IUCN Penguin Specialist Group and penguins? conservation status

ELLIS, SUSAN; PUTZ, KLEMENS; SIMEONE, ALEJANDRO; TRATHAN, PHIL; BOERSMA, DEE; MORENO, ROCIO; SEDDON, PHIL; STEINFURTH, ANTJE; WIENECKE, BARBARA; GARCÍA BORBOROGLU, PABLO; CHIARADIA, ANDRE; SCHNEIDER, THOMAS; SMALL, CLEO; WALLER, LAUREN

Cape Town

Simposio; International Penguin Congress; 2016

IUCN Penguin Specialist Group/Global Penguin Society

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) approved the establishment of the Penguin Specialist Group (PSG) and asked Dr. Borboroglu and Dr. Boersma to be Co-Chairs. They appointed a Steering Committee that participated of the first workshop of the group held in March in Florida, U.S.A.. The Steering Committee defined the PSG?s vision as ?Wild penguins in perpetuity?, with a mission to ?provide scientific advice that informs policy and engages people in effective conservation action?. The Global Penguin Society fostered the initiative and is acting as its partner funding organisation. Among several goals, the group seeks to: identify studies needed, critical areas, management actions, and threats to penguin species; provide scientific advice on conservation and management of penguins to interested parties; facilitate dissemination of scientific information concerning penguins, including supporting publications and regional and international meetings and to coordinate input from penguin experts worldwide to compile information for the IUCN Red List assessments. Just prior to the IPC9, a Penguin Specialist Group workshop was organised, material compiled and information provided for Birdlife to assess the conservation status for the 18 penguin species. A review of the process to establish the Penguin Specialist Group, the evolution of penguin conservation status, and the conservation priorities identified by the Group in the workshop will be presented.