October 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.

The Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) will alert scientists, conservation practitioners and policy makers to the potential consequences of invasive alien species, guiding the development of prevention and mitigation measures.

Read the news story and watch the animation.

The 2018 Report of the Species Survival Commission and the Global Species and Key Biodiversity Area Programme is available.

Following the latest update in July, the IUCN Red List has surpassed 120,000 species, with 120,372 species now assessed. Of these, 32,441 are threatened with extinction. Read the press release.

See the What’s New page on the Red List website to discover new functionality, pages and tools, particularly the Red List Index information and the interactive Summary Statistics pages.

Despite a myriad of challenges that the pandemic has presented around the world, the Orchid Specialist Group has continued to make progress with Red List assessments.

CPSG 2019 Annual Report now available

Through its workshops and trainings, CPSG helped change the future for 372 species and the next generation of species conservation champions in 2019.

WEBINARS: New Schedule

Don’t forget to view the Conservation Planning Specialist Group webinar series! Each episode in the series explores an element of or approach to species conservation planning.

As a part of the SOS African Wildlife initiative funded by the European Union, Rapid Action Grants are now available for projects implemented in South Africa and responding to threats linked to the COVID-19 crisis.

You can learn more and submit your applications through the SOS Online Portal.

Fondation Franklinia is accepting project proposals focusing on in-situ conservation of globally threatened trees.

The deadline is Wednesday 25 November. Proposals can be made in English and French.

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

Members of IUCN SSC Canid Specialist Group participated in various projects to protect the Ethiopian Wolf across 2019. The Annual Report of the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme, which is supported by an IUCN Save Our Species grant, is available here.

Despite temporary delays due to COVID-19, the international team hopes to be able to start capturing rhinos in early 2021. Find out more in this blog.

As Sumatran Rhino Rescue marks its second year, learn more about the project and its accomplishments.

SULi is a partner in a project to document and share experiences on engaging communities to tackle illegal wildlife trade. Case study contributions are welcome via email or at peoplenotpoaching.org.

IUCN is deeply saddened by the passing of eminent conservationist Professor Dame Georgina Mace – a leader in the fight against global biodiversity loss, who made key contributions to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and the Union at large.

Find IUCN's tribute here. You can find an appreciation from Eleanor Jane Milner-Gulland and post personal tributes here.

In view of the sanitary situation associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, France and IUCN have decided to postpone the IUCN World Conservation Congress, which was to be held in January 2021 in Marseille. New dates for the event will be announced in due course. Learn more on the Congress website.

To receive IUCN Congress updates, subscribe here.

This five-day workshop from Monday 6 to Friday 10 December 2021 is aimed at curators, keepers, veterinarians, serious private breeders and field biologists involved in managing breeding birds, both in captivity and in the wild.

WildTeam UK are running their final online workshops of 2020:

Strategy Development for Wildlife Conservation
Monday 26 October - Monday 30 November

Project Management for Wildlife Conservation
Wednesday 11 November - Wednesday 16 December

This publication by Red List Partner Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) gives the conservation status of all 158 maple or Acer species. It is part of the Global Tree Assessment, an initiative led by BGCI and the IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group.

The Conservation Planning Specialist Group has published new species conservation planning reports for multiple species, including the Javan leopard, Moroccan raptors, invertebrates in the Azores (in English and Portuguese), and Costa Rican amphibians (in English and Spanish).

Giant Anteater Population Viability Analysis

This peer-reviewed paper outlining a giant anteater Population Viability Analysis was a collaboration between the Anteaters & Highways Project, Instituto Tamandua, and Conservation Planning Specialist Group. Collaborators used data collected in past three years on over 50 animals monitored by radio collars at three different sites.

International partners have developed a conservation strategy for Darwin’s frogs (Rhinoderma darwinii and Rhinoderma rufum) in an initiative led by the IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group.

Read the IUCN SSC news story.

The IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group has published the first-ever IUCN Guidelines for Conserving Connectivity through Ecological Networks and Corridors. Read the press release.

On behalf of and in collaboration with BfN (the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation), the IUCN SSC Monitor Lizard Specialist Group has published a "Visual Identification Guide to the Monitor Lizard Species of the World (Genus Varanus)".

The publication is available in English and German.

The Protected Areas Benefits Assessment Tool+ (PA-BAT+) aims to collate and assess information about the overall benefits from conservation and protection in protected areas.

A paper in ICES Journal of Marine Science synthesised three workshops and years of knowledge painstakingly gathered by the SSG, Shark Trust, and AngelShark Project on the status of three Critically Endangered angel sharks. The paper summarises conservation actions needed to restore and safeguard angel shark populations.

Developed by the IUCN SSC Wildlife Health Specialist Group and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), these guidelines are available in English, French and Spanish.

Gajah, Issue 52, the journal of the IUCN SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group

Orchid Conservation News, Issue 2, by the IUCN SSC Orchid Specialist Group

IUCN CEESP SSC Sustainable Use and Livelihoods (SULi) Digest - August and September 2020

IUCN SSC Vulture Specialist Group Roundup, Issue 13