IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin
©IUCN/SCC Otter Specialist Group
Volume 31 Issue 1 (January 2014)
Note from the Editor
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Dear Friends, Colleagues and Otter Enthusiasts!
Welcome to a new issue in the New Year! This year marks the 20 year anniversary of the first issue of the IUCN OSG Bulletin produced with me as an editor. Please allow a few lines of personal reflection on this period.
20 years ago there was no review system in place nor did we even discuss it and the booklets were thin copies by then. Looking back there was quite some evolution in this “species” such as the introduction of covers in colour and on thicker paper, abstract translation into French and Spanish and sometimes more exotic languages, various governmental and non-governmental organisation and companies sponsoring single issues, the first paid advertisements, the introduction of a review system first only for articles that was introduced later for all manuscripts and finally, after long discussions, probably the most important change: to the online-only version with downloadable pdfs. All these activities resulted in over 400 papers on otters that have been published in total since the first issue was produced by Chris Mason back in 1986 and Dave Rowe-Rowe who took over in 1991. I have been informed that the IUCN OSG Bulletin will be listed in Scopus and therefore in addition to other guidelines an ethical statement on ethics in science and plagiarism etc. has been added to the website in 2013. Almost all old issues have been meanwhile digitalized by Lesley and are included in the seachable database on our website but also on the website of the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ.org).
The OSG will have a meeting of the Steering Committee later in February in Luxembourg where we have already an extensive agenda ranging from conservation issues to the last preparations for the 2014 International Otter Colloquium in Rio de Janeiro in August ( https://sites.google.com/site/ottercongress/submissions ). I am looking forward to this chance to discuss important issues of otter conservation and science and to meet friends again.
However, and last but not least, without Lesley much of what we have achieved with the Bulletin would not have been possible. Lesley is the good angel behind the whole website and me having no idea on how to do a website the guess on how mcuch work this is will always be an underestimation of what it really means. Lesley, as in the last sentence of all my editorials - thanks for all your continuing support.
