The IUCN/SSC Shark Specialist Group
SSG Regions - Sub-Equatorial Africa: News
|
Regional Shark Specialist Group Red List Workshop
Held in South Africa
Coinciding with the attendance of several international shark experts at the World Parks Congress, the IUCN Shark Specialist Group organized a threatened species Red List Workshop at the Natal Sharks Board (September 4-7 2003). The workshop was held to assess the conservation status of sharks and rays in the subequatorial Africa region.
Approximately 30 experts from Madagascar, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, South Africa, UK and USA attended the workshop, ensuring collaboration within the region as well as internationally.
The workshop focused on assessing the status of the region's sharks and related species including rays, skates, sawfishes, and chimaeras with information provided by several African countries. Priorities were identified for undertaking further research, conservation, and management. Many regional collaborations were also a result of the workshop.
The species assessments produced during the workshop will be submitted to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the most authoritative and comprehensive inventory of the status of global biological diversity.
A series of recommendations and priorities for action emerged from the meeting, including making regional initiatives such as the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME), the Benguela Environment Fisheries Interaction & Tracking (BENEFIT), and the proposed Agulhas Current Large Marine Ecosystem (ACLME) and the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Programme (SWIOFP) projects aware of the importance of monitoring shark populations. Workshop recommendations will be published and distributed to governments, research institutions, and other agencies responsible for fisheries and marine management.
|
|
|
|
