World Frog Day: An interview with Ben Tapley and Luan Nguyen

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World Frog Day is celebrated every 20th March to increase awareness about the plight of threatened frogs and how we can take steps to conserve them. We spoke to Benjamin Tapley from Zoological Society of London and Luan Nguyen from Asian Turtle Program about their work on gathering critical evidence to save two of the most threatened frog species in Viet Nam. ASAP is proud to have supported the project through the ASAP Species Rapid Action Fund, supported by Fondation Segré. Read…

Local Community Collaboration the Key in the Search to Save the Javan Blue-banded Kingfisher  

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Local Community Collaboration the Key in the Search to Save the Javan Blue-banded Kingfisher   Prior to 2018, there were only a handful of Javan Blue-banded Kingfisher sightings: these included recent confirmed sightings from two national parks in West Java and much older records from sites across Java, none of which had any recent sightings. Known to have a shy behaviour and generally found in forests near rivers, researchers made the exciting discovery of the kingfisher in Petungkriyono, a mountainous area…

The Importance of Mental Health in Conservation: An Interview with Dr Vik Mohan

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World Mental Health Day 2022: An Interview with Dr Vik Mohan Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, we have seen how the effects of lockdowns, disruptions to income and funding streams, as well as work plans and schedules have also taken a toll on the mental health of those in the conservation community. This year’s World Mental Health Day calls for making mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority. We interviewed Dr Vik Mohan, Wellbeing Lead of our ASAP Women…

International Women’s Day 2022: ASAP Women in Conservation Leadership Programme (WiCLP) 

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International Women’s Day 2022: ASAP Women in Conservation Leadership Programme (WiCLP)  Due the pandemic, our first cohort of WiCLP participants have yet to meet in-person, and this was the closest we could get to a proper wefie! We look forward to the day when we can finally all meet in person.   “The only way to solve a multidimensional problem like biodiversity loss is to ensure that all stakeholders have a seat at the table – women, young people, and…

An urgent call to halt species loss in the ASEAN region

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An urgent call to halt species loss in the ASEAN region The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission’s Asian Species Action Partnership (ASAP) have launched a new collaborative report, “Halting Species Loss in ASEAN: Baseline Information Analysis”. Co-authored by ASAP Director Nerissa Chao and ASAP Strategic Advisor Madhu Rao, the report addresses conservation issues facing Critically Endangered species in the region and gives key recommendations for the recovery of these…

8 ASAP Species Conservation Grants awarded in 2021

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8 ASAP Species Conservation Grants awarded in 2021 For the second year running, the ASAP Species Conservation Grants opened for applications in 2021 to support conservation efforts for ASAP species with a focus on species that receive less conservation attention. We received an overwhelming response with over 60 pre-proposals and are excited to share the recipients of the ASAP Species Conservation Grants and their efforts to save 11 ASAP species from the brink of extinction.   Organisation: Yayasan Kolaborasi Inklusi…

IUCN World Conservation Congress 2020 Highlights

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IUCN World Conservation Congress 2020 Highlights The IUCN World Conservation Congress 2020 wrapped up on 11 September 2021. After over a year of delays due to the pandemic, the one week event was held in a hybrid format in Marseille. The event was a chance to bring leaders from government, civil society, indigenous peoples, business, and academia together to brainstorm and tackle conservation issues. While many topics were raised during the Congress, the emphasis on the Green Status of Species…

The fight against Saola extinction: there’s still time if we act now

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The fight against Saola extinction: there’s still time if we act now The IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) has today released a position statement that shows we must act now unless we want to lose Saola forever. It is a call to action for one of the most imperiled mammals on the planet. The beautiful species lives in the Annamite Mountains of Vietnam and Lao PDR. Much of what is known about the elusive creature comes from local people, a…

Latest Red List update means 24 tortoises and freshwater turtles in Southeast Asia are now listed as Critically Endangered

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Latest Red List update means 24 tortoises and freshwater turtles in Southeast Asia are now listed as Critically Endangered The recent update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM saw five freshwater turtles in Southeast Asia newly listed as Critically Endangered. These latest assessments bring the total number of Critically Endangered tortoises and freshwater turtles in the region to 24. In addition, there were seven freshwater fishes newly assessed as being on the brink of extinction. This brings the…

Urgent action needed as 16 freshwater fish in Southeast Asia declared Extinct in latest Red List update

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Urgent action needed as 16 freshwater fish in Southeast Asia declared Extinct in latest Red List update The latest update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, published last week, saw 31 species moved into the globally Extinct category. Among these were 16 freshwater fish from Southeast Asia, a substantial portion of which were endemic to Lake Lanao and its outflow stream in the Philippines. The update also saw 24 species in Southeast Asia newly listed as Critically Endangered,…