1 Eurasian Otter Workshop
Implementing the Global Strategy for Lutra lutra
Varaždin City Museum, The Herzer Palace
Varaždin, Croatia
EOW2020 postponed due to COVID-19!
In view of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak the Organisers and Scientific Committee have carefully assessed the global situation and after due consideration regarding the health and safety of the participants, have jointly agreed to postpone the EOW which was scheduled from 26th to 29th October 2020 in Varaždin, Croatia.
We thank in anticipation the participants, speakers and supporters of the EOW for their understanding and invite you all to stay tuned for the new dates.
Official information and latest updates on COVID-19 situation in Croatia can be found at https://www.koronavirus.hr/en
1st Announcement
We are pleased to announce the 1 Eurasian Otter Workshop that will be held from the 26th to the 29th of October 2020 in Varaždin City Museum in Croatia. This time we decided to expand the former European Otter Workshops to a new collaborative planning workshop involving all countries within the Eurasian otter range. The workshop is aimed to implement the Global Conservation Strategy for Lutra lutra recently released by the IUCN SSC Otter Specialist Group (Duplaix and Savage Eds, 2018). The Eurasian Otter is the widest ranging freshwater otter, occurring in about 56 countries with 11 subspecies. This complex framework makes it difficult to set any general statement or strategy, as priorities and successful conservation measures could only rely on a detailed knowledge of pressures, threats, regulation, conflicts, hunting pressure, and conservation status in each country. Thus the workshop is an important opportunity for researchers, experts, and wildlife managers to share experience and knowledge on the biology, ecology and conservation of the Eurasian otter across its range. It represents a unique opportunity to focus on current threats and pressures across countries and identify the priorities both in terms of areas and conservation measures.
According to this, we will only consider papers/posters on specific topics that could help to implement the global conservation strategy.
Specifically:
- Quality actions
- Define long-term project success control points
- Monitoring criteria and new monitoring techniques
- Biobanking (DNA data)
- Mortality (roadkills, poaching)
- Implementing country regulations
- New threats (climate change, new chemicals)
- Meet the green and red lists criteria
- Data sharing and networking
- Exploring new avenues of conservation
- Ex situ conservation: zoos, studbook, otter TAG, reintroductions and rescue
- Implementing the strategy, develop the planning process for Lutra lutra
The workshop will also offer the opportunity to discuss appointments of OSG coordinators for specific objectives.
Varaždin City Museum will be the beautiful frame of a most important periodic event for OSG.
Like in the past EOW editions, the 1st Eurasian Otter Workshop will be opened by a plenary lecture held by a long standing and recognized Eurasian otter specialists.