Species Survival Commission
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In September 2001, over 200 of the world's leading canid experts converged on the Zoology Department of Oxford University, for an international conference on Canid Biology and Conservation. The conference was organized by the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) of Oxford University and the IUCN Canid Specialist Group (CSG), with the kind support of the University and the Born Free Foundation, and brought together most of the members of the CSG plus a range of other canid enthusiasts. The conference also provided the occasion to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the CSG. One of SSC's oldest Specialist Groups, the CSG is happy to have kept ahead of the game, pioneering SG newsletters, taxon and species-specific action plans, group websites, discussion email lists, and now organising a major international conference. While most canid species are relatively common and widespread the persistence of several species is under jeopardy as they face habitat loss, illegal hunting, disease, and persecution by farmers. Threatened canid species are often found in very low numbers and occupying limited areas, and thus pose a stern test for those responsible for their protection. For example, the Ethiopian wolf is the world's rarest canid with only 500 individuals left. A dozen or so populations persist in isolation in the highlands of Ethiopia and face a continuing decline in habitat due to the expansion of farmland. They are also being negatively affected by rabies transmitted from domestic dogs. The African wild dog was once found right across sub-Saharan Africa, but due to continued persecution is now extinct in 16 African countries and now perhaps as few as 3,000 survive in handful of pockets in East and Southern Africa. The AWD has had a poor public image in the past that led to large-scale persecution, and also faces threats from larger predators like lions and spotted hyaenas. Like many dogs it is susceptible to disease, with the world famous population in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park being expired by rabies in the 1990's. In the Channel Islands of the Californian coast the declining population of island foxes struggle to cope with a relatively new threat, the colonization of the islands by golden eagles attracted by a booming population of feral pigs, which in time are switching their attention to prey upon the lithe foxes. In Europe, the fate of a small population of wolves in Norway is under threat, as the government continues to sanction the culling of a larger proportion of their population. These are some examples of the challenges faced by the conservation biologists attending the meeting, which in addition to reviewing the current knowledge on fundamental canid biology, gave foremost importance to seeking consensus on the conservation priorities for this taxon. Without the implementation of specific conservation actions several canid populations may be imperilled. The conference featured seven plenary lectures, 60 oral presentations and over 100 poster presentation s on all aspects of the study and conservation of all Canidae, including sessions on: Behavioural Ecology; Population Genetics; Population Ecology; Population Dynamics & Modelling; Behaviour; Reproduction Ecology; Systematics, Palaeontology & Phylogeography; Disease & Epidemiology; Conservation Policy & Planning; Conservation Tools & Practice; Conflict & Control; and Updates from the Field. In addition, the meeting played host to a Swift, Kit and Arctic fox Symposium and a series of conservation workshops, including Canid Red List Validation; Canid Taxonomy; Conservation Priorities; Species Action Plans. The outcomes of these workshops were several, including the assessment and evaluation of the red list status for all the canid species and resulted in the launch of the Canid Red List. Several Group business were addressed, such as the recently expanded membership and the descentralization of the CSG to include regional Sections, Species Working Groups and Topic Working Groups. More important, the conference helped to define and determine the CSG's priories for the forthcoming 'Action Plan for Canid Conservation in the 21st Century'. This will be an edited, multi-author volume to replace the original action plan 'Foxes, Wolves, Jackals and Dogs' published in 1990, and will form the basis of the CSG's operations over the next five years, providing an up to date source of vital information on canids, and list of relevant projects and contacts worldwide. Another partial product of the meeting will be a book edited by David Macdonald and Claudio Sillero-Zubiri on biology and conservation of wild canids to be published by Oxford University Press in late 2002. We would like to thank the following sponsors who made the conference possible:
Updated: November 11, 2001 |