Saola Working Group
Mission statement
The Saola Working Group (SWG) is part of the Asian Wild Cattle Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC). The SWG was formed in 2006 in recognition of the need for urgent, coordinated action to save the Saola from extinction.
SWG is the main driver of Saola conservation while also advocating for the conservation of the globally significant Annamite Mountains as a whole.
Its mission statement is : “The Saola Working Group works collaboratively to conserve Saola in nature, and to leverage Saola as a flagship for conservation of the bio-cultural diversity of the Annamite Mountains as a whole.”
Collaboration is key to the SWG’s work. The SWG is not a stand-alone organization, but a collaborative partnership. The SWG currently has 30 members, drawn from range government partners and conservation organisations working in the Saola's range. SWG members are among the most experienced conservationists and biologists at work in Southeast Asia. This experience, and their close collaboration, are the SWG's central strengths.
ASAP Species they are working to conserve
ASAP Partner since: 2017
Country focus: Lao PDR, Vietnam
News & Stories
Earlier this year, a significant breakthrough was made in one of the projects funded by ASAP’s Species Conservation Fund. After a long search, the dedicated team rediscovered the very first specimen of an Mesilau Stream Toad, thought to have been lost to science.