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IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group

IUCN COMMISSION GROUP

IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group

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Overview and description

Description:
This Specialist Group is leading efforts to secure a future for wild pangolins through working collaboratively to advance knowledge on pangolin status, threats and conservation priorities, and by ...
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This Specialist Group is leading efforts to secure a future for wild pangolins through working collaboratively to advance knowledge on pangolin status, threats and conservation priorities, and by catalysing action to conserve them. Pangolins are the most trafficked wild mammals. It is estimated that a million pangolins have been snatched from the wild in the past decade - that’s one every five minutes. Unsustainable offtake is a major contributing factor to pangolin population declines in Asia and Africa, and all eight species are now threatened with extinction.

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Group leadership

Ms Keri PARKER

Co-Chair
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Keri Parker is a multifaceted wildlife biologist with more than 25 years of experience. A systems thinker, she works to identify and fill critical gaps in global pangolin conservation and create the conditions necessary for collaborative initiatives to succeed. She Co-Founded Save Pangolins in 2008 to raise global awareness of pangolins and drive support to pangolin conservationists. She has invested particular emphasis in encouraging conservationists within the countries where wild pangolins occur, building connections between experts, and fostering peaceful collaboration among stakeholders. She served as a PSG Vice Chair from 2012-2021 and became Co-Chair in March, 2021, and also serves as the PSG Conservation Planning Focal Point.

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Dr Matthew SHIRLEY

Co-Chair
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Dr. Shirley is an applied species conservation ecologist working at the interface of species ecology, trade policy and sustainability, and applied conservation through capacity building and reinforcement with local partners, mostly in West and Central Africa. His work relies on flagship species to advance conservation and ecology research in tropical forests and wetlands, focused on pangolins, crocodilians, and other charismatic but largely ignored species. His work with pangolins began in 2018 and he runs a comprehensive program on pangolin ecology, health, and trade in West Africa focused on better understanding pangolin-environment interactions, pangolin abundance, and factors affecting distribution, local harvest, trade and trade composition. Dr. Shirley is keen to advance conservation planning for pangolins in West and Central Africa through key synergies with regional stakeholders. He is Co-Chair of the PSG since 2021.

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Ms Carly WATERMAN

Red List Authority Coordinator
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More about the Specialist Group

The Pangolin Specialist Group (PSG) is a voluntary network of experts from around the world including field biologists, educators, social scientists, zoologists, veterinarians, ecologists, geneticists, lawyers, communications experts and criminal investigators, all of whom are actively involved in pangolin conservation. The PSG was re-established in February 2012 in recognition of the widespread threats to pangolins globally and to address the lack of ...

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More about the Specialist Group

The Pangolin Specialist Group (PSG) is a voluntary network of experts from around the world including field biologists, educators, social scientists, zoologists, veterinarians, ecologists, geneticists, lawyers, communications experts and criminal investigators, all of whom are actively involved in pangolin conservation. The PSG was re-established in February 2012 in recognition of the widespread threats to pangolins globally and to address the lack of understanding of the eight species and their conservation needs. 

Our Vision

Pangolins are globally celebrated and thriving in viable populations. Conservation action for pangolins from local to international scales is informed by abundant research data and guided by a cohesive pangolin conservation community.

Objectives

The Pangolin Specialist Group’s overarching objective is to serve as leaders in pangolin conservation globally by:

  • Assessing the conservation status of pangolins for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species;
  • Developing information and providing advice to support  IUCN and other conservation stakeholders on critical pangolin conservation interventions;
  • Catalysing and undertaking scientific research to learn more about pangolins, the nature and severity of their threats, and to devise appropriate conservation actions;
  • Contributing to multilateral environmental agreements on pangolin related issues (e.g. CITES);
  • Building a Membership that is representative of the 54 countries where pangolins occur and the cutting edge expertise necessary to conserve them;
  • Developing global conservation strategies and supporting the development of species-specific, national and regional conservation strategies for all 8 pangolin species;
  • Providing technical support to pangolin research and conservation projects.
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To work within the framework of the IUCN SSC to secure a future for wild pangolins through advancing knowledge on pangolin status, threats and conservation priorities, and by catalysing action to conserve them.

Specialist Group work

The PSG seeks to better understand the status of wild pangolin populations, the threats they face, and the social, political and environmental contexts in which they occur. We collaborate with stakeholders at all levels to provide technical advice and develop evidence-based scientific information and conservation strategies.

Understand more about wild pangolin populations

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PSG members are developing methods to assess and monitor the status of wild pangolin populations and the relative impacts of different anthropogenic threats.

Pangolins on the IUCN Red List and beyond

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PSG assesses species status and threats, both for IUCN Red List and to inform conservation efforts.

PSG Annual Report

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Learn about PSG’s work and results in 2022.

2022 PSG Annual Report

Previous reports:

PSG Annual Report 2021
PSG Annual Report 2020
PSG Annual Report 2019
PSG Annual Report 2018
PSG Annual Report 2016-2017

At a glance

Official name:
IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group
Associated Commissions:
Species Survival Commission
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