IUCN SSC Diver/ Specialist Group

2018 Report

David Evers

Chair Mission statement Targets for the 2017-2020 quadrennium

David Evers The mission of the Diver/Loon Specialist Group Act is to contribute to increase current knowledge Conservation actions: establish 1-2 new Red List Authority Coordinator on the ecology of all five across their breeding population of Common in BirdLife International (David Evers) entire geographic range of distribution and Wyoming, US. promote long-term conservation. Network Location/Affiliation Synergy: initiate and network with other SSC Projected impact for the 2017-2020 Biodiversity Research Institute, Portland, Groups the new project called “The Global Foot- quadrennium Maine, US print of Mercury: Understanding the patterns of By the end of 2020, we envision that the popu- exposure and effects to biota”. Number of members lation and distribution of all species of divers/ Communicate 135 loons will remain strong. Breeding popula- Scientific meetings: complete one international tions are generally in protected areas (although diver/loon conference. Social networks stressors such as mercury pollution and oil Website: drilling may have impacts in some areas), while Activities and results 2018 https://www.wetlands.org/our-network/ wintering populations are potentially in conflict specialist-groups/diverloon-specialist-group/ with stressors associated with marine ecosys- Act tems (e.g. oil spills, cyanobacteria outbreaks, Conservation actions degraded fisheries). To assess the status of i. Assessment of one translocation site where each of the five loon species, an international 24 loons have been translocated found 5 indi- symposium will occur in late 2022 (see: http:// viduals had returned and one territorial pair has www.briloon.org/2020-loons), followed by a formed. (KSR #24, 27) “State of Global Loon Populations” publication Communicate in a special issue of a peer-reviewed journal. A Scientific meetings global stressor of particular concern for global loon populations is mercury. That concern will i. Scientific and local host committees are be assessed through the international sympo- established for the international diver/loon sium as well as through a new initiative to better conference. (KSR #18, 20, 25, 28, 29) understand mercury exposure and effects on loon populations and other IUCN SSC Groups. Acknowledgements We would like to thank the Loon Symposium Steering Committee: Deb McKew, Lucas Savoy, Jim Paruk and Mark Pokras, and interest by the Seaduck Joint Venture. Thank you to Deb McKew for organising the April 2019 kick-off event, which featured the work of nine profes- sional artists who exhibited a selection of species listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. , Gavia immer, Least Concern Photo: Daniel Poleschook

Summary of activities 2018

Species Conservation Cycle ratio: 2/5 Act 1 | Communicate 1 | Main KSRs addressed: 18, 20, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29 KSR: Key Species Result

Pacific Loon, Gavia pacifica, Least Concern Photo: Jeff Dyck