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hornworts) are very often Endangered, however, usually
forgotten and neglected. Our Specialist Group currently
comprises 26 members in 22 countries.
In March, we had a European Red List workshop in
Sweden, where we updated all country distributional
information. For the first time, the latest Red Data Book of
Brazilian Flora contains bryophytes, it can be downloaded
here. Two students in Brazil are working on action planning for
the conservation of four endemic species of Sphagnum and
other biologists are doing surveys in the Atlantic South East of
Brazil. As part of her conservation efforts in Panama, our
member Dr Noris Salazar has published and distributed an
educational poster on bryophytes (The Mosses. Minute
lanterns of the Forest) to schools and universities. This was
done with financial support from the Women’s Committee of
Smithsonian Institution and Phase II of the Panamanian
Atlantic Biological Corridor (CBMAP II) of the National
Authority of the Environment (ANAM). Our member in
Venezuela, Dr Y. León-Vargas, has finished the web page of
the Venezuelan Red List of Bryophytes. This includes some
important inventories of bryophytes in the Coastal Cordillera
and the Parámo region.
At present, Dr J. A. Harpel is preparing summary status
reports for two of the rare bryophytes in Canada. She is also
working with the Bureau of Land Management, Salem
District’s botanist to publish a book on the rare bryophytes of
Oregon (US). This book will feature short fact sheets on each
species, accompanied by a set of colour photos revealing the
morphology of each species.
Dr Benito C. Tan (Singapore/USA) attended the ASEAN
meeting in the Philippines at the end of November, where he
made a suggestion to host a workshop on the biodiversity and
conservation of non-flowering plant groups in SE Asia. This
workshop will be held in Bogor, Indonesia in 2014, funded by
the Japanese Ministry of Environment. He will be the resource
person at the workshop, teaching the biodiversity and
conservation of bryophytes in SE Asia for a total of 20
representatives of SE Asian countries, who are park officers
and biology teachers.
Dr David Meagher (our representative in Australia) reported
that for 2013, several species newly recorded in Victoria were
added to the advisory list of rare and threatened bryophytes
used by land managers for planning purposes in that state. A
draft list of nationally Endangered bryophytes has been
prepared for discussion and will be published in the next issue
of the Australasian Bryological Newsletter (June 2014). Raising
the public’s awareness of bryophytes continues to be a focus
of conservation-related work. An expedition to find Sorapilla
papuana, one of the rarest bryophytes in Australia, was
successful and was widely reported in Australian media. A field
guide to the mosses of the dry forests of South-eastern
Australia is scheduled to be published in February 2014. This
project was undertaken by Friends of Box-Ironbark Forests
and was led by Dr Cassia Read.
Tomas Hallingbäck
Chair, Bryophyte Specialist Group
Bumblebee Specialist Group
Our aim is to foster the conservation of bumblebees (c. 250
species) and their habitats around the world. The group
consists currently of 75 members from 22 countries. Our
Bombus alpinus. © Pierre Rasmont
newsletter Bumblebee Conservator was introduced, edited by
Ed Spevak (Saint Louis Zoo).
The first regional Red List assessments were completed for
Europe with support from IUCN and assessments for 10
species are published on The IUCN Red List: Bombus alpinus,
B. inexspectatus, B. lapponicus, B. magnus, B. mendax, B.
mucidus, B. perezi, B. pereziellus, B. pyrenaeus, and B.
reinigiellus. In North America, all draft assessments are nearly
ready for review and one species (B. franklini) is published on
The IUCN Red List. In South America, draft assessments are
nearing completion for at least half of the species. In
Mesoamerica, intensive field surveys continue.
In Asia, the faunas are larger and their taxonomy and
distribution is less well known, so much more remains to be
done. In North Asia, bumblebee distributions are being
mapped with first versions of maps to go online at the end of
the year, although field surveys and quantification of
populations continues. In West Asia, field surveys are being
extended to new areas in Iran. In East Asia, with half of the
world’s species, field surveys have extended into remote and
rarely visited areas such as the Kunlun mountains, and the first
guide with keys and distribution maps to the bumblebees of
North China (78 species) has been produced. An international
workshop for Regional Coordinators of the BBSG is planned
and funding is being sought.
In Russia, the second edition of the Red Book of Tomsk
Oblast was published, which included four bumblebee
species: B. confusus, B. modestus, B. muscorum and B.
patagiatus.
In Canada, B. affinis had previously been listed as
Endangered (largely based on IUCN criteria) federally and
provincially. Three other species are now under assessment:
B. bohemicus, B. occidentalis, and B. terricola. In the US, a
petition for protection of B. affinis under the ESA has been
submitted by the Xerces Society.
Paul Williams
Chair, Bumblebee Specialist Group
Bustard Specialist Group
The mission of the Bustard Specialist Group is to advise
on, support and contribute to the conservation of the three
highly threatened bustards in the Indian subcontinent and
Cambodia. The Bustard Specialist Group currently comprises
Specialist Groups, Task Forces and Red List Authorities
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