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Home , Anteater, Silky anteater, Sloth

IUCN SSC , and Specialist Group

2018 Report

Mariella Superina

Chair Mission statement Three-banded Armadillo and the Pygmy Mariella Superina (1) The mission of the IUCN SSC Anteater, Sloth and Three-toed Sloth. Armadillo Specialist Group is to promote the Act Red List Authority Coordinator long-term conservation of the extant of Conservation actions: effective protection for Agustín M. Abba (2) xenarthrans (, and ) the Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo and the and their habitats. Pygmy Three-toed Sloth. Location/Affiliation Network Projected impact for the 2017-2020 (1) IMBECU - CCT CONICET Mendoza, Mendoza, Capacity building: (1) five training courses quadrennium taught; (2) train Argentinean mammalogists in (2) CEPAVE, La Plata, Argentina By the end of 2020, we envision the Anteater, Sloth Red List assessments. and Armadillo Specialist Group (ASASG) will have Proposal development and funding: secure Number of members achieved increased protection for our priority funding to replenish the Conserva- 25 species, the Critically Endangered Pygmy Three- tion Fund. toed Sloth (Bradypus pygmaeus) and the Vulner- Synergy: enter into partnership with zoological able Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo (Tolypeutes Social networks institutions. tricinctus). We aim to reach this goal by increasing Facebook: Communicate IUCN/SSC Anteater, Sloth and Armadillo Special- scientific knowledge, raising awareness, devel- Communication: (1) four issues of the ASASG ist Group oping and implementing comprehensive action Newsletter published; (2) increase awareness. Website: plans and securing protection of their habitat. www.xenarthrans.org Capacity building through training courses will allow us to increase the number of researchers Activities and results 2018 dedicated to conservation-relevant research on Assess armadillos, sloths and anteaters. We predict that Red List our awareness campaigns will increase knowl- i. We have started compiling the information and edge about our species and their conservation will conclude the assessment in 2019. (KSR #1) problems among the general public. ii. Specialist Group members (especially the Chair and RLA) have trained researchers in the Targets for the 2017-2020 quadrennium use of IUCN methodology for Red List assess- Assess ments and participated in several assessment Red List: (1) complete assessment of seven silky workshops for other taxa: (1) We provided Red anteater species; (2) complete re-assessment of List training to Argentinean botanists for the all Xenarthra species; (3) facilitate assessments Argentinean Red List of native plants (2 work- of other taxa for the IUCN Red List; (4) support shops); to Peruvian researchers for the national assessment of of Argentina. Red List of the vertebrate and invertebrate Research activities: collection of scientific data fauna of (2 workshops); and to Honduran for the Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo and botanists for the global assessment of wild the Pygmy Three-toed Sloth. crop relatives. (2) We facilitated the assess- ment workshop on the risk of plants Plan of the tropical . We will continue providing Planning: effective protection for the Brazilian training and facilitating assessments in 2019 and 2020. (KSR #1) (Cyclopes didactylus) Pygmy sloth (Bradypus pygmaeus) Photo: Karina Theodoro Molina, Instituto Tamanduá Photo: Diorene Smith iii. We have collaborated with the Argentinean Act tutions) from and other parts of the world Mammalogy Society and the national wildlife Conservation actions have carried out environmental education activ- authorities in the re-assessment process of all ities to disseminate knowledge about anteaters, i. The Action Plan for T. tricinctus has been mammals of Argentina using the regional Red implemented very successfully. The conserva- raise awareness, and promote their conserva- List guidelines. All 408 mammals of Argentina tion programme for T. tricinctus initiated an ex tion. More than 50,000 people from all age groups have been assessed, and we are now in the situ conservation project in collaboration with and a variety of social, cultural, and economic process of reviewing the assessments. (KSR #2) Brasilia Zoo. In addition, an expedition allowed levels have been reached. The initiative ends in Research activities definition of the area of a future national park May 2019, after which a final report will be issued that will include a description of activities and the i. The conservation programme for Brazilian that will provide effective protection to the Three-banded Armadillo (Tolypeutes tricinctus), species. (KSR #27) number of individuals reached. (KSR #28) iii. We are increasing awareness through which is supported by our Specialist Group and Network whose scientific coordinator is our member different strategies: (1) by providing information Capacity building Flávia Miranda, has identified the area of distri- on Xenarthra through our website, i. We participated in a special course on medi- bution and the main threats to the species. www.xenarthrans.org, and our Facebook page cine and conservation of Xenarthra, organ- (KSR #12) www.facebook.com/xenarthrans; (2) by ised in Brazil by Grupo de Estudos em Animais providing advice to researchers, students, and ii. Our member Diorene Smith, in collabora- Selvagens do Brasil and the Tamandua Institute. tion with the Zoological Society of London, schoolchildren; (3) by giving talks and interviews This event had over 100 registered participants has equipped 10 Pygmy Three-toed Sloths to different media, and participating in and 20 collaborators. (Bradypus pygmaeus) with radio transmitters documentaries; (4) by contributing chapters on ii. In 2018, we held two workshops to train to collect information about their home range, Xenarthra to the Handbook of the Mammals of Argentinean mammalogists in Red List assess- habitat preference, activity, and behaviour in the World. (KSR #28) ments and to clarify doubts as well as discuss different habitat types. (KSR #12) problems that arose during the assessment Acknowledgements Plan process. Overall, 50 mammalogists participated We would like to thank Educators Inc. Planning in these workshops. (KSR #5) and Nurtured by Nature for supporting the i. A workshop was held with 40 members of Synergy Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo conservation the Kusapin community in , to promote i. We have contacted several institutions, but programme both financially and by contributing the development of sustainable activities. Field haven’t been able to find any that would be their vast knowledge. We also thank Ryan Felton studies have revealed that human impacts on interested in a partnership with our Specialist for his financial support, which allowed us to Pygmy Three-toed Sloth habitat, such as defor- Group. (KSR #29) publish this year’s issue of Edentata. estation, still persist in spite of education and Communicate awareness activities. A new and significant cause of concern is the promotion of Escudo Communication Summary of activities 2018 de Veraguas, the only island inhabited by the i. In December 2018, we published volume 19 of Species Conservation Cycle ratio: 5/5 Edentata, which included nine articles related to species, as a new tourist destination. In combi- Assess 5 ||||| nation with the scarce presence of the environ- the conservation of Xenarthra. (KSR #28) Plan 1 | mental authorities, the massive tourism activities ii. The “Year of the Anteater” campaign, initi- Act 1 | on this tiny island severely threaten the Pygmy ated in April 2018 by the Association of Zoos and Three-toed Sloth’s habitat. The local authorities Aquaria of Brazil and the Instituto Tamandua and Network 3 ||| have been informed about this problem, and supported by the ASASG, aims to raise awareness Communicate 3 ||| solutions are being sought. (KSR #18) for anteater conservation. To date, more than 40 Main KSRs addressed: 1, 2, 5, 12, 18, 27, 28, 29 institutions (zoos, aquaria, and educational insti- KSR: Key Species Result