IUCN COMMISSION GROUP
IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group
Overview and description
- Description:
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Parasites are vulnerable to extinction and play important roles in ecosystems, but there are very few existing conservation policies or programs that focus on parasite conservation at any level of ...
Group leadership
Dr Skylar HOPKINS
Chair,
Co-Chair
Co-Chair
Skylar Hopkins is an Assistant Professor at NC State University, where she researches parasite and disease ecology to better understand how parasites are maintained in complex ecological systems…
More about the Specialist Group
When the Parasite Specialist Group began work in 2023, fewer than 10 metazoan parasites that use vertebrate hosts had been assessed for the IUCN Red List, yet as much as 30% of parasite species are estimated to be at risk of extinction in the next century. To better understand where and why parasite species are threatened, the Parasite Specialist Group is facilitating more assessments for individual parasite species.
MISSION
Assess extinction risks for metazoan parasites that use vertebrate hosts, a trophic group that is currently extremely underrepresented on the IUCN Red List. Additionally, our group aims to develop the first best practice guidelines and species recovery plans for threatened metazoan parasites that use vertebrate hosts and to broadly communicate the importance of parasite conservation.
At a glance
Official name:
IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group
Associated Commissions: