IUCN SSC Afrotheria Specialist Group 2019 Report Andrew Taylor Galen Rathbun Co-Chairs Mission statement geographic distributions and natural history data; Andrew Taylor (1) The IUCN SSC Afrotheria Specialist Group (ASG) (4) conduct surveys to determine distribution Galen Rathbun † facilitates the conservation of hyraxes, aard- and abundance of five hyrax species; (5) revise varks, elephant-shrews or sengis, golden moles, taxonomy of five hyrax species; (6) develop and Red List Authority Coordinator tenrecs and their habitats by: (1) providing assess field trials for standardised camera trap- ping methods to determine population estimates Matthew Child (2) sound scientific advice and guidance to conser- vationists, governments, and other inter- for giant sengis; (7) conduct surveys to assess distribution, abundance, threats and taxonomic Location/Affiliation ested groups; (2) raising public awareness; status of the Data Deficient sengi species; (8) (1) The Endangered Wildlife Trust, 27 & 28 Austin and (3) developing research and conservation build on current research to determine the Rd, Glen Austin AH, Midrand, South Africa programmes. systematics of giant sengis, especially Rhyn- (2) South African National Biodiversity Institute chocyon species; (9) survey Aardvark (Oryc- (SANBI), Kirstenbosch National Botanical Projected impact for the 2017-2020 teropus afer) populations to determine abun- Garden, Newlands Cape Town, South Africa quadrennium dance, distribution and trends; (10) conduct If the ASG achieved all of its targets, it would be taxonomic studies to determine the systematics Number of members able to deliver more accurate, data-driven Red of Aardvarks, with a focus on contrasting Aard- 34 List assessments for more Afrotherian species varks from central African forests with southern and, therefore, be in a better position to move African savannah Aardvarks; (11) integrate the Social networks to conservation planning, especially for priority monitoring of tenrecs in the management of key Twitter: @Tweeting_Tenrec species. protected areas with threatened species in order Website: www.afrotheria.net to track their status and threats and identify key Targets for the 2017-2020 quadrennium conservation concerns; (12) conduct genetic studies to clarify the taxonomy and species Assess diversity within the genus Microgale. Red List: reassess Red List categories in species Communicate for which new information arises (e.g. Nimba Otter Shrew, Micropotamogale lamottei, for Communication: (1) update and maintain the which we have new extent of occurrence (EOO) afrotheria.net website; (2) produce one Afroth- data) or for newly described species that may eria Specialist Group newsletter every year. be described during the quadrennium (such as golden moles or sengis). Activities and results 2019 Research activities: (1) develop five standardised Assess monitoring protocols for each group of Afrothe- Red List rians to track trends over time and produce more i. We did not conduct any re-assessments data for Red List assessments; (2) complete 2–4 for the Afrotheria during 2019. Although there reassessments of taxonomy of golden moles in will likely be some new species of tenrec to species where it is necessary (e.g. Amblysomus assess soon, these have not yet been formally and Neamblysomus species); (3) collect basic described in the literature. We have not been data for 3–4 golden mole species, including informed by IUCN whether we need to restart the assessment process for our species, most of which were last assessed in 2014. (KSR #1) Least Concern Grant’s Golden Mole, Least Concern Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec, Eremitalpa granti, West Coast of South Africa Echinops telfairi, Madagascar Photo: Drylands Conservation Programme, Photo: L. E. Olson, University of Alaska Museum, Fairbanks Endangered Wildlife Trust Research activities i. No progress during 2019 as this requires funding. However, the ASG aardvark section and ASG golden mole section are investigating ways to survey their species. (KSR #43) ii. The golden mole team were unsuccessful using photographic (camera trap) surveys and Communicate in acquiring funding from the Mohammed Bin machine learning technology. If the technique Communication Zayed Foundation and the Foundational Infor- seems promising, funding will be sought to mation Biodiversity Programme (FBIP). Dr i. Website maintenance for 2019 will be paid initiate it. (KSR #12) Samantha Mynhardt will re-apply for the FBIP for in early 2020. No website updates were vii. The genomic work on Aardvark was put on Small Grant in 2020 (she will be attending an conducted during 2019. The Afrotheria Specialist hold after the PostDoc in charge of the project FBIP grant-writing workshop at SANBI). She Group gratefully received funding from the IUCN was not confirmed in her position (i.e. after the will also apply for the Rufford Small Grant. internal grants to pay for 2 years of website probationary period). The project is on hold until Samantha will take on an honours student in maintenance and updating websites for aard- new funding and new candidate can be found. 2020 to work on Amblysomus phylogenetics, varks and tenrecs. This work needs to be paid (KSR #43) while Paulette Bloomer and Nigel Bennett will for in 2020. (KSR #28) investigate the availability of funds for field viii. Integration of monitoring of tenrecs in the ii. Our annual newsletter (Afrotherian Conser- work in order to establish exactly what will be management of key protected areas with threat- vation 15) was released in September 2019, and feasible for the project. (KSR #12) ened species: At present, the biggest problem we have put out a first call for submissions for is lack of a consistent approach to monitoring. iii. Cobus Theron (from the Endangered Wild- the 2020 edition. The editors for the last few ‘Monitoring’ means different things to different life Trust, Johannesburg) has secured funding editions have stepped down from the position, people, and for small-bodied tenrecs, particu- for trialling the use of sniffer dogs and drones and PJ Stephenson, a previous editor for the larly shrew tenrecs (Microgale and Nesogale), to find and collect golden mole specimens and newsletter, has resumed his role as new editor. identification to species is almost impossible collect natural history information for the two Andrew Taylor will assist. (KSR #28) without collecting voucher specimens or genetic threatened Cryptochloris species in Namaqua- samples. Also, there are very few longitudinal land. Samantha Mynhardt will be developing a Acknowledgements demographic studies, so we don’t yet know if method for mammalian eDNA extraction from and to what extent some species fluctuate. So, We thank our Afrotheria Specialist Group soil, and subsequent species identification ‘monitoring’ is likely a premature concept for members, all of whom are volunteers, through barcode sequencing of small mtDNA these species, and inventories are still needed. who contributed towards ongoing work on fragments. Without a reference sequence for (Interestingly, this is an issue the US National our species and to those who contributed the Cryptochloris species, rudimentary identifi- Park Service has struggled with in its federally towards the annual newsletter. In particular, cation will be based on phylogenetic placement. mandated Inventory and Monitoring Program- we are grateful to our section coordinators, The initial goal is to detect golden mole species --where does the former stop and the latter Gary Bronner, Lee Koren, Thomas Lehmann, in these areas and catch some golden moles to begin?) So, the primary need in this case is Voahangy Soarimalala, Link Olson and PJ obtain reference sequences. (KSR #12) agreement, or at least consensus, as to what Stephenson, as well as our newsletter editors, iv. An application for a National Geographic ‘monitoring’ entails. For large-bodied species, Chris and Mathilde Stuart (who edited their final Society grant was submitted during 2019 to especially Tenrec ecaudatus and Setifer setosus, newsletter in 2019 and have now stepped down conduct surveys to determine distribution and population declines have become apparent in from the position). We also thank Avian Designs abundance of five hyrax species. (KSR #12) some areas, and these are also more directly for supporting our website at discounted rates. v. The revision of the taxonomy of five hyrax threatened by exploitation (e.g. bushmeat) and Finally, we again remember our group founder species was set back during 2019 due to the are likely being adversely affected by zoonotics. and long-time Co-Chair Galen Rathbun, who death of Hendrik Hoeck, who was a lead. Lukas These species are easier to ‘monitor’ in that died in April 2019. Keller continues to work on this project. they can be confidently identified to species (KSR #43) without having to inspect craniodental features Summary of activities 2019 vi. There has been no progress with the survey that require specimen collection. But again, the Components of Species Conservation Cycle: 2/5 of Aardvark populations due to the lack of primary need is for an actual strategy for moni- Assess 9 ||||||||| funds to support it and the difficulty in quan- toring. (KSR #32) tifying Aardvark populations. The ASG Aard- Communicate 2 || vark section has started internal discussions Main KSRs addressed: 1, 12, 28, 32, 43 about how such a process might be conducted KSR: Key Species Result.