size: 7451KB - Crocodile Specialist Group

Foreword
when the Crocodlle Specialist Group (CSG) convened its lst individual who would lhen insert the proposals that had becn
Working Moeting in 1971, all 23 species of tho world's clocoalilians
were endangcred, deplered, or declining in numbers' for review. Following its 1988 rne€ting (Ine' Papua New
s[bmitted and circulate the complele document !o the membe
Excessive exploitation was rampant, regulated harvest almost Guinea), the CSG rcceivcd funds from Mainland Holdings Ltd.
non'existent, and illegal intemational tsade in crocodilian products
was the rule. Some species were on tho very edge of world wildlife Fund-U.S.A., which enabled it to hire John
Crocodrlo Farn, and matching funds from TRAFFIC U S A /
extinchon, e.g., the Onnoco, Siamese, and Philippine crocodilcs,thegharial,andfieApaporisRivercaiman
Thesiluation Uor program at the Univcrsity ofFloriala' U.S.A.' lo comple@
Thorbjamarson, a graduate student in lhe crocodile conservahas
changed dmmatically in thc intervening m years. Today I I tho Action PIan.
specics remain endangcred, seven species critically so' buliust John was assigned the task of producing an Action Plan
u;derone-third (sevcn specjcc' ate abundant enough !o su5l,in composcd of thrce components: species accounts, country
a regulaled harvest, and nearly a quarter (five species) have accounls,andabiogeogmphicoverview Hestanedthetaskin
DoDulationsthatares6bleorinqoasing Muchof lhisimprovem;nt
is directly altribuBblc 10 the myriad efforts of thc Croco' colervation ftom the CSG memb€rs and correspondentscat_
1989 by aSain requesting current proposals for qocodilian
dile Specialist Group and its members scattered round lho tered round lhe world. He also drow together all ihe penincnl
world. CSC membcrs worling for govemmen( agencies and scientific and conservation liloraturc on the statJs, management,
biology, and Fade in crocodilians worldwide. Relevant
non-govemmenlalorganizations OIGOS) wcredirecdvrespon'
sible for dcveloping and implcmenting Foglams for the consorvadon
and managgmcnl of lhe crocodilians of Ausralia' lnds' with sp€cial expenise in each rcgion or species. By April 1990'
scclions were rcviewed by CSC Vice Chalrmen and members
Indoncsia, Nepal,Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, he had produccd a second alrafi of the spc4ies and country
South Africa, United Stalcs, Venczuela, and Zimbabwe. accounB which was avarlable for review by partrcipanls at fie
Others have advised on Fograms in 37 other counlries around 1ofi working Meedng of6eCSG (Gainesvi[e,Florida,U.S A.).
fic worlil. While thcse actions were bcing pursucd on the Ba-seal on commenls receivcd from wildlife biologists, ecologists,
govemment agents, crocodilo farmers, hide buyers and
national ftonls. members werc achvely involved with $e Con_
vention on Intcmational Trade in Endangered Species of Wild alealers, reptile skin tanners, and CITES EprcsenLltivcs at the
Fauna and Flora (CITES), bolh ax members of national delegadons
lo the CITES mcelings and as advisors !o thc CI]ES more information-rich draft was circulated lo the chatman'
meeling, the draft was exlensively rewritten and a third' much
Secrct riat on technical matters Through thcse effons, managemenl
of crocodjlian populatrons for consc alionandsustain-
l9m. Thir Aclion Plan is dle resull of thal final tevicw.
deputy chairman, and executivo officer for rcvicw in October
able ulilizalion has improved and illegal trade has decre3sed Having followed the produclion oflhis Acdon Plan hrough
The conservalion slatus of crocodilians was so voladle that every stage, I can state that John now Dr' Thorbjamalson,
the CSG had to come together in a Working Mceting every having in the interim completed his Ph.D. studics on "Thc
se.ond ycar to asscss changes that had occurrecl and to set ncw Ecology and Behavior of fe Spechcled Caiman (Co,,'Id,
priorilies foraction. Even so, much of what fte Group accomplished
was thc resuh of opportunisuc underulings- Recogniz-
il from dala gleaned from the scignlific litemlure and fmm
cro.rd,r$) in the Central Venczuelan Llanos"-wrote mosl of
ing thc need for a systematic approach, in 1976 at iK 3rd personal insight snd experience The rcmainder came as rnput
Working Mccdng (Maningrida, Australia), lne CSG carablishcd
an "Action Progamme" that focused on 10 specics, a stalcments presenied have been exlensively reviewed by vari-
from CSG colleagucs and reviewers. Howcver' lhe policies and
dozen nalions, thrco high'priority p.ojccls, and a half dozen ous mcmbers of the Group and representhe cunent position of
lesserprojects.
$o CSG on 6esc topics and priorities. This is $e Actjon Plan
In 1978. the CSG prepared its first Action Plan for crocodilian
conservalion, the Conprehe^si're Action Prcerumnz Jor hotessorsMesscI,King,and Dt.Rosstheedilor( Pholographs
of the CS G. John Thorbjamarson is its wri@r and compiler and
I he C o nset vation of C ro c odiler, as panof thc "Seas MustLive" came from various sources, primarily CSG members.
campaign of IUCN/^fiwF. It containcd 18 projecls for ihe The Action Plan idendfies thc species which are most
conse alion of cstuarine and insular sp€cies of crocodilians. endangered, lhe statcs with the least krcwn populadons, and thc
Nonc of the projecls was cver funded as part of $e campaign' aclions thal ffe necded to conscrve various |axa and popula_
bu( four or five were undcrt2ken with outsidc funding. dons. n describcs in general terms what is known aboul the
At iis 1984 (Camcas, Veflezuela) and 1986(Quilo'Ecuador) biology of lbc various species and programs that have been
meetings, lhe CSG accepted lhe responsibility of producing a successful in reluming some populations !o abundance and in
new Action Plan for the conservation of all crocodilians- managing lhem for sustainable use. fie Aclton Plan should
Unfonunalely, relatively few proposals were scnt in, as volunleers
who wcre busy fulfilling lhc responsibilities of &eir jobs CSG members and peoplc intercstcd in crccodilian conser-
orove to be a useful tool in conserving crocodilians.
back home found it difficult 0o write original proposals for vation canhelp us keep the Actlon Plan uPto-date by sending
inclusion in the plan. To complele thc Action Plan in a comments on tie status, distribudon, and problems facing
reasonable period of time i! would have to bc writaen by an various crocodilians 10 the Executive Officer, Crocodile