May 2020

21 October 2020 is the next deadline to submit a proposal for the Recovery of Species on the Brink of Extinction funding opportunity.

In a partnership between National Geographic, Fondation Segré and IUCN SSC, the goal of this request for funding is to halt further biodiversity decline by implementing species conservation plans for species and groups of species.

For further information, please visit the funding opportunity webpage or send an email.

Humanity’s relationship with the natural world is more important than ever. At the IUCN Congress, experts showcase the latest conservation science, policy and best practice. IUCN’s government, civil society and indigenous peoples’ Member organisations vote to set priorities for nature conservation and sustainable development actions for the decades ahead.

IUCN and France have postponed the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2020 to 7-15 January 2021. Learn more about the event, participation and the implications of the new dates on the Congress website.

To receive IUCN Congress updates, subscribe here.

Read the latest updates from the IUCN SSC Chair's Office in the new Quarterly Report, available here.

The Endangered Indian Dot Frog (Uperodon Mormorata) is endemic to the Western Ghats, India. Surveys across Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg by AERF researchers revealed a correlation of this species with sacred groves. They found that these old growth forest fragments offer critical habitat and are ideal spaces for conserving this species in Northern Western Ghats.

The Hawaiʻi Plant Specialist Group is using this stay-at-home time to accelerate urgent IUCN Red Listing of Hawaiʻi's almost 1,400 native plants. About 90% are endemic to Hawaiʻi and many are of conservation concern. For example, Erythrina sandwicensis (wiliwili) was recently assessed as Vulnerable and faces many threats, mainly from introduced species.

A Facilitator’s Guide to Species Conservation Planning

This document serves as the text for the CPSG’s online training. It supports individuals tasked with facilitating in situations where multiple entities have influence over what conservation interventions will be permitted or accepted, and where effort will be required to achieve some form of consensus.

A Guide to Facilitating Virtual Workshops

This guide shares advice from the Conservation Planning Specialist Group on choosing the right tools, designing virtual sessions, preparing participants and more! You can download a PDF on the CPSG's website. Alternatively, access a Google doc that will be updated with further insights. Please comment and share your own experiences!

CPSG Species Conservation Planning Reports

The Conservation Planning Specialist Group has published numerous new species conservation planning reports in recent months for the dhole, Cape parrot, Columbian white-tailed deer, snakes and lizards of Sri Lanka, takahē, Brazilian parrots (also available in Portuguese), Conception Bank silver boa, Sulu hornbill, and Sunda freshwater fishes.

As part of the SOS African Wildlife initiative, funded by the European Union, IUCN Save Our Species is inviting proposals for Rapid Action Grants to respond to threats linked to the COVID-19 crisis and its consequences.

You can learn more and submit an application through the SOS Online Portal.

The IUCN SSC Asian Species Action Partnership (ASAP), with support from Fondation Segré, has launched a Rapid Action Fund for tackling the extinction crisis in Southeast Asia. Small grants are now available for urgent conservation action that focuses on Critically Endangered land and freshwater vertebrate species found in Southeast Asia (ASAP species).

The UK Government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is happy to announce the opening of Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Challenge Fund Round 7.

The closing date for Stage 1 applications to IWT Challenge Fund is Tuesday 14 July 2020.

Please consult the IWT website for more information.

A new issue of Gajah, the journal of the IUCN SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group, is freely available online here.

The members of the Horseshow Crab Specialist Group invite you to celebrate the first International Horseshoe Crab Day on 20 June 2020, by educating your local community about the value of horseshoe crabs in our coastal ecosystems.

Please share a link a brief description of any planned activities and any relevant links with Jennifer H Mattei and Kit Yue Kwan (Billy), Co-Chairs of the Horseshow Crab Education Committee.

The Seed Conservation Specialist Group has launched a new website. Learn about the group's vision, access resources for conserving seeds, find inspiration in a showcase of seed conservation projects around the world, and more at seedconservationsg.org

Subscribe to the Conservation Planning Specialist Group weekly updates to learn what CPSG is doing for species and to stay up to date on its most recent publications and training offerings.

IUCN SSC is working with international organisations and the Government of Indonesia to save the Sumatran rhino - which numbers fewer than 80 individuals - from imminent extinction. Learn here about the Indonesian Sumatran Rhino Sanctuaries’ breeding program, which is carefully designed to maximise population growth. 

The March and April 2020 IUCN SULi Digest has been published, including various articles on COVID-19 and wildlife trade.

The 2020 Whitley Gold Award winner is Patrícia Medici, Chair of the IUCN SSC Tapir Specialist Group.

Three more IUCN SSC members are among the other Whitley Award winners:
- Yokyok "Yoki" Hadiprakarsa, member of the Hornbill Specialist Group,
- Jeanne Tarrant, member of the Amphibian Specialist Group, and 
- Abdullah Hussein Ali, member of the Antelope Specialist Group.

The Indianapolis Prize has been awarded this year to Amanda Vincent, Chair of the IUCN SSC Seahorse, Pipefish and Stickleback Specialist Group.

This five-day workshop is aimed at curators, keepers, veterinarians, serious private breeders and field biologists involved in managing breeding birds, both in captivity and in the wild. Whether new to egg incubation or experienced with managing eggs, participants gain a broad range of skills necessary to ensure optimal hatchability both in the incubator and in the nest.

WildTeam UK are currently offering team discounts on all their online training workshops. The next workshops are:

22 June - 27 July: Strategy Development for Wildlife Conservation

1 July - 5 August: Project Management for Wildlife Conservation

A paper published in Conservation Letters showed the utility of a new Bayesian state–space model (JARA: Just Another Red List Assessment) as a decision support tool for assessing population reduction of wide-ranging, long-lived marine taxa. The paper illustrated the approach with four circumglobal pelagic sharks with differing temporal and spatial data deficiency.

The Italian Alps host a small and isolated bear population in an area with very high human density.

From 3-4 animals on the brink of extinction 20 years ago, an ambitious restocking project has preserved the population to number 82-93 today.