The CSG was established in 1981, with David Macdonald as its founding Chair. David led the CSG for over two decades, overseeing the development of its global network and publishing the first Action Plan -Foxes, Wolves, Jackals and Dogs- in 1990. Claudio Sillero joined the CSG in 1993 as Conservation Officer and became its Deputy Chair in 2000, producing the expanded Canids: Foxes, Wolves, Jackals and Dogs – Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan in 2004. Claudio succeeded David as CSG’s Chair in 2004, continuing its increasingly global focus on science-based canid conservation.
History
For many years, grey and red wolves were covered separately by the IUCN SSC Wolf Specialist Group, chaired by L. David Mech. The Wolf Specialist Group was incorporated into the CSG in 2013, bringing all wild Canidae under a single network; it continues today as the CSG’s Wolf Working Group. David Macdonald and L. David Mech currently serve as Advisers to the Chair.
Today, the CSG is led by co-Chairs Geraldine Werhahn and Nucharin Songsasen and provides global expertise, Red List and Green List assessments and conservation guidance for wild canids worldwide. Claudio Sillero currently serves as Emeritus Chair.
The Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) at the University of Oxford in the UK has provided an institutional base to the CSG since its inception.