Open Call
We are calling on all
organisations, researchers, and citizen scientists to upload any camera trap data that you have of civets, genets, binturongs, linsang, and other viverrids to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Your bycatch data will contribute to Red Listing assessments, allowing us to better understand viverrid species distribution and anthropogenic adaptability.
World Civet Day
World Civet Day is a celebration of all civet species!
Together, we will raise awareness of civet species and the threats that they face,
and this year our theme is coffee.
For the past two decades civets have become threatened by the civet coffee industry- all for a luxury coffee that is produced through the civet's digest tract.
Reverse the Red for Viverrids
The Civet Working Group activities feed into the Reverse the Red strategy- a global movement led by the IUCN that ignites strategic cooperation and action to ensure the survival of wild species and ecosystems.
We pledge to support the integrated and adaptive conservation of Owston’s civet (Chrotogale owstoni) and Binturong (Arctictis binturong).
The Why
Civet species, and other members of the Viverridae family, are a poorly known group of small carnivores.
Basic information about distribution, ecology, biology, population health, and threats to most viverrid species are unknown or underexplored. When the Civet Working Group first met in 2024, 33 of 36 viverrid species were assessed by the IUCN
Red List of Threatened Species. Of these, 33% had population numbers listed as “unknown”, and there’s debate as to whether the critically endangered Malabar large-spotted civet (Viverra civettina) even existed.
Many civets and other viverrids are under threat.
From exploitation for civet coffee, civetone production for perfume, and bushmeat to habitat loss to human-wildlife conflict and persecution, viverrids face a wide variety of ubiquitous threats.
Of the 36 viverrid species assessed by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the population trend for
51% of these species was defined as “decreasing,” and several more species were suspected to have falling (possibly rapidly) population numbers, particularly in countries where protected areas were failing to provide enough protection.
Three civet species have been recognized as global conservation priorities.
The Owston’s civet (Chrotogale owstoni), the otter civet (Cynogale bennettii), the large-spotted civet (Viverra megaspila). are conservation priorities, but all viverrid species play a crucial role in the social-ecological systems in which they exist.
Any loss of a civet or genet species is not only the loss of amazing animals but also the loss of an unique evolutionary lineage, a loss to biodiversity, and the loss of the irreplaceable cultural and ecosystem benefits they provide.
Viverrid research and conservation need support from transdisciplinary collaboration across a diversity of stakeholders
Viverrid species range across a variety of habitats, sociocultural contexts, and the geographical borders of range states throughout Africa, Asia, and western Europe. Accordingly, any effective viverrid research and conservation initiatives must be led by a dedicated, transdisciplinary, multistakeholder team to:
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Identify important knowledge gaps and facilitate research to address these unknowns
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Develop a strategy for the collection, consolidation, and synthesis of data (e.g., camera trap bycatch) between organisations within and between range countries
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Define and prioritize conservation actions based on the best available science and securing buy-in from all relevant interested and affected parties
The How
Sitting within the IUCN SSC Small Carnivore Specialist Group, the IUCN Civet Working Group is dedicated to the conservation of viverrid species. Established in partnership with the Civet Project Foundation, the working group achieves its objectives collectively and through three thematic teams:
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Taxonomy &
Red Listings Subgroup
We confirm taxonomic classifications within the Viverridae family and prioritise and conduct viverrid species red listing re-assessments.
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Mapping & Distribution
Subgroup
We collate camera trapping bycatch for viverrid species across their ranges, and provide advice and guidance on best practice for camera trapping elusive species.
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Education &
Co-existence Subgroup
We work with artists and global communities to promote human-viverrid co-existence through accessible and engaging educational materials.
Contact
For more information on the Civet Working Group or any of its projects, please contact Dr Jes Hooper- Convener of the IUCN Civet Working Group and Chair of The Civet Project Foundation:
jes@thecivetproject.com