About
Otters are very special. I dare you to look at a group of otters for more than ten minutes and not be captivated, usually for life. What is it about them? They are actually fierce predators and fighters when need be, nothing cuddly about them. Yet a short-clawed otter will play with a pebble for hours, tossing it from hand to hand without a glance. North American otters gallop and slide in the snow, chasing one another. Giant otters form lifelong bonds with family members.
As a professional biologist, I was told that I must not attribute human emotions to the animals I observe, but after more than 40 years I am still tempted, because otters are so expressive, so vocal, and so clear about their intentions and feelings.
Nicole Duplaix
Mission Statement
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a membership union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together. IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. Our experts are organised into six commissions dedicated to species survival, environmental law, protected areas, social and economic policy, ecosystem management, education and communication.
The IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) is a science-based network of more than 10,000 volunteer experts from almost every country of the world, all working together towards achieving the vision of a just world that values and conserves nature through positive action to reduce the loss of diversity of life on earth.
The Otter Specialist Group (OSG) is one of the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s specialist groups. Its goals are:
– to provide leadership for the conservation of all 14 otter species
– to determine, review and share on a continuing basis the status, threats and needs of otters worldwide and update the IUCN Red List
– to promote the wise management of otters in the wild and in captivity through ongoing collaboration with zoos and the publication of studbooks and husbandry manuals
– to present and promote the new research, conservation and management programs necessary to insure the recovery of threatened and endangered otter populations
– to train and mentor a new generation of otter researchers
– to present and promote actions to curb the illegal trade increase coexistence
You can read more about the OSG’s specific targets for the 2025-2029 Quadrennium here (coming soon)
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Here you can see our donors and here, organisations that we would like to highlight and support.