Image Credit: iucnredlist.org
The Smooth-coated Otter is listed on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List as Vulnerable since 1996. It is also listed on the CITES Appendix II, and classified as an endangered species under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act. Worldwide efforts have been made to mitigate the threats to their population.
Campaign to save the four otter species in Southeast Asia
Image Credit: IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group
Information Sources: http://www.ottercongress2016.com/about.html
http://www.otterspecialistgroup.org/
International Otter Congress
The Otter Specialist Group was founded in 1974. Over the past few decades, they have organized the International Otter Congress, conducted once every few years around the world. Members and stakeholders of the Otter Specialist Group convene to discuss threats, review conservation statuses and propose future strategies to mitigate the decline otter populations around the world.
The International Otter Congress was previously held in the United States (Frostburg) in 2004, South Korea (Hwa Cheon) in 2007, Italy (Pavia) in 2011 and Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) in 2014. The most recent congress was held in Singapore in 2016, creating the initiative “Developing Recovering Strategies for Otters in Southeast Asia“, which focuses on the protection and conservation of the four otter species found in Southeast Asia: Smooth-coated Otter, Asian Small-clawed Otter, Eurasian Otter and Hairy-nosed Otter.
Major achievements of the Otter Specialist Group include developing a group of specialized otter biologists to conduct field research across Asia, raising awareness for the threats to population to populations of different otter species and popularizing otters by promoting them as ambassadors for wetland conservation.
Asian Otter Task Force
Additionally, the Otter Specialist Group launched the Asian Otter Task Force in 2007. The primary aim of the task force is to survey otter populations and establish networks and working relationships with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and scientists in Southeast Asia to track the status of otter populations and illegal otter trade.