IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin
Volume 28 Issue 2 Current Issue (October 2011)
Note from the Editor
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Dear Friends, Colleagues and Otter Enthusiasts!
We open this issue shortly after many of us came back from the XIth International Otter Colloquium in Pavia. The conference in Pavia had many good moments, starting from the unique lecture room with its centuries-old frescos, many very enthusiastic young researchers that tried to get out the best of the more experienced scientists, informal talks about future co-operations, the Italian hospitality, the unique food and excellent wine, and real Mediterranean early morning thunder and lightning.
As a result of ongoing discussions during and after the Colloquium some changes in the structure of the OSG will arise. To my opinion we all learned a lot from these discussions that will also influence the organisation of future IOCs. There is a need for more time for discussions devoted to species or topics, structural aspects could be presented at the start so that they can be discussed at the end in a plenary session etc. However, we also have to ensure that only scientific or conservatory lectures presenting new and state-of-the-art knowledge use time for oral presentations, while historic or previously published contents should be presented in the poster sessions. We all take the positive moments back home that will energize our work in the period until the next IOC.
For the future we plan to have the remaining manuscripts for the Proceedings from Frostburg (IOC IX) online and we are hard working to get the remaining articles for the Proceedings from Korea (IOCX) online. The abstracts from Pavia are already available via the website of Hystrix and full articles will go online as a special issue of the IUCN OSG Bulletin as soon as they become available and have passed the review process. In addition several high ranked scientists have agreed to serve as the editorial board for the IUCN OSG Bulletin further contributing to an increase in quality. You can find their names and affiliations on the Editorial Board page of the IUCN OSG Bulletin.
Many of you have either sent us pdfs of their publications or have scanned older publications. In the near future we will see an increase in available pdfs in the member-only library.
I am sure you all have meanwhile realized the unique role Lesley and all her efforts have not only for our website but also for the IUCN OSG Bulletin. Lesley, thanks a lot for all your efforts.
