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IUCN/SCC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin Volume 21 Issue 1 Pages 1 - 55 (July 2004) IUCN/SCC OSG Group From the Chairman's Desk- July 2004 Whilst writing this I am still inspired by the impressions resulting from the IXth International Otter Colloquium held in Frostburg, Maryland/USA, on June 4 -11th. More than 150 participants, from nearly 40 countries, attended this most important meeting of the ‘otter family’, which takes place only each third year. They all agreed, when I summarised the course of the programme and the results of the conference in my closing lecture, that it was “one of, if not the, best otter colloquium we ever had”. This was due in large part to the perfect organisation, which was a result of the tremendous preparation work and enthusiasm of Tom and Lisa Serfass and their team. As I said in Frostburg, they all did a perfect job. This is also true as regards the climate of friendship and cooperation, which usually marks meetings of the otter people, and which this time was increased by the amazing social events prepared and hosted by the organising team. Last, but not least, and maybe most importantly, this positive resumé is based on the fact that for the first time we had contributions from all continents and for all otter species. Not only was the quantity of the presentations surprising but also their quality and the variety of aspects covered. We all hope that the proceedings of this colloquium will be published soon to ensure that this tremendous source of information will be available and usable for all people involved in otter research and conservation. As always, the closing session of the colloquium was dedicated to the presentation and discussion of recommendations, providing guidelines for our work over the period until the next colloquium. At the moment, these recommendations are under revision by the participants and the Continental Coordinators of the Otter Specialist Group (OSG) and they will be published in the next issue of our Bulletin. Again, they will cover a wide variety of topics and, my hope is, that they will be realised to a similar degree as was summarised in the evaluation process for the recommendations of the VIIIth Otter Colloquium in Valdivia/Chile 2001. This has reminded me to announce an important change regarding the Continental Coordinator for Latin America. Gonzalo Medina, who has been responsible for this part of the work of the OSG since 1993, informed me prior to the Frostburg meeting that, because of changes in his professional position, he wants to retire from the position as Coordinator. I want to take this opportunity to thank Gonzalo for his commitment over more than a decade of work for the OSG. Over this period, otter research and conservation has made remarkable progress in South America, and all of us who had the pleasure of joining the Otter Colloquium in Valdivia, which was organised by Gonzalo, will always remember this event, and especially the fascinating observations of Marine otters during the excursion. In Frostburg, the (numerous!) participants and members of the OSG from Latin America unanimously elected Frank Hajek from Peru as the new Continental Coordinator. I am very happy that Frank agreed to take on this responsibility. I am sure that he will transfer the activities and success he is well known for, regarding his work on the Giant otter, to the other Latin American otter species. A second personal decision from Frostburg also makes me really happy. Arno Gutleb, who has been acting as the editor of our Bulletin for a decade, has agreed to continue in this position! Everybody who has ever been involved in editing a publication (especially a periodical one) will agree that this is not an easy task (and those who havn’t should be warned about becoming involved in this business of dealing with different authors and reviewers, with printers, with deadlines – and with human egos). Therefore, I want to thank Arno, as well as Kevin Roche, Alvaro Soutullo, Lionel Lafontaine, and Eduardo Carillo-Rubio, who have been doing the correction and translation work so that we have French and Spanish abstracts, for their efforts in making the Bulletin the important tool of information which it has become. Arno’s decision was supported by the fact that Dusty Lombardi, the Chair of the Otter Species Survival Plan (SSP) of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), announced that this group will provide funds for the printing and mailing costs of our Bulletin. This will take a heavy burden off Arno’s shoulders and I want to thank the members of the Otter SSP once again for this decision. Another amazing experience from Frostburg is related to the colloquium itself. It appears that this event is starting to become mature. For the first time we had an official application from an external institution to host this event. Thanks to the efforts of our Korean colleague Sungyong Han, an official delegation from Hwa-Cheon County in the Gangwon Province of South Korea has presented a formal invitation to hold the next International Otter Colloquium for the first time in Asia. With great pleasure this invitation has been accepted by the OSG and so our next worldwide meeting of the ‘otter family’ will take place in Hwa-Cheon, Korea in 2007. Hankensbüttel, July 2004 Claus Reuther, |
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