IUCN/SCC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin
©IUCN/SCC Otter Specialist Group

Volume 24 Pages 1 - 76 (December 2007)

IUCN/SCC OSG Group
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From the Chairman's Desk

As the current Bulletin nears completion, it is time once again for me to give a short report on 2007.

To many the most important event was the Xth Otter Colloquium in Hwacheon, South Korea. This took place in October and was attended by over 160 delegates from more than 30 countries. It was the first time the event was held in Asia and congratulations must firstly go to the organisers, in particular Professor Sung-Yong Han and Miss Kwon Kyeonja of the Korean Otter Research Centre. The success was also due, in no small part, to the support given by the mayor of the city and his staff. There was a good cross section of delegates, from the old and grey haired to the young and enthusiastic – an opportunity to share ideas, meet old friends and make new.

The standard of presentation was by and large very good and the topics covered extremely varied – an ideal combination. To many, however, the memory of the event will be more than ‘just the conference’ – it was the whole experience: a visit to a new part of the world, a new culture etc. The title of the conference was Otter, Peace Ambassador of Korea. The excursions to the Peace Dam, the Peace Bell Park and the Demiliterised Zone gave us an opportunity to understand why this was chosen as the title. The colloquium had to be seen in the wider context of the movement for peace and reconciliation with neighbouring North Korea, a movement that has been led by the people of Kwacheon. To commemorate the colloquium and all the efforts of the organisers and the local council, a set of five chimes, the otter peace chimes were designed and cast by a sculptress in Scotland and presented to the mayor on the first day of the meeting. These were very well received and eventually will be exhibited in the Peace Bell Park.

Much was achieved at the meeting, with the various sections, task forces etc having the opportunity to get together and discuss ideas and issues. Recommendations were made and targets set. As a major theme for the immediate future, Nicole Duplaix highlighted the importance of the role climate change will/might affect all the otter species. I would also like to express my sincere thanks to Nicole, who, at the colloquium, has agreed to act as vice-chair of the OSG. As the original Chair of the OSG, we are indeed lucky to have her in this role.
So with our memory of Hwacheon, with its otter banners and fountain we now look forward to our next colloquium which will be held in Italy in 2010.

In addition to the Colloquium, 2007 saw the OSG progress and develop further. The success of the Web Site has been recognised, not only by members, but also by others – in this the members have an easy accessible tool.. To this we are indebted to Lesley Wright. It is you, the members’ web page, so make use of it. If you have any ideas, queries etc, contact Lesley and she will try and accommodate your requests.

Some changes in the organisation have been that, as Chair, I felt that I needed a management team who could advise on the running of the Group and to comment on issues etc. This is now in place and has, and will have, an important role to play in the future organisation of the Group.

Membership has been reorganised, with the establishment of a membership team. This is chaired by Lesley Wright. Potential new members are proposed and Lesley circulates these to a small team who decide on whether or not the person is suitable.

After much discussion, the Bulletin has gone ‘electronic’ and is now available on the web. Thanks to the efforts of Arno Gutleb (who in Korea agreed to continue as editor) and Lesley, almost all the back issues are now available on the OSG web page. The Bulletin goes from strength to strength and is seen by many as an important means of disseminating information on otter research. On the subject of the Bulletin, there is a section on new publications. This is an important way of telling the wider membership of what has been published. We are now considering an e-library for members – an ability to readily access papers. Could I ask all the members of the Group if, in addition to telling us of your work, that you also forward an electronic copy of your paper for inclusion? This is particularly true of unpublished reports and thesis.

An important part of any of our colloquium is that the proceedings are published – an action that the Group has failed to do in the past. It is gratifying to know that steps have been taken to resolve this situation. For the Chile meeting (VIIIth IOC): a special issue of the Bulletin has been assigned for this – abstracts of the papers presented there will be continuously made available as these “lost” files show up. The proceedings of the Frostburg meeting(IXth IOC) are now on stream to be published later this year. Tom Serfass, the principal editor, is now cracking the whip to get it finished. Already a number of papers have been received for the Hwacheon meeting so hopefully these too will be produced within the next 12 months.

The success of the OSG is dependant on its members, please remember this.

As Chair, I find that I am dependant on the support of a number of individuals who are willing to help and readily give up their time. These people know who they are, so once again my thanks to you and the other members for all support. The last year has seen the OSG develop, perhaps slowly, but develop it has, 2008, no doubt, will see other changes.

Jim Conroy
Celtic Environment Ltd.,
Old Mart Road
Torphins
Aberdeenshire, AB31 4JG
UNITED KINGDOM
e-mail: jim@celticenvironment.com

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