Conservation News 557


threatened tick species is in development and additional ex situ insurance populations may be established at other universities and zoos. The success of the ongoing Ryukyu rabbit tick con-


servation programme demonstrates that both in situ and ex situ parasite conservation are achievable. This pro- gramme also highlights the importance of collaboration between philanthropic organizations, government minis- tries and conservation biologists to safeguard threatened parasites against extinction.


MACKENZIE L. KWAK1,2 (mackenziekwak@gmail.com), YURIE TAYA2,MARIKO SUZUKI3,KEITA MATSUNO4 and


RYO NAKAO2 1IUCN Species Survival Commission Parasite Specialist Group. 2Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. 3AmamiWildlife Conservation Center, Ministry of the Environment, Kagoshima, Japan. 4International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan


This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence CC BY NC ND 4.0.


IUCN Species Survival Commission Wild Tulip Specialist Group established


In April 2024, the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) established a new Wild Tulip Specialist Group. This new group will help raise the profile of non-tree plant conservation and highlight the need for conservation in often overlooked regions such as Central Asia. This international group of scientists, practitioners and


science communicators will assess, plan and act for the con- servation of tulip species. The group will strive to assess all wild tulip species for the IUCN Red List, plan and imple- ment projects to alleviate threats and monitor wild popula- tions, build networks and partnerships to ensure effective ex situ collections, build and share capacity, and develop com- munication pieces to engage with local communities, the public and policy makers. There are an estimated 90–100 species of tulips distributed


across the semi-deserts, steppes, grasslands and mountain meadows of large parts of temperate Eurasia, from western China and Mongolia to the Balkans, with a single species in Iberia and north Africa. The majority of species occur in two diversity hotspots, with one centred on western Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus, and the other in Central Asia, where over 60%of species occur. Currently.50%ofwild tulips assessed onthe IUCNRedList are categorizedas threatened,withmany others Near Threatened or unassessed. Research has shown that climate change and other anthropogenic stressors such as livestock overgrazing, mining, urbanization, overcollection and illegal trade threatenmany tulip populations.


The Wild Tulip Specialist Group will focus on the entire distribution of wild tulips, encompassing a range of cultures, ecosystems and varying amounts of previous research. The group proposes to use its combined expertise to build an evidence base to inform decision-making and science- based conservation for wild tulips. The group is diverse both geographically and technically, with 35 members from 14 countries (Albania, Azerbaijan, Denmark, Finland, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, the Netherlands, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, the UK and Uzbekistan). Addressing global, regional and local challenges to conserve wild tulips will require innovative and diverse perspectives, knowledge and skills. The new group will also collaborate with other SSC taxonomic, national and species-based groups, and invites researchers, practitioners and communi- cation experts with a passion for wild tulips, particularly those fromthe Caucasus, Türkiye, Iran and China, to contact us for further information on engaging with this new community of experts.


BRETT WILSON1,2 (bdw35@cam.ac.uk) and


ORMON SULTANGAZIEV1,3 1IUCN Species Survival CommissionWild Tulip Specialist Group. 2UN Environment ProgrammeWorld


Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK. 3Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK


This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence CC BY 4.0.


IUCN Species Survival Commission Amphibian Specialist Group launches Eastern Asian Salamander Task Force


The IUCN Species Survival Commission Amphibian Specialist Group provides the scientific foundation for action to conserve amphibians. This is achieved through several approaches, including Task Forces, which are responsible for a specific taxonomic, regional or thematic focus. Globally, 60% of the Caudata are threatened, in particu-


lar by invasive species, chytridiomycosis, habitat loss and degradation, exploitation and climate change. In eastern Asia,.65%are threatened, with one species already extinct. In view of this, together with the likelihood of threats increasing and the need for taxonomic evaluations, the Amphibian Specialist Group established the Eastern Asian Salamander Task Force in May 2024. The geographical scope of the Task Force ranges fromeast-


ernmost Russia to westernmost Iran, and south to Thailand, an area that encompasses 187 species: all Hynobiidae (99 species), and subsets of Salamandridae (82), Cryptobranchi- dae (5)and Plethodontidae (1). Salamandrinae from western Asia are not included as they are more closely related to


Oryx, 2024, 58(5), 555–564 © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605324001042


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