The IUCN/SSC Cetacean Specialist Group (CSG) is one of the more than 100 Specialist Groups and Task Forces that constitute the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC). The Species Survival Commission (SSC) is a science-based network of some 9000 volunteer experts from almost every country in the world. Some specialist groups, such as the CSG, address conservation issues related to particular groups of plants or animals while others focus on topical issues, such as the reintroduction of species into former habitats or wildlife health. The SSC’s main role is to provide information to IUCN on biodiversity conservation, provide scientific advice to conservation organizations, government agencies and other IUCN members, and support the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements.
CSG – Expert advice for science-based conservation
Since the 1960s, the Cetacean Specialist Group (CSG) has played a major role in identifying conservation problems for the world’s whales, dolphins and porpoises. Many cetacean species face grave threats to their continued existence. The baiji is likely to be extinct, the vaquita numbers only a few tens of individuals, and North Atlantic right whales number only in the low hundreds. Local populations of other species have disappeared and others are seriously imperiled.