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Another indirect output of the CSG is a new website of the
Conifer Conservation Programme at the Royal Botanic
Garden, Edinburgh, which can be accessed here. The Conifer
Specialist Group has a close association with the Conifer
Conservation Programme of the RBG in Edinburgh, and there
was continuous collaboration in 2013 with their staff, who are
also key players in the CSG. The results of the Red List of
Conifers project, as well as the Atlas, feed directly into that
programme providing a link to conservation action.
We acknowledge support from the Framework Grant from
the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi to the IUCN Species
Survival Commission for the red listing of conifers.
Araucaria araucana and Volcan Llaima, P.N. Conquillio, Chile. © Aljos Farjon
The Conifer Specialist Group has achieved a major goal in
2013 in delivering a second full IUCN Red List assessment of
all conifer taxa (species and lower ranks). The launch of the
new Red List of Conifers on The IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species took place in July 2013. Of the 615 species
assessed, 211 are threatened with extinction on The IUCN Red
List of Threatened Species.
Changes between the two assessments show a downward
trend, i.e. more species have moved into higher categories of
threat. This is caused by a combination of factors, including
the greater accuracy of assessment and more detailed
information, and actual deterioration of the ecological situation
in other cases. Decline is primarily associated with habitat
degradation or destruction; exploitation is another major
cause. A more detailed report was presented to the office of
the SSC Chair and there was some press coverage around the
Red List launch in July.
An indirect achievement of the CSG is the publication by
the Chair, Aljos Farjon, and co-author Denis Filer of An Atlas of
the World’s Conifers with the publisher Brill in Leiden. This
Atlas is based on 37,000 verified herbarium records of conifers
and shows the distribution of all eight families, 70 genera and
615 species and their varieties on geographical maps. The
book discusses distribution patterns, endemism, biodiversity
hot spots and conservation status. The publication date is
November 2013.
Aljos Farjon
Chair, Conifer Specialist Group
Conservation Breeding Specialist Group
CBSG’s mission is to save threatened species by increasing
the effectiveness of conservation planning efforts worldwide.
During 2013, CBSG conducted 12 Population and Habitat
Viability Assessment (PHVA) or Species Conservation Planning
Workshops in 10 countries for species including brown howler
monkey, red panda, and Sonoran pronghorn. In addition, we
carried out six training workshops and seven planning
workshops for conservation organizations. Several of these
projects were conducted in collaboration with other SSC
Specialist Groups including Reintroduction, South Asian
Invertebrates, Polar Bear, Pinniped, Galliformes, and others.
CBSG continues to support integrated conservation
planning across the range of captive and wild populations.
WAZA Magazine 14 included a number of articles submitted
by CBSG members highlighting the One Plan approach and
our development of tools to support and promote linkages
between conservation efforts across the continuum of
management strategies.
The drafting group produced a draft of IUCN Guidelines for
Ex Situ Management at the end of 2012; this went out for
review to a large group of people – including Specialist Group
chairs, regional zoo associations, botanical gardens, seed
banks, agricultural genome resource banks, NGOs, and other
stakeholders. A revised draft is now being finalized and will be
IUCN SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group.
46 IUCN species Annual Report 2013