Submitted by
DarwallW
on Thu, 02/01/2018 - 09:38
General Information
Resolution
46516
Period covered
Activities to implement this Resolution from Activity Reports
| Relevant operative para(s) of Res/Rec | Activities Overview | Description | Status | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Convene stakeholders/Networking | International Eel Science Symposium held at ZSL, a paper reporting on the findings is to be published in 2018. Full details are in the Activity Report | On-going | Full activity report | |
| Education/Communication/Raising awareness | AESG presented at a workshop in Indonesia. Full details are in the Activity Report. | Completed | Full activity report | |
| Policy influencing/advocacy | AESG participation in the CITES animal Committee and Standing Committee meetings in 2017. AESG joint work with the CMS secretariat, Government of Monaco and the Sargasso Sea Commission to devleop a set of Actions adotped by the 12th CMS CoP. A second workshop is planned for 2018 and AESG will be represented. Full details of these meetings are given in the Activity Report. |
On-going | Full activity report | |
| Scientific/technical activities | In collaboration with National agencies in the Philippines - Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and Department for the Environment and Natural Resources - ZSL and TRAFFIC completed the delivery of a three year Darwin Initiative funded project relating to anguillid eels on 30/6/17. More detail provided in the Activity Report |
On-going | Full activity report | |
| Convene stakeholders/Networking | The 1st International Eel Science Symposium was held at ZSL 13th-15th June 2017 - https://ifm.org.uk/events/event/1st-uk-international-eel-science-symposium/. Around 150 delegates attended from five continents, and a workshop, convened by IUCN was held on 16th June. This gathered 20 key delegates in order to collate current thinking on the status of these species in order to publish a peer reviewed-paper; this is presently being finalised and we would expect this to be submitted early in 2018 for review. | On-going | Full activity report | |
| Education/Communication/Raising awareness | The chair of the AESG presented remotely at the first workshop relating to anguillid eels to be held in Indonesia. The presentation focussed on using the Red List as a prioritisation tool and what lessons have been learned from other mechanisms that have been used to manage and conserve these species. | Completed | Full activity report | |
| Policy influencing/advocacy | The IUCN AESG took part in both the CITES Animal Committee and Standing Committee meetings in 2017. We have engaged with the secretariat with regard to the delivery of elements of Decision 17.186-17.189 (https://cites.org/eng/dec/valid17/81868) as well as a number of range states in relation to the regional workshops associated with the decisions that are expected to take place in the first half of 2018 prior to the 30th Animal Committee meeting. | On-going | Full activity report | |
| Policy influencing/advocacy | Working with the CMS secretariat, the Government of Monaco and the Sargasso Sea Commission, developed of Concerted Actions that were adopted the 12th CMS CoP. This involved engagement with other range states, particularly the EU, and built upon the 1st European Eel Range state workshop that was held in Galway, Ireland in November 2016 - http://www.cms.int/en/meeting/first-range-state-workshop-european-eel. The 2nd Range state workshop is planned for 2018 and members of the IUCN Anguillid Eel Specialist Group (AESG) will be inputting to the agenda and attending. | On-going | Full activity report | |
| Scientific/technical activities | In collaboration with National agencies in the Philippines - Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and Department for the Environment and Natural Resources - ZSL and TRAFFIC completed the delivery of a three year Darwin Initiative funded project relating to anguillid eels on 30/6/17. This project related to the exploitation and trade of anguillids in rural communities and the freshwater environment more broadly. The project helped to elevate these species in the national and regional context and resulted in several outputs including a trade report - http://www.trafficj.org/publication/14_Slipping_Away.pdf - a number of national workshops, and a regional eel management plan which is being finalised at present. This project was succeeded by another Darwin-funded project that will focus more on the freshwater environment, but anguillid eels will still be a species of focus for the three-year duration. | On-going | Full activity report |
Actors involved from Activity Reports
| IUCN Members | IUCN Commissions | IUCN Secretariat | Other non-IUCN related organisations |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
Challenges / lessons learned from Activity Reports
Report status
Published
I. IUCN Constituencies implementing this Resolution
IUCN Members
Zoological Society of London ( United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland )
IUCN Commissions
F717E09E-5094-E611-97F4-005056BA6623
IUCN Secretariat
No
Other non-IUCN related organisations
Philippines Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources; Philppines Department for the Environment and Natural Resources; TRAFFIC International; Government of Monaco; Sargasso Sea Commission
II. Implementation
Activities carried out to implement this Resolution
Capacity-building
Convene stakeholders/Networking
Education/Communication/Raising awareness
Field activities
Fundraising
Policy influencing/advocacy
Scientific/technical activities
Describe the results/achievements of the activities
There has been good steady progress towards meeting the three main recommendations of the Anguillid eel Recommendation. The International Eel Science Symposium was held at ZSL and a paper reporting on the findings is to be published in 2018. The Anguilid Eel Specialist Group (AESG) presented at a workshop in Indonesia further promoting the status and importance of eels. A key activity of the AESG has been their participation in the CITES animal Committee and Standing Committee meetings in 2017 providing input the various Decisions relating to Anguillid eels (17.186 to 17.189 Eels (Anguilla spp.)). AESG also worked with the CMS secretariat, Government of Monaco and the Sargasso Sea Commission to develop a set of Actions adopted by the 12th CMS CoP. A second workshop is planned for 2018 and AESG will be represented. In collaboration with National agencies in the Philippines - Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and Department for the Environment and Natural Resources - ZSL and TRAFFIC completed the delivery of a three year Darwin Initiative funded project relating to anguillid eels and local livelihoods on 30/6/17. More details on all these activities are provided in the Activity Report.
Challenges/obstacles encountered in the implementation of this Resolution and measures taken
The IUCN Secretariat has not been directly involved, ZSL is leading through the SSC AESG. The main future challenge I would see is to raise the funds required (estimated at USD 100,000 - 500,000). Funds may be raised through specific projects, however, objectives are often constrained through being tailored to meet donor objectives. The power of commercial interests is also always a challenge in promoting conservation actions for eels given their high comercial value and the requirement to use wild caught eels in the large scale aquaculture industry.
Future actions / activities needed for the implementation of this Resolution
The SSC Anguillid Eel Specialist Group led by ZSL (IUCN Member) is leading on the activities required through this Recommendation.
The three main recommendations are for: 1) promotion of the anguillid eels as flagship species to benefit a wide range of freshwater
species, 2) generate support for development of species action plans, and 3) strengthen SSC efforts to implement the 2017-2020 Strategic
Plan to the benefit of anguillid eels. The AESG is progressing well on all of these activities and continues to build the scientific base
required to guide conservation action. A Red List re-assessment is required to track the status of the eels over time and to provide a tool for monitoring impacts from any management intervention. A strong focus on development of species action plans is now required. All should be possible if sufficient funds can be secured. Current support from Synchronicity Earth should help the AESG to move forwards and to generate the funds required over the next few years so I see no reason why good progress can't continue to be made.
The three main recommendations are for: 1) promotion of the anguillid eels as flagship species to benefit a wide range of freshwater
species, 2) generate support for development of species action plans, and 3) strengthen SSC efforts to implement the 2017-2020 Strategic
Plan to the benefit of anguillid eels. The AESG is progressing well on all of these activities and continues to build the scientific base
required to guide conservation action. A Red List re-assessment is required to track the status of the eels over time and to provide a tool for monitoring impacts from any management intervention. A strong focus on development of species action plans is now required. All should be possible if sufficient funds can be secured. Current support from Synchronicity Earth should help the AESG to move forwards and to generate the funds required over the next few years so I see no reason why good progress can't continue to be made.
Are these actions/activities planned?
Yes
III. Status of implementation
Implementation status of this Resolution
Initiated: first stages of implementation