Mission Statement
The IUCN SSC OSG 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 13 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 and decrease otter-fishermen
