Preface
This action plan for otter conservation has been compiled by the IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group with help and advice from many other interested parties. Contributors are listed, with thanks, in Appendix 2. The IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group would like especially to thank Simon Stuart of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Executive Office for overall help in compiling this action plan. On behalf of IUCN, SSC, and the Otter Specialist Group, I also wish to record my sincere thanks to the Marine World Foundation and its president, Michael B. Demetrios, for supporting my salary while I worked almost full-time on the plan.
The action plan has been designed to be useful to people new to the field of otter conservation and also to those with years of experience. The introductory chapter on the otters (2) and the chapter on threats (4) give an overview of otter biology and the conservation issues that affect them. The chapters on surveys (3), implementing conservation strategies (5), otters in captivity (6), and reintroductions (7) are intended to give practical guidelines and cautions to those intending to pursue projects in these areas. The CITES identification sheets in Appendix 1 should be useful for biologists and conservationists around the world who need to tell one otter from another in places where more than one species may occur. The overall conservation recommendations of the IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group are summarized in the introduction (Chapter 1), with more detailed conservation priorities indicated in the regional and country-by-country sections that form the meat of this action plan. The final chapter summarizes the action that needs to be taken to conserve all species of otters worldwide for the long-term future.
Collecting and organizing the information for the country by country reports was the responsibility of the Otter Specialist Group Regional Coordinators, and different approaches were taken in different regions. In Europe, Latin America, North America, and Africa, questionnaire surveys were mailed to government officials, biologists, and conservationists in all countries where contacts were possible. Follow-up letters and telephone calls were made to ensure inclusion of information from most countries in these regions. This information was supplemented with published accounts, listed in the references. The information for the Asian part of the plan stemmed largely from papers presented at the First International Asian Otter Symposium, in Bangalore, India, in October 1988, since few published status accounts existed for any Asian species, and few Asian conservationists were interested in otters prior to this meeting. Information from other countries not represented at the conference was gathered through follow-up correspondence. The information on sea otters was compiled largely through published accounts and status surveys, as this species has been particularly well-studied and surveyed in both the Soviet Union and the United States.
This action plan for otter conservation is only a start. Already, in helping us put together this document, other agencies and some governments have been inspired to develop their own more comprehensive action plans for otter conservation in their regions. What is needed next is an infusion of appropriate financial resources to enable action to be taken. Only then can we ensure the survival of otters, and the maintenance of clean wetlands and waterways that otters represent. The Otter Specialist Group welcomes all your support, donations, and fundraising ideas.
Pat Foster-Turley
Chairman, IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group,
Marine World Foundation, Vallejo, California, U.S.A.