According to this month's "Species e-Bulletin," a new IUCN study shows that freshwater species in northern Africa face some of the highest levels of threat in continental Africa.
The Bulletin also highlights a WWF-TRAFFIC report on the need for a more concerted effort in managing shark fisheries in the Coral Triangle.
Among Specialist Group news, of note is the establishment of the Boa and Python Specialist Group.
September 2012: The September issue of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) “Species e-Bulletin” highlights a study on the decline of freshwater ecosystems in northern Africa, and other news.
The study, coordinated by the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation and conducted by the IUCN Global Species Programme, shows that freshwater species in northern Africa face some of the highest levels of threat in continental Africa, with 28% of all fishes, molluscs, crabs, dragonflies and damselflies, and aquatic plants threatened with extinction.
The Bulletin also notes that WWF and TRAFFIC released a new report showing the need for a more concerted effort in managing shark fisheries in the Coral Triangle, to help conserve dwindling populations of these threatened species. The report, titled “An Overview of Shark Utilization in the Coral Triangle Region,” reviews the catch, trade, and management of sharks in waters of the six Coral Triangle countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste, plus the neighboring countries of Viet Nam and Fiji.
Among Specialist Group news, of note are: the launch of the new IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group website; the release of the full report on the Cat Specialist Group’s activities for 2011 and 2012; and the establishment of the Boa and Python Specialist Group. [Publication: IUCN SSC Species E-Bulletin September 2012]