme: Engaging indigenous and local communities in combating illegal wildlife trade
© Sandeep Kr Tiwari
13
Key theme: Informing decisions on hunting and sustainable wildlife management
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Distributed its 2016 IUCN
Briefing Paper Informing
Decisions on Trophy Hunting
to key audiences
# included a supporting letter from the SSC Chair,
accompanied by the Briefing Paper, to the expert group
of the CITES Management Authorities of the European
Union in June.
# In relation to controversies over the USFWS
announcement in November that suspensions on
elephant trophy imports from Zimbabwe and Zambia
would be lifted, SULi Chair Rosie Cooney published an op-
ed piece in the Washington Post, “The Voice Missing
from the Elephant Trophy Debate? Africans”.
# The SULi Chair, working with input from a number of
members, provided technical advice and information to
IUCN Council in its consideration of trophy hunting issues
in relation to the application of IFAW to IUCN, including
through participation in skype calls, written advice, and
development of a briefing document on ethics issues led
by Mike ‘t Sas-Rolfes.
# Held extensive discussions to clarify problematic
activities taking place in the trophy hunting industry in
Tajikistan, and to alert and motivate action within the US
hunting community to ensure such practices are not
inadvertently supported.
1c
Produced and disseminated
a report and policy briefs in
several local languages from
the South East Asian regional
workshop on “Beyond
Enforcement”
* Pulled together regional experiences and lessons on
community-based approaches to combating IWT.
1a
Secured from GIZ a grant for
building a “Learning
Platform” on communities
and IWT to be launched in
2018
* Aims to catalyze more informed and effective policies,
strategies and on-the-ground activities to address
poaching for IWT, through enhancing communication,
learning, and coordination among key stakeholders.
* It will mobilize and engage the large network we have
developed in recent years through Beyond Enforcement
activities, and build on and extend IIED’s “Conservation,
Crime and Communities” database of case studies.
1a, 1f
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Led for IUCN in the
Collaborative Partnership on
Wildlife (CPW)
* It is a platform of 14 international organizations with a
substantial mandate for the sustainable management of
wildlife. SULi Chair is Deputy Chair of the partnership.
# SULi contributed to key CPW achievements for 2017
including providing technical input to the publication of a
report on wild meat presented to the CBD SBSTTA
(Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and
Technological Advice) meeting, December 2017.
# SULi’s North American regional group, led by Shane
Mahoney, initiated the development of a CPW
publication focused on hunting in North America and its
relationship to conservation and social objectives.
# At CBD SBSTTA in December 2017 SULi members
provided technical support and leadership on CBD
agenda items on supporting sustainable wildlife
management, particularly in the context of wild meat,
and helped organize and deliver a side-event (in
partnership with the CBD Secretariat, UNEP, CIFOR and
IIED).
1b
Supported for continued
growing of the Wild Harvest
Initiative in North America,
led by SULi’s Deputy Chair
for North American, Shane
Mahoney.
* This project is collating and quantifying the contribution
of wild harvest (hunting and angling) to food across
North America, and assessing its economic, social and
ecological significance.
* New partners have come on board in 2017, data from
63 American/Canadian jurisdictions has been gathered
and verified, and a first graduate student has started
work.
1b, 1c
Key theme: International wildlife trade and CITES
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
At the CITES Standing
Committee in November,
SULi provided technical
input and advice on a
number of agenda items. In
particular, provided
technical support to relevant
Parties and NGOs regarding
>>
# SULi has also been working with partners in 2017
seeking support for an initiative developing case studies
and greater understanding of the conservation and
livelihood impacts (positive and negative) of international
trade in wild species, and of CITES decisions on listing,
but has not so far been successful
1b, 1g
15
the initiation and the
composition of a Rural
Communities Working
Group, established at this
Standing Committee
meeting.
Key theme: Integrating Traditional Knowledge into wild species management
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
SULi (led by Programme
Officer Bec Cross, with input
from a wide range of SULi
members), finalized a final
draft for review of guidance
on the integration of
indigenous and local
knowledge (ILK) into Red List
assessments, sending it for
review to the SSC and CEESP
Chairs and the SSC Red List
Committee.
* This guidance will represent cutting edge incorporation
of insights developed within practice, research and
international policy bodies (particularly the
Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and
Ecosystem Services).
# SULi members began initial planning on a new initiative
focused on developing guidance on integrating
traditional knowledge into small scale fisheries in order
to foster more sustainable use of species.
1d, 1e
Key theme: Regional planning in Southern/East Africa
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
A regional SULi meeting for Southern/East Africa in Chiredzi, southern Zimbabwe, in May 2018 , with additional funding from the EU WILD Programme in Zimbabwe, and the Austrian Ministry for the Environment.
#This brought together 24 SULi Members from 7
countries across Eastern and Southern Africa.
*The main purpose of the meeting was to establish a
basis for regional collaboration, develop a set of
collaborative priorities and a plan to action them.
1g
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Key theme: Broader advice and inputs on sustainable use
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
SULi members participated in IPBES regional assessments and (particular Gaby Lichtenstein, Robert Kenward and Gaby Lichtenstein) supported and provided input to IUCN’s positioning and negotiations in IPBES meetings, particularly in relation to the planned IPBES thematic assessment on sustainable use. SULi members also contributed to key policy relevant journal articles on important sustainable use-related issues, including Stuart et al 2017 and Biggs et al 2017.
1g
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© P. Meier
Red List Training and Assessments
Key theme: The online IUCN Red List Training course.
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
One thousand two hundred and thirty nine registered participants of the Online IUCN Red List Training Course (https://www.conservationtraining.org/course/index.php?categoryid=40)
# In 2017 the number of new users registering for at least
one of the seven modules was 1,239. This is the highest
number of new users enrolling on the course within one
year since the course was released.
* There are three versions of the IUCN Red List training
course that can be completed: the Global Assessor
course (6 modules); the Regional Assessor course (4
modules); and the Global & Regional Assessor course (7
modules).
# The number of people successfully completing the
course in the year 2017 has increased since 2016: 288
people successfully completed the Global Assessor
course, compared with 160 people in 2016; 269 people
successfully completed the Regional Assessor course,
compared with 137 people in 2016; and 245 people
successfully completed the Global & Regional Assessor
course, compared with 129 people in 2016.
2a
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Key theme: IUCN Red List Exam
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Two hundred and fifty two people completed the IUCN Red List Exam
# In 2017, 252 people completed the default level exam
(compared with 165 completing the course in 2016). The
number of people passing the exam slightly increased
compared with 2016 (from 129 passes in 2016 to 132
passes in 2017).
*The percentage of people passing the exam decreased
from 78% in 2016 to 52% in 2017: We don’t know the
reason for this drop in the pass rate, however it may be
an indication that an extra lesson is needed in the course
to help students to move from the theory behind red
listing to the more practical aspects of translating date
into the various parameters used in red listing.
# Most people pass the default exam by their 3rd
attempt.
# Twenty people completed the advanced exam in 2017,
with 17 people achieving a pass (i.e., a pass rate of 86%),
bringing the total number of people who have passed the
advanced exam to 57 since April 2014.
# Most people pass the advanced exam by their 2nd
attempt.
2a
Key theme: Certification of Red List Trainers
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Two Red List Trainers workshops
# In 2017, two Red List Trainers’ workshops were held:
Cambridge, UK (14-16 June 2017), and Arizona, USA (13-
15 October 2017).
* Arizona’s is the first Red List Trainers’ workshop held
outside of the UK and it proved to be a successful event,
resulting in double the number of people being added to
the Red List Trainers in one year.
# This workshop was immediately followed up by a Red
List Assessor Training workshop, which targeted
members of IUCN SSC Specialist Groups working on
>>
2a
19
global Red List assessments and allowed two of the new
Red List Trainers to gain practical experience of
facilitating a training workshop while their training was
still fresh.
# Eighteen new Red List Trainers received their
certificates in 2017: 10 in the 6th workshop in
Cambridge, and eight in the 7th workshop in Arizona.
# This increased the number of certified Red List Trainers
to 68. The Red List Trainer network now includes: 33
IUCN SSC Specialist Group members, 21 staff from Red
List Partner organizations, 14 IUCN Global Species
Programme staff members, 5 trainers based in IUCN
Regional offices, and 8 people based in other
organisations and IUCN Programmes.
* It is compulsory for all certified IUCN Red List Trainers
to pass the advanced level online exam: As of December
2017, 48 trainers (70% of the certified trainers) have
passed the advanced level exam.
Key theme: IUCN Red List Assessor Training
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Fourteen IUCN Red List Assessor Training Workshops
# Certified Red List Trainers facilitated 14 IUCN Red List
Assessor Training events in 2017, involving more than
346 participants. These included 13 IUCN Red List
Assessor Training workshops (1-4 day workshops) and 1
training session attached to other meetings and
conferences.
# Six of these training events provided training for people
contributing to the IUCN Red List: the training workshop
in Arizona was for IUCN SSC members in North America
who are directly contributing to global assessment
projects.
Arizona workshop also initiated the process of
establishing a new SSC Specialist Group (for Sonoran
Desert Plants).
# Nine of the workshops provided training for national
Red List projects (e.g., in July 2017, a Red List Assessor
Training workshop helped to initiate the Myanmar
2a
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Key theme: Translation of IUCN Red List Training Materials
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Online Red List exam * The final French and Spanish translations for all
questions used for the online Red List exam (290
questions for each language, in both the default and
advanced level exam modules) have been uploaded into
the online course since 2016.
# In 2017, the French version of the exam was thoroughly
checked and released on the live course.
* The Spanish exam questions have still not been fully
checked and finalised, so this version of the exam is still
not available on the course. This work will be carried out
in 2018.
2a
Guidelines for Using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (the ‘Red List Guidelines’)
*This is an extremely important guidance document that
assessors must refer to when preparing assessments for
publication on The IUCN Red List; It is a technical
document, and therefore requires careful translation into
non-English languages; This document is updated each
year.
# The 2017 update (version 13) was released in March
2017.
# The French translation of version 12 of the guidelines
was released in early 2017; we also updated this French
translation and released a new updated version (version
13) in August 2017.
# The Spanish translation of the Red List Guidelines
(version 13) was completed and released in 2017.
# The Arabic translations of the IUCN Red List Categories
and Criteria and the Guidelines for Using the IUCN Red
List Criteria at Regional and National Levels were finalised
for publication and posted on The IUCN Red List website
in 2017 and are available to download from the Key
Documents page
2a 2b
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Key theme: IUCN Red List updates
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Three Red List completed updates in 2017
# IUCN aims to publish at least two updates of The IUCN
Red List per year, but In 2017, EAD funding helped the
Red List Unit to complete three updates, resulting in an
increase in the number of assessed species from 85,604
(24,307 threatened) to 91,523 (25,821 threatened). # In order to monitor changing status of biodiversity, it is
important to regularly reassess species that already have
assessments published on The IUCN Red List: In 2017,
2,426 species were reassessed including 402 amphibians
and 517 mammals. # Another major focus of The IUCN Red List is to expand
taxonomic coverage, particularly for groups identified
under Key Result 1 of the Red List Strategic Plan (2017–
2020): In 2017, 5,991 species assessments published on
The IUCN Red List were new additions (i.e., first-time
assessments); the majority of these new assessments
were for plants (1,993 species), invertebrates (2,525
species), and reptiles (943 species); in addition 23 species
of fungi were assessed for The IUCN Red List for the first
time. # Updates of the IUCN Red List in 2017 highlighted the
following situations: precarious situation for North
American ash tree species facing extinction due to an
invasive beetle decimating their populations; significant
declines in some species of African antelopes because of
the loss of wilderness areas and increased levels of
poaching; declines in wild species of rice, wheat and
yams due to overly intensive agricultural production and
urban expansion; steep declines in the Irrawaddy Dolphin
and Finless Porpoise because of poor fishing practices. # On a positive note, the Red List highlighted some
conservation successes in 2017: the Rodrigues Flying Fox
which has improved in status from Critically Endangered
to Endangered; the Okarito Kiwi and Northern Brown
Kiwi both moving one step away from extinction (change
in status from Endangered to Vulnerable). # The first assessments of all wild species of rice and
wheat were published on The IUCN Red List in 2017 as
part of the ongoing process to assess the extinction risk
of species that are key to future human food security.
3a 3b 3c
22
Key theme: IUCN Red List web site traffic and data downloads
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
# In 2017, The IUCN Red List web site received over 3.8
million visitors and 20,9 million page views. The numbers
are similar to those for 2015 and 2016.
# Users are able to export the results of any searches
they carry out on the website, and in 2017 there were
7,400 downloads of these search results (tabular
downloads).
# Along with users being able to download tabular data,
they can also download spatial data, either for individual
species directly from the species range map viewer or via
the Spatial Data Download page where spatial data for
multiple species can be downloaded (e.g., spatial data for
all mammals): in 2017 there were 51,529 spatial data
downloads (including data for individual species and
bulk-data downloads) comprising over 64,5 million
records; the number of downloads are slightly lower than
for 2016, but that was to be expected as there were no
new comprehensively assessed taxonomic groups
published in 2017.
3a
Key theme: IBAT (Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool)
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
A new functionality was added – the Country Profile, which is as powerful way of looking at information nationally.
# This recently renewed IBAT Research and Conservation
Planning portal was launched in December 2016 at the
CBD CoP13 and was actively promoted to countries
throughout 2017.
* The IBAT Country Profile tool can be reached via the
portal (https://www.ibat-alliance.org/ibat-conservation/):
It delivers nationally relevant data that are extracted
from global datasets (IUCN Red List, Protected Area
coverage and Key Biodiversity Areas), including national
cuts of the Red List Index, to support national
conservation planning and reporting, particularly the
compilation of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action
Plans (NBSAPs).
3a
23
© Viola Clausnitzer
Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG)
Key theme: Single hub to integrate all knowledge products on invasive species
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
The Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) has progressed with the implementation of a single hub to integrate all knowledge products on invasive species.
* In collaboration with the IUCN Global Species
Programme (GSP) in Cambridge.
# An update on this was presented at the IUCN SSC
Steering Committee meeting in Cartagena in 2017.
# The direction of the ISSG’s future work is discussed in
the article: Latombe G., et al. (2017) A vision for global
monitoring of biological invasions. Biological
Conservation, 213, 295–308.
4d
Key theme: Integration of invasive alien species data within the Protected Planet database
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Discussions initiated with the UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) to explore pathways for such integration.
# Although progress has temporarily stalled after the
initial meetings, there are plans to reignite these
discussions.
4d
24
Key theme: Enhancing the content of key ISSG knowledge products with the data and information generated through project activities and solicited from experts, researchers and practitioners.
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Efforts to integrate with the data and information generated through project activities and solicited from experts, researchers and practitioners.
# The ISSG contributed to several analyses of pathways
including:
Pergl J., Pyšek P., Bacher S., Essl F., Genovesi P. et al.
(2017) Troubling travellers: are ecologically harmful alien
species associated with particular introduction
pathways? Neobiota, 32, 1–20;
Saul W.-C., Roy H.E., Booy O., Carnevali L., Chen H.-J.,
Genovesi P. et al. (2017) Assessing patterns in
introduction pathways of alien species by linking major
invasion data bases. Journal of Applied Ecology, 54, 657–
669.
4d
Key theme: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (www.griis.org)
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
ISSG was able to make good progress in the development of the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species with funding support from the EC, channelled through the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
# Phase 1 – completed draft lists for all Parties to the
CBD. Outcomes of this activity have been published in
Scientific Data of Nature
(https://www.nature.com/sdata/), with a very broad
global media coverage. I.e.
https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata2017202
# Information extracted from GRIIS and GISD has been
used in global meta-analyses published in articles
including:
Seebens H., Blackburn T.M., Dyer E.E., Genovesi P., et al
(2017) No saturation in the accumulation of alien species
worldwide. Nature Communications, 8, 14435.
Structure of GRIIS have been published in a dedicated
article: Pagad S., Genovesi P., Carnevali L., Schigel D., &
McGeoch M.A. (2018) Data Descriptor: Introducing the
Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species.
Scientific Data, 5.
4d
25
Key theme: Environmental Impact Classification of Alien Taxa (EICAT)
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Consultation of the Environmental Impact Classification of Alien Taxa (EICAT) methodology, worked together between ISSG and the GSP completed in July 2017
The conclusions of this consultation support a
continuation of work that is currently being implemented
and results of the consultation were to the IUCN SSC
Steering Committee in their annual meeting in
Cartagena.
Progress has also been presented at the Liaison Group on
Invasive Aliens Species and at an Experts Meeting of the
CBD held in Montreal.
Several technical meetings have been held to discuss
next steps in the implementation of EICAT.
A paper describing the SEICAT methodology has been
published in Bacher S., Blackburn T.M., Essl F., Genovesi
P., et al. (2018) Socio-economic impact classification of
alien taxa (SEICAT). Methods in Ecology and Evolution,
2018, 158–168.
4c
Key theme: Input to Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Programme (BIOPAMA).
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Progress on the implementation of projects within the BIOPAMA.
# Data and information has been collated for the
countries of Africa, including the Indian Ocean Islands
and countries in Oceania.
4b 4d
Key theme: Input to the World Heritage Programme
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Discussions were initiated to complete an assessment of the impacts of invasive alien species on the natural value of World Heritage Sites.
* While there was a good amount of interest, we failed
to secure the funding support we were seeking.
4b 4d
26
Key theme: Guidance on the management of invasive alien species
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Guidance on the management in protected areas and other areas of high biodiversity value.
* The ISSG Chair was invited to become member of the
World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) to follow
up on this activity.
4d
Key theme: Bolster work at national and regional scales
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Workshops and advice to enhance capacity for the use of invasive species data in setting targets for management action and in developing a strategy and action plan for the management of invasive species.
# One workshop was facilitated in the United Arab
Emirates.
# The ISSG actively supports the Secretariat of the Pacific
Region Environment Programme and has developed
compendiums of alien and invasive species data for eight
countries that have developed their National Invasive
Species Strategies as part of a GEF supported
programme.
# ISSG has contributed to the development of national
indicators on invasive alien species through participation
in technical meetings in several areas of the world.
# ISSG continues supporting the European Environmental
Agency on this issue.
4d
Key theme: Communication
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
The ISSG operates a very active mailing list service known as Aliens-L. (https://list.auckland.ac.nz/sympa/info/aliens-l) and a Facebook page.
# Membership has steadily increased to over 1,450
members.
# A referral system is active with requests for information
and linkages with requests from experts being received
regularly.
# On average, 6-8 requests are received every week.
4d
27
The ISSG chair and members active participation actively in for a, meetings and main scientific conferences.
# Annual Conference for Invasion Biology in South Africa.
# Island Eradication Congress, Dundee, Scotland.
# Meeting of the Council of Europe Group of Experts on
Invasive Species, Madeira, Portugal.
# Seminar on invasive species, Seychelles.
# Annual Research Meeting of the Center of Invasion
Biology at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
4d
Key theme: Strategic advice on policy related to the prevention of the introduction of alien and invasive species, management and support with data and information.
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Convention on Biological Diversity, other international conventions
* The ISSG is an active partner in the CBD convened
Global Invasive Alien Species Information Partnership
(GIASIP). # Chaired an Experts Workshop organised by the CBD
and held in Montreal in December 2017. * ISSG is an active member of the Liaison Group on
Invasive Species (LGIAS), with FAO, CBD, CABI, IMO and
other members; # ISSG chaired the latest LGIAS meeting held in Brussels
in November 2017. # ISSG has also made some progress in engaging with the
Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), the Ramsar
Convention and FAO in IAS issues.
4a
Global and regional political institutions.
# The ISSG has made good progress in engagement with
UNEP-WCMC and the Global Biodiversity Information
Facility (GBIF). # The ISSG has made good progress in engagement with
the European Commission, the European Council and,
the Secretariat of the Pacific Environmental Programme, # Supporting the European Commission in the
implementation of the EU Regulation 1143/2014 on
invasive alien species.
4a
28
Funding The ISSG secured funding to:
# update the Policy Response Indicator (CBD) including
measuring resource allocation by national governments
towards invasive species management action (as outlined
in the Sustainable Development Goal SDG 15.8.1
indicator,
# develop a new indicator on measuring “Trends in
pathways of introduction of invasive species”.
# Factsheets submitted for both indicators to the
Biodiversity Indicators Partnership (BIP).
4a 4b
29
© Kira Mileham
Implementing the Key Biodiversity Areas Programme (KBA)
Key theme: Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) Standards and Appeals Committee (SAC)
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) Standards and Appeals Committee (SAC) established and members appointed.
The combined expertise of the SAC includes: terrestrial,
freshwater, and marine systems; Asia, Africa, North
America, South America, Europe, and Australia;
conservation
5a
Terms of reference for KBA SAC
Available at:
http://www.keybiodiversityareas.org/kba-
partnership/kba-standards-and-appeals-committee
Terms of Reference for collaboration between the SAC
and the Technical Working Group (TWG) of KBA,
developed and reviewed by SAC and TWG members, and
signed by the SAC Chair and the TWG cogenetics;
mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fishes,
invertebrates, fungi, and plants; ecosystems and
ecological integrity; systematic conservation planning,
Indigenous and community land rights, community-based
natural resource management, and social dimensions of
conservation; the IUCN Red List, Alliance for Zero
Extinction sites, Ramsar sites, protected areas.
5a
30
Development of a Procedure for Handling of Appeals against the Identification of Key Biodiversity Areas.
Reviewed and approved by members of the SAC and the
KBA Committee.
Available online at:
http://www.keybiodiversityareas.org/kba-
partnership/kba-standards-and-appeals-committee
5b
Key theme: KBA Guidelines
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Draft Guidelines on Using A Global Standard for Identifying Key Biodiversity Areas
Developed in close collaboration with the TWG co-Chairs
and circulated for review by SAC and TWG members.
A 4 ½ day Joint SAC/TWG KBA Guidelines Development
Workshop was held at International Conservation House,
Airlie (VA, USA) on October 31st – November 4th 2017.
The workshop brought together members of the SAC and
the TWG to work on key issues emerging during
development of the KBA Guidelines.
The KBA Guidelines Version 1.0 will be published in 2018.
Version 1.0 will cover Criteria A, B, C, D, but not Criterion
E, as a key expert was unable to participate in the
Guidelines Development Workshop. Criterion E will be
included in Version 2.0 of the KBA Guidelines.
5b
Coordination with IUCN Red List of Ecosystems
A conference call to discuss coordination was held with
David Keith, Emily Nicholson, Stephen Woodley, and
Penny Langhammer in December 2017.
5c
31
© Kira Mileham
Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG)
Key theme: Population and Habitat Viability Assessment (PHVA) and Species Conservation Planning.
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Workshops # 28 workshops held in 14 countries and involving 645
people from 331 organizations.
6a
Conservation Plans # 20 plans were developed: 13 Mammals, 3 Birds, 2
Insects, 1 Reptile and 1 Fish.
6a
Species Conservation Planning Support Directory
* It is a resource where IUCN SSC Specialist Groups can
seek technical assistance for species conservation
planning, through the connection with other Specialist
Groups willing to share their expertise.
# A portfolio of species conservation planning related
training courses –including online and face-to-face
courses–, in order to increase the number of qualified
planners available to CPSG and SSC.
6a
The IUCN SSC Guidelines for Species Conservation Planning
# Version 1.0 launched during 2017. 6b
32
Key theme: CPSG 2018-2020 Strategic Plan
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Formulation of CPSG Strategic Plan2018-2020.
# Set six planning-specific Key Species Results (KSRs) that
CPSG will achieve in collaboration with other SSC and
IUCN members: KRS15, KRS16, KRS17, KRS18, KRS21,
KRS25.
# Five goals were devised.
# A Species Conservation Planners Development Path
created and launched: This is an 18-month long
development path, which provides mentorship to future
planners to the point where they can lead their own
multi-stakeholder planning processes.
# The SSC Species Conservation Planning Project
Inventory was developed and launched: a list of SSC
Specialist Group-led, or enabled, planning projects to be
6b
33
© Wendy Foden
Advancing the SSC’s Work Climate Change and Species - Climate Change Specialist Group (CCSG)
Key theme: IUCN SSC Guidelines for Assessing Species’ Vulnerability to Climate Change or Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (CCVA) guidelines.
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Maintain and update # Translation into Spanish, to be published in 2018.
# A second edition of these guidelines –English version–
are also underway, in order to be published in 2019.
# Based on the guidelines, the CCSG was invited to write
a review on the field of climate change vulnerability
assessment of species by the journal WIRES Climate
Change to be published in 2018.
* Above paper with 18 co-authors contributed expertise
from their work on six continents, most ecosystems —
from oceans to deserts—, a broad range of species
groups —from mammals to plants and insects— and
from practical to academic perspectives. The paper also
provides valuable guidance for including climate change
in IUCN Red List assessments of species’ extinction risk.
7a
34
Key theme: Inclusion within the IUCN Red List system
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Methodology # Continued updates to the climate change components
in section 12 of the IUCN Red List Guidelines.
# The CCVA guidelines were enhanced containing further
guidance on Red Listing under climate change.
# Started to develop a pilot study named “Incorporating
Red List Assessments with Climate Change Models and
Species Vulnerability for Amphibians in Colombia”.
# CCSG also supported modeling efforts of the SSC
Groups, this included: (i) providing a list of resources —
data sources, modelling tools, etc.—; (ii) reviewing the
modelling methods that each group is planning to use,
and (iii) providing feedback on the interpretation of their
results.
7b
Study cases and databases # Following above, there is an ongoing test case related
to the Bumblebee Specialist Group on modeling and red
listing: The long-term goal will be to develop a model
review and advice service for all Specialist Groups and
Red List Authorities.
# CCSG carried out an assessment workshop related to
trait-based vulnerability to climate change of Borneo
Trees, to increase the understanding of climate change
impact on species.
# Gathering some impact examples in order to know
which species have been affected by climate change and
why.
# CCSG also supported the development of the 'climate
crowd' https://wwfclimatecrowd.org/ which aims to
gather human responses to climate change in order to
integrate them into existing biodiversity vulnerability
assessment protocols: Until now, 992 'crowd-sourced'
reports have been gathered through it.
7b
35
Key theme: Inclusion of Climate Change Perspective into other guidelines
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Activities to develop and recommend adaptation measures as well as monitor their effectiveness in the context of conservation.
# A peer reviewed publication is under development,
with perspectives on the issue, as a tool to help
conservationists consider the range of adaptation options
available.
# CCSG is developing guidance for assessing social
impacts of climate change adaptation that will result in a
publication in 2019.
# Informing IUCN policy and outreach such as: net
impact of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) on
biodiversity, ensuring consistency between regional and
global assessments; ensuring that Key Biodiversity Areas
(KBA) are climate smart.
7c
Species Conservation Planning.
# In the 2017 version of the IUCN SSC Guidelines for
Species Conservation Planning, it was included a section
on how to take into account climate change, CCVA, and
adaptation planning.
# CCSG is preparing a workshop —to be held in 2018—,
to discuss the criteria for using historical knowledge to
better inform the conservation management of future
biodiversity under climate change.
7c
36
© David Bickford
Addressing Major Conservation Crises
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
Focus on strengthening direct conservation action
*# ASAP has prioritized the Southeast Asia Red Listing as
a main point to help stimulate some conservation
actions. In this sense, a meeting was held in Cambridge in
June to discuss how this could be done as well as discuss
the conservation needs for Freshwater fishes in
Southeast Asia moving forward.
# Started amphibians assessments for Indonesia,
Philippines and mainland Southeast Asia (except
Malaysia): should be completed by January 2018.
# Freshwater fish: Confirmation that funding from the
IUCN SSC grant from Toyota has been allocated for
Indonesia for 2018 and it is hoped that Malaysia and
Philippines will also be carried out then.
# Tortoises and freshwater turtles: ASAP is helping to
organize a red-listing workshop proposed for March 2018
to be held at Singapore Zoo where all 87 tropical Asian
tortoise and freshwater turtle species will be assessed.
8a
ASAP support to planning # The Songbird Trade Summit meeting held at Jurong
Bird Park, Singapore from 19 to 21 February 2017.
8a
Key theme: Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA), and the Asian Species Action Partnership (ASAP).
37
# The National Sunda Pangolin Conservation Strategy
workshop for Singapore, using the regional workshop as
a base to develop national and local planning priorities
with government, and other national stakeholders.
Helped pulling together the final strategy document and
action plan from the Helmeted Hornbill Conservation
Strategy and Action Planning Workshop held in Sarawak,
Malaysia.
Leadership for the development of an appropriate
structure for the Helmeted Hornbill Working Group
(HHWG), as well as liaising with the IUCN SSC and
relevant Hornbill specialists on the creation of the
Hornbill Specialist Group: Some progresses have been
made to discuss the creation and role of the Ex-Situ
Working Group.
Database to collate, store and analyze information related to ASAP species.
* The database will be used to have a better
understanding of the status of ASAP species including
conservation status, effort, threats, policy and ex-situ,
and will be also used to help improving strategic
approaches to ASAP species conservation as well as to
help ASAP to provide better information to stakeholders
including government and regional organizations,
donors, etc.
# In this regard, initial progress on the mapping and
prioritization of ASAP species is underway with concept
document under draft.
8a 8b
Communications # Publication of an introduction to ASAP in the
Amphibian Survival Alliance newsletter, Frogress Report.
# Publication of an article for WAZA News appearing in
the April edition: “The Asian Species Action Partnership:
Status update with a review of in-situ/ex-situ linkages in
averting species extinctions in Southeast Asia”.
# The ASAP website was updated and improved.
8a
38
Political influence. Extensive work with ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB)
and National Parks Singapore on how ASAP could engage
with ACB and incorporate ASAP species conservation into
ASEAN Member State and ACB priorities. The proposal,
focused on two main objectives: 1. ASEAN Regional
Conservation Strategy for Critically Endangered (ASAP)
Species as guidance for ASEAN engagement in and
prioritization of ASAP species conservation; 2.
Implementation of priority actions for conservation of
critically endangered (ASAP) species, is with ACB and
awaiting feedback.
8a 8b
39
© Kira Mileham
The IUCN Green List of Species
Achievements *Importance/#Sub products Eligible
activities
The IUCN Task Force on Assessing Conservation Success (“Green List of Species Task Force”) developed a framework for an easy-to understand, scientifically sound system that communicates how close a given species is to its conservation optimum, as well as how past conservation actions have contributed to species recovery and what the expected outcome will be if those conservation actions continue, change, or are stopped.
# Framework published in: Akçakaya, H.R., Bennett, E.L.,
Brooks, T.M., Grace, M.K., Heath, A., Hedges, S., Hilton-
Taylor, C., Hoffmann, M., Keith, D.A., Long, B., Mallon,
D.P., Meijaard, E., Milner-Gulland, E.J., Rodrigues, A.S.L.,
Rodriguez, J.P., Stephenson, P.J., Stuart, S.N., Young, R.P.
(2018). Quantifying species recovery and conservation
success to develop an IUCN Green List of Species.
Conservation Biology.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/cobi.1
3112
*Progress towards recovery will be considered using four
metrics: Conservation legacy (A) measures the effect of
conservation actions that have been conducted to date.
Conservation dependence (B1) measures the importance
of ongoing and future conservation, focusing on the
expected deterioration in the status of the species if all
conservation actions were to cease. Conservation gain
(B2) measures the importance of ongoing and future
conservation, focusing on the expected improvement in
the status of the species as a result of current and
planned conservation actions. Recovery potential (C)
quantifies conservation aspiration, measuring the
maximum plausible improvement in the status of the
species with sustained conservation efforts and
conservation innovation over the long-term.
9a
Key theme: Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA), and the Asian Species Action Partnership (ASAP).
40
# The system is being tested, for practicality and
applicability to the full range of species globally, with the
help of different SSC Specialist Groups, aimed on
hundreds of species from a broad range of taxa: This is
coordinated by Dr Molly Grace, a full-time post-doc
working out of the Zoology Department, Oxford
University; At the Steering Committee meeting, we will
discuss this, and how to engage a wide array of
taxonomic SGs.
*The aim is to have a fully-developed and rigorously
tested system completed and ready to be launched at
the 2020 IUCN World Conservation Congress.
Further details can be found here:
https://www.iucn.org/theme/species/about/species-
survival-commission/ssc-leadership-and-steering-
committee/iucn-red-list-committee/iucn-green-list-
species
Task Force additional activities
# Task Force member meeting (Oxford, April).
# Established six working groups to develop further
concepts on: targets and benchmarks; counterfactuals;
viability and functionality; spatial units; technical issues;
and communication (nomenclature and design).
# Introduced the Green List concepts at the Conservation
Planning Specialist Group strategy workshop.
# Secured additional funding from NERC and WWF for
reported activities.
9a
41
INTERVENTIONS
An important task of the Chair is to address emerging conservation issues of serious concern, through
letters which typically highlight species and habitats which are to be impacted, while reminding
governments of their existing commitments (if any) e.g., CBD. Each letter provides all the necessary
background and technical information and a watertight review process (aligning with the IUCN One
Programme approach), led by the Chair’s Office, engaging the appropriate Specialist Group(s), relevant
experts across the network, the IUCN regional offices and IUCN programmes.
During 2017, the following conservation interventions were made: In yellow those of 2016 that I think
should not be reporte.
Mauritius- Cull of Mauritius fruit bats Pteropus niger, 20 September 2016. Inger Andersen (IUCN
Director General) and Jon Paul Rodríguez, sent a letter to His Excellency Mahen Kumar
Seeruttun, Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security of Mauritius, expressing IUCN’s concern
for ongoing culling of the Mauritius fruit bats Pteropus niger in response to crop losses. The
bat is a globally threatened, endemic species and there is concern that culling could impact on
its persistence (an estimated 31,000 bats were culled in 2015). The letter urged the
Government to consider non-lethal mitigation methods to avoid another planned cull in
December 2016. The cull took place triggering a second letter sent on 9 March 2017 where
IUCN again appealed to the Mauritian Government to seek effective and acceptable non-lethal
approaches to bat crop-damage mitigation, with assistance provided by the IUCN SSC Bat
Specialist Group and the Task Force on Human-Wildlife Conflict. The two groups are currently
engaging with the government on finding a solution that addresses the needs of all the
stakeholders involved.
Argentina- Dams on the Santa Cruz River, 12 October 2016. In response to a call for IUCN
members in Argentina, and following up on Resolution 90 from the 2016 World Conservation
Congress, Inger Andersen (IUCN Director General) and Jon Paul Rodríguez sent a letter to
President Macri to express concern for the building of two dams on the Santa Cruz River,
especially due to the lack of environmental impact assessments (EIS) and their potential impact
on survival of the critically endangered hooded grebe (Podiceps gallardoi). On 21 December
2016, Argentina’s Supreme Court unanimously agreed to suspend all work on the dams until
EIS had been carried out and the public had the opportunity to comment.
Namibia- Live capture and export of sea life taken from Namibian waters, 14 October 2016.
Following the advice of the Cetacean Specialist Group, Jon Paul Rodriguez sent a letter to
Moses Maurihungirire, Permanent Secretary of the Namibian Ministry of Fisheries and Marine
Resources, in reference the proposed capture of African penguins (Spheniscus demersus),
bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), killer whales (Orcinus orca), and fur seals
(Arctocephalus spp.) in Namibian waters, apparently for export to China. Hours later, we
received a reponse from Dr. Maurihungirire indicating that the export permit had not yet been
granted, and in December we learned that the request had been withdrawn and the vessel
involved had departed Namibian waters.
Indonesia- Conservation of Lake Mesangat, 17 October 2016. With council from the Crocodile
Specialist Group, and assistance from the ARO and SSC experts in the region, Inger and Jon
42
Paul sent a letter to HE President Joko Widodo of Indonesia to express concern about the
establishment of oil palm plantations in key areas of Lake Mesangat, habitat of the Critically
Endangered Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis). At the time the letter was send, news
was received that Masangat was appointed as an essential ecosystem by the local government,
so the pressure from oil palm plantations has ceased.
China- Water control structure proposed for the outlet to Poyang Lake, 13 December 2016. As
requested by the IUCN China Regional Office (and also with guidance from the Asia Regional
Office, Inger and Jon Paul sent a letter to His Excellency LI Keqiang, Premier, State Council,
Peoples Republic of China, expressing interest and concern over the future of Poyang Lake and
the project to construct a water control structure across the lake’s outlet. Poyang Lake in
winter has globally significant populations of waterbird species including over 98% of the world
population of the Critically Endangered Siberian Crane, over 90% of the Endangered Oriental
Stork, over 50% of the world population of Vulnerable Swan Goose, and almost all the
Vulnerable White-naped Cranes wintering in China. Letters on the same issue were written in
2009, 2010, 2011 and 2014. The need for further intervention was triggered by the move of
the proposal to a public review and environmental impact assessment.
Madagascar- Invasive Asian toad, Duttaphrynus melanostictus, spreading from an epicentre that
coincides with the Ambatovy plant site, 16 December 2016. Inger and Jon Paul wrote to the
lenders of the Ambatovy Joint Venture, to request concrete action to control of the spread of
the toad. This letter follows additional correspondence sent in 2015 which expressed deep
concern about the spread of the invasive toad for Madagascar’s economy, environment and
people. Available evidence indicates the centre of introduction occurred near the Ambatovy
plant site. Besides acknowledgement of receipt of correspondence, and other email exchanges,
no substantial response has been received.
Spain- Status of the European Mink (Mustela lutreola) in Spain, 24 March 2017. With advice
from an SSC member, Jon Paul Rodriguez sent a letter to Sra. Isabel García Tejerina, Ministry of
Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Environment of Spain, to express concern and request action
for the conservation of the Critically Endangered European Mink in Spain. No response has
been received to date.
Vietnam- Environmental impacts of current and proposed tourism development in Son Tra, Da
Nang City, 1 June 2017. Inger Andersen (IUCN Director General) and Jon Paul Rodríguez, sent a
letter to His Excellency Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of the Government of the Socialist
Republic of Vietnam, expressing IUCN’s concern about the current and potential impacts of
tourism development in Son Tra on the red-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus), one of
Vietnam’s most charismatic wildlife species and one of the world’s most threatened primates.
Son Tra is home to about 10% of the total global population of the langur and to about 40% of
its population in Viet Nam. Currently assessed as Endangered, observed population declines
resulting from hunting and habitat loss have dramatically worsened its conservation status and
suggest an up-listing to a higher category of threat is imminent. Two primary recommendations
were proposed for consideration by the government: 1) Revise the Master Plan for the
Development of Son Tra as a National Tourist Area, to ensure that no more luxury resorts are
built on the peninsula. 2) Da Nang City should increase investment in nature conservation in
Son Tra, in order to re-establish the management board of the Son Tra Nature Reserve with the
resources, responsibility, and authority to effectively manage the peninsula (4,339 hectares)
and surrounding sea (c. 4,000 hectares), and put in place the monitoring and control systems
to ensure that the fauna and flora of Son Tra are strictly protected, as well as the coral reefs
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and sea grass beds offshore.
Cambodia- Environmental impacts of the proposed Sambor and Stung Treng hydropower
dams on the Mekong River, 17 August 2017. A jointly signed letter by Inger Andersen and Jon
Paul Rodríguez was sent to the Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia to
express concern about the potential environmental impacts of the proposed Sambor and Stung
Treng hydropower dams on the Mekong River. The Mekong maintains some of the world’s
richest biological diversity. This includes numerous species that are already close to extinction.
Of particular concern are the “river giants,” such as the Critically Endangered Mekong River
population of dolphins and the Mekong giant catfish, as well as endangered giant carp,
stingrays and turtles that live and reproduce in the river. The lower Mekong provides habitat
for about 850 different fish species, 135 of which migrate up and down the overall river system.
Large dams have been shown to reduce fish diversity and block the migratory movements of
many species, in some cases causing their extinction and the loss of valuable fisheries, thereby
also jeopardizing food security. The issue was brought to the attention of the SSC Chair’s Office
by the Cetacean Specialist Group who played a key role in providing the relevant facts and
information for the basis of the letter. Also, with the assistance of the IUCN Asia Regional Office
and the IUCN Water Programme, the letter focused on striking a balance between recognizing
the imperative of Cambodia’s energy development to meet the needs of the Cambodian people
and benefit the country’s economy, while preserving a healthy and diverse environment with
abundant wild species and healthy biodiversity.
Chile- Advanced plans to flood the Ñuble river basin east of the town of San Fabian de Alico in
the Maule Region, 25 September, 2017. The Chair of the Conifer Specialist Group, Martin
Gardner, highlighted an urgent issue regarding plans for two hydroelectric projects – Embalse
Punilla and Central Ñuble de Pasada – in an area designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in
2011 and which forms part of the “Corredor Biológico Nevados de Chillán Laguna del Laja”. In a
letter to the Man and Biosphere Programme of UNESCO, signed by the Chair of the SSC, the
cultural, social and environmental impacts of the two schemes were outlined, including the loss
of 1,720 hectares of native forest and 11 archaeological sites as well as displacement of about
100 families. This area is also a very important refuge for the globally Endangered Patagonian
Huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus). The purpose of the letter was to ensure UNESCO is fully
aware of the situation in one of its most important Chilean Biosphere Reserves, with an
assurance that everything possible is being done to make the Chilean authorities aware of the
potential devastating effect on the biodiversity in the Ñuble river basin if the hydroelectric
scheme goes ahead.
Indonesia- Conservation action planning for orangutans in Indonesia, 6 December 2017. A
letter signed by the SSC Chair, was sent to the Minister of Environment and Forestry of the
Republic of Indonesia expressing concern about conservation action planning for Orangutans in
Indonesia. The letter drew attention to the recently published population and Habitat Viability
Assessment (PHVA) for Orangutans, outlining the strategies for the new Action Plan for
Orangutan Conservation 2017–2027. The main request of the letter was for the Indonesian
Government to support the conservation of orangutans, given the steep decline in their
populations. The key threats were emphasized and included habitat loss, degradation and
fragmentation, killing and poaching, with some suggestions on how to address these. There
was also an offer of assistance and support to the government using the relevant expertise in
the SSC.
Ghana- Critically Endangered White-naped Mangabey (Cercocebus lunulatus) in the Atewa
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Forest, 15 December 2017. A letter jointly signed by the Chair of the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist
Group and the President of the African Primatological Society, and sent to the President of the
Republic of Ghana, was endorsed by the SSC Chair. The purpose of the letter was to draw
attention to recent discovery of the Critically Endangered White-naped Mangabey (Cercocebus
lunulatus) in the Atewa Forest in Ghana. Atewa Forest has been included by the Government of
Ghana in plans for an integrated bauxite industry because of deposits in the hill tops. The letter
noted that, since the extraction of bauxite will require the forest to be removed, this would
certainly lead to the loss of this rare primate. Urgency was stressed in the letter of the need for
these mining plans to be removed from Atewa Forest and made into a National Park.
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CONCLUDING REMARKS
The work of SSC is possible due to the generous financial contributions of our 33 supporting
organizations. In 2017, the Commission Operational Fund provided by IUCN to SSC was CHF 235,000,
representing 16% of our total annual income (including CHF 300,000 allocated to the IUCN Global Species
Programme). SSC's supporting organizations, of which EAD is the largest contributor, allow us to mobilize
our 8,000+ member network in 162 countries, and build a team that would otherwise be out of our reach.
More importantly, the support provided by EAD enables us to focus on our vision of a just world that
values and conserves nature through positive action to reduce the loss of diversity of life on earth. The first
year of the quadrennium spanned by our Memorandum of Agreement was comparatively inward looking.
We focused on reaching out to the leadership of the Commission and identifying their strengths, needs
and plans. We also designed and built the Chair’s office team so that it would be able to deliver de IUCN
Species Strategic Plan 2017-2020. We multiplied our reach by linking our specialist groups with dozens of
organizations around the world. During the remainder of the quadrennium we seek to expand the
capacity of the SSC network to develop conservation plans, implement conservation action, and use the
scientific knowledge of our experts to guide the decisions of policy makers.
Two important publications were produced by our network in 2017: Back from the Brink and Second
Nature: Changing the Future for Endangered Species. Together, they document around 80 conservation
success stories that demonstrate that reversing the path to extinction is possible. They show that even in
cases when only a handful of individuals are left, scientific knowledge, combined with the determination
and perseverance of a few individuals, is what it takes to bring a species back. Our goal is to be able to say
that the actions of our network during this quadrennium had comparable achievements in saving species
from extinction. Your support to SSC gives us confidence that we have the resources to make this happen.