Membership Process and Criteria
Specialist Groups of the Species Survival Commission are established for 4-year terms, which begin immediately following the quadrennial IUCN World Conservation Congress. The current term began after the most recent Congress in Honolulu, Hawaii, in September 2016. Members of the Cetacean Specialist Group (CSG) are appointed for 4-year terms, or whatever portion of a given 4-year term remains at the time of the appointment.
Self nomination is discouraged; new members are typically nominated by existing members, but may also be nominated from outside the CSG. All nominees are evaluated by the CSG Chairman and Deputy Chairs, in close consultation with the CSG Regional Co-ordinators, other CSG members from the region, or CSG members with relevant expertise. Given the CSG’s core mission of providing scientifically credible advice on the conservation of cetaceans, the membership is generally expected to reflect a high standard of scientific accomplishment as well as a strong commitment to conservation.