Chris Anderson
Dr. House of Chameleons
Hi Everyone,
As chameleon keepers, breeders and generally chameleon enthusiasts, we often focus on chameleons in captivity, but I think everyone here would agree that we also have a similar appreciation for chameleons in the wild as well. Part of appreciating chameleons in the wild, however, necessarily requires us to understand the conservation status of the family as a whole and individual species on their own. Unfortunately the conservation status of many chameleon species has only recently become well documented, and many still remain unassessed.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the international standard for assessing the extent to which species are facing extinction. These assessments provide a cornerstone for conservation action and are invaluable summaries of our knowledge on status and biology of different species, with the potential to reveal trends that indicate whether conservation efforts are effective or not. To date, just over half of all chameleon species have been assessed, but in order to understand the conservation status of not only the remaining species, but the family as a whole, these assessments need to be completed.
Some recent work has revealed that nearly one in five reptile species (19%) are threatened with extinction, with an additional 7% being estimated as Near Threatened (Böhme et al., 2013, Biological Conservation 157, 372-385). While this figure is horrifying in and of itself, as chameleon enthusiasts, we should also be thinking about the conservation status of chameleons themselves. Unfortunately, in contrast to this global trend of all reptiles, the majority of chameleon species (63%) that have had their conservation status assessed by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species are categorized as Threatened or Near Threatened (i.e., Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable, or Near Threatened), indicating that chameleons may be under a disproportionately large level of threat.
The dramatic difference in the proportion of chameleons classified as Threatened or Near Threatened relative to the already troubling global average for reptiles may be the result of a concentration in the chameleon species having been assessed being from Madagascar. It appears likely, however, that once all chameleons are assessed, this trend will continue to hold true as many remaining species are endemic to small geographic areas and inhabit tropical forests, which are themselves threatened habitats. In order to better evaluate the threats to the family as a whole and to help develop and monitor effective conservation strategies, we need to assess the remaining chameleon species for their conservation status as well.
As a result, the IUCN Chameleon Specialist Group has pledged to undertake the assessment of more than 60 additional species, primarily from East Africa (the largest major gap in finished assessments), in 2013. The Chameleon Specialist Group (CSG) is a small group of experts from around the world that volunteer their time, energy and knowledge to the conservation of chameleons, but the CSG activities are not funded. As a result, the CSG needs everyone’s help to enable us to hold a meeting of experts for assessing the remaining chameleon species, and to put into practice some of the recommendation made by the CSG for the Threatened Species. To do these assessments, a team of these experts need to meet for a few days in 2013 and bring together their expertise, to determine which species are under threat. We urgently need your assistance to do that!
To meet that end, the CSG have developed a fundraising campaign to build money to help pay for this workshop. It will enable the CSG to bring together a group of key experts from around the world who specialize in chameleons and particularly topics ranging from chameleon trade issues and statistics to individual expertise in particular regions, etc. Please visit this page and consider donating to this cause: http://www.rockethub.com/projects/24942-chameleons-under-threat-conservation-and-actions
Thank you all for your help on this project!
Chris
As chameleon keepers, breeders and generally chameleon enthusiasts, we often focus on chameleons in captivity, but I think everyone here would agree that we also have a similar appreciation for chameleons in the wild as well. Part of appreciating chameleons in the wild, however, necessarily requires us to understand the conservation status of the family as a whole and individual species on their own. Unfortunately the conservation status of many chameleon species has only recently become well documented, and many still remain unassessed.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the international standard for assessing the extent to which species are facing extinction. These assessments provide a cornerstone for conservation action and are invaluable summaries of our knowledge on status and biology of different species, with the potential to reveal trends that indicate whether conservation efforts are effective or not. To date, just over half of all chameleon species have been assessed, but in order to understand the conservation status of not only the remaining species, but the family as a whole, these assessments need to be completed.
Some recent work has revealed that nearly one in five reptile species (19%) are threatened with extinction, with an additional 7% being estimated as Near Threatened (Böhme et al., 2013, Biological Conservation 157, 372-385). While this figure is horrifying in and of itself, as chameleon enthusiasts, we should also be thinking about the conservation status of chameleons themselves. Unfortunately, in contrast to this global trend of all reptiles, the majority of chameleon species (63%) that have had their conservation status assessed by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species are categorized as Threatened or Near Threatened (i.e., Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable, or Near Threatened), indicating that chameleons may be under a disproportionately large level of threat.
The dramatic difference in the proportion of chameleons classified as Threatened or Near Threatened relative to the already troubling global average for reptiles may be the result of a concentration in the chameleon species having been assessed being from Madagascar. It appears likely, however, that once all chameleons are assessed, this trend will continue to hold true as many remaining species are endemic to small geographic areas and inhabit tropical forests, which are themselves threatened habitats. In order to better evaluate the threats to the family as a whole and to help develop and monitor effective conservation strategies, we need to assess the remaining chameleon species for their conservation status as well.
As a result, the IUCN Chameleon Specialist Group has pledged to undertake the assessment of more than 60 additional species, primarily from East Africa (the largest major gap in finished assessments), in 2013. The Chameleon Specialist Group (CSG) is a small group of experts from around the world that volunteer their time, energy and knowledge to the conservation of chameleons, but the CSG activities are not funded. As a result, the CSG needs everyone’s help to enable us to hold a meeting of experts for assessing the remaining chameleon species, and to put into practice some of the recommendation made by the CSG for the Threatened Species. To do these assessments, a team of these experts need to meet for a few days in 2013 and bring together their expertise, to determine which species are under threat. We urgently need your assistance to do that!
To meet that end, the CSG have developed a fundraising campaign to build money to help pay for this workshop. It will enable the CSG to bring together a group of key experts from around the world who specialize in chameleons and particularly topics ranging from chameleon trade issues and statistics to individual expertise in particular regions, etc. Please visit this page and consider donating to this cause: http://www.rockethub.com/projects/24942-chameleons-under-threat-conservation-and-actions
Thank you all for your help on this project!
Chris
