More about the Specialist Group

Under the guidance of the IUCN SSC, the Anteater, Sloth and Armadillo Specialist Group is the world's leading body of scientific and practical management expertise on the status and conservation of all xenarthrans. The ASASG’s primary responsibility is to evaluate the conservation status of all xenarthran species for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, working with current information from experts in the field. In addition, it focuses on research and monitoring, feeding expert information into national and international policy, and providing innovative solutions to species conservation issues. Ultimately, the strength of the ASASG lies in its neutrality and provision of up-to-date scientific information to influence conservation outcomes and catalyze action on the ground to help reduce or prevent species extinctions.

By the end of 2024, we envision that we will have reached increased protection for our priority species. We aim at reaching this goal by reviewing and endorsing existing national or regional action plans as well as supporting the development and implementation of comprehensive action plans for xenarthrans. Capacity building through training courses will allow us to increase the number of researchers dedicated to conservation-relevant research on armadillos, sloths and anteaters. We predict that our awareness campaigns will increase the knowledge about our species and their conservation problems among the general public, especially the impact of illegal trade and the use of xenarthrans as exotic pets.