550 Briefly INTERNATIONAL
IUCN SSC network awarded Guinness World Records title The IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest volunteer con- servation science network. This prestigious recognition was possible thanks to the dedication of .10,000 volunteer experts from nearly every country in the world. Together, they work to achieve the vision of ‘a just world that values and conserves nature through positive action to both pre- vent the loss and aid recovery of the diver- sity of life on Earth’. Guinness World Records is the global authority on record- breaking achievements, documenting and celebrating superlative accomplishments. Each record title must fulfil all of the fol- lowing criteria: measurable, breakable, standardizable, verifiable, based on one variable, and the best in the world. IUCN SSC members are encouraged to use their SSC affiliation when they present their work at conferences, in articles or in the news, to identify themselves as part of the largest volunteer conservation science network. Source: IUCN (2024)
iucn.org/news/ 202407/historic-achievement-iucn-species- survival-commission-recognised-guinness- world-records
Incorporating traditional knowledge into the Biodiversity Plan Countriesmust respect the rights of Indigen- ousPeoples andlocalcommunities toachieve theworld’smajor international commitment onbiodiversity, the
BiodiversityPlan.This in- cludes acknowledging their rights to nature and their contributions to the conservation and sustainable use of
biodiversity.Monitor- ing how their rights are realized is crucial. In May, a subsidiary body of the UN Conven- tion on Biological Diversity (CBD) accepted newrecommendations on traditional knowl- edge indicators, which are now included in the monitoring framework for the Biodi- versity Plan. These recommendations were informed by a workshop that brought together experts at theUNEnvironmentPro- gramme World Conservation Monitoring Centre’s (UNEP-WCMC) headquarters in Cambridge, UK. Adopting these recommen- dations will be a huge step forward towards integrating indicators that relate to the rights of Indigenous Peoples and their traditional knowledge in national reporting to the CBD. Source: UNEP-WCMC (2024) unep-wcmc. org/en/news/remarkable-progress-made- towards-incorporating-traditional- knowledge-into-the-biodiversity-plan
CITES study reveals inconsistent reporting of shark and ray trade Inconsistent reporting of data on shark and ray trade causes problems for conservation efforts. Over 24% of all shark and ray spe- cies are threatened with extinction. A new study found that different countries and or- ganizations use varying units of measure- ments related to shark and ray trade, leading to discrepancies in reported data. It also identified a lack of clarity on reporting re- quirements for certain types of catches and inconsistencies in how catches from differ- ent territories are reported. One of the most concerning findings is thewidespread under- reporting of CITES-listed shark and ray spe- cies. This underreporting could be because of a lack of awareness or understanding of reporting obligations, or wilful non-compli- ance. The report calls for increased collabor- ation between international organizations to standardize data collection and reporting practices, including reporting all catch with details on its fate, mandating reporting by weight and at the species level, and adopting internationally recognized coding systems. Source: TRAFFIC (2024)
traffic.org/news/ missing-sharks-ii
Action needed to conserve most threatened vertebrate group An updated Amphibian Conservation Action Plan, a collaborative document authored by.100 global experts, was pub- lished in July, synthesizing developments in amphibian knowledge and practice over the last 15 years. The IUCN Species Survival Commission Amphibian Specialist Group, who oversaw the document development, hopes that this freely available Action Plan will help provide a solid evidence base for amphibian conservation actions globally, as well as highlighting areas of knowledge where more research is needed. Nearly 41% of amphibian species are at risk of ex- tinction according to the Second Global Amphibian Assessment published on the IUCN Red List in 2023, which confirmed the group’s status as the most threatened class of vertebrates. The new Action Plan emphasizes the need for urgent action to address this conservation crisis. The goal is for this globally scoped document to in- form action at regional and local levels, and for the Amphibian Specialist Group to act as a conduit to feed regional experi- ences into global knowledge, improving amphibian conservation action worldwide. Source: IUCN (2024)
portals.iucn.org/ library/node/51531 &
iucn.org/news/ 202407/action-needed-conserve-most- threatened-vertebrate-group-updated- amphibian-conservation
Deadly bird flu infects hundreds of species globally The world is experiencing the fastest- spreading, largest-ever outbreak of H5N1, a highly contagious, deadly strain of avian influenza. Scientists believe this virus now presents an existential threat to the world’s biodiversity, with the risk to humans rising as it continues to leap the species barrier and reach new host species. It has already af- fected at least 485 bird and 48 mammal spe- cies, killing seals, sea otters, dolphins, foxes, California condors, albatrosses, bald eagles, cougars, polar bears and a zoo tiger. Since it emerged in Europe in 2020, the virus has spread globally. It is both lethal and unusu- ally transmissible, jumping between birds, wild mammals and livestock. Carried by birds along migratory pathways, it has in- vaded six continents, including Antarctica, with only Australia and the Pacific Islands being spared so far. The virus continues to spread to new hosts as it evolves and picks up genes fromother bird flu strains. Source: Mongabay (2024)
news.mongabay. com/2024/08/animal-apocalypse-deadly- bird-flu-infects-hundreds-of-species-pole- to-pole
Study reveals global conservation gaps and opportunities for protected areas The global network of protected areas has ex- panded significantly in the past decade and is expected to cover at least 30%of land and sea by 2030. However, the distribution of pro- tected areas is highly heterogeneous and the social–environmental conditions enabling or hindering the establishment of protected areas are not well understood. Using a range of 14 socio-economic and environmental fac- tors, a team of scientists have characterized the multidimensional niche of terrestrial and marine protected areas. They examined, at the global scale, whether particular loca- tions have pre-existing conditions that are fa- vourable for the establishment of protected areas. The researchers found that protected areas, particularly the most restrictive ones, are most common in locations where human development and the number of NGOs are high. Based on the spatial distri- bution of vertebrates and the likelihood to convert non-protected areas into strictly protected areas, the study identified areas of high vertebrate diversity that are either fa- vourableorunfavourable toprotectedarea es- tablishment. In locations where protected areas are unrealistic, alternative strategies such as other effective area-based conserva- tion measures or privately protected areas could deliver conservation outcomes. Source: Nature Communications (2024)
doi.org/np5m
Oryx, 2024, 58(5), 549–554 © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605324001698
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140
