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

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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.

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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.

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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)

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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.

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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.

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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:

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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.