The CSG has 350 members and eight regional subdivisions, and operates from offices in the Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Florida, USA. Its administrative and publishing budget is raised entirely from private donors.

The CSG network of experts advises governments and wildlife management agencies. These experts evaluate the conservation needs of crocodilian populations, initiate research projects, conduct surveys of wild populations, estimate population numbers, provide technical information and training, and initiate conservation programs.

The natural history and ecology of crocodilians is fascinating. A number of crocodilian species are exploited for their valuable skins, a natural commodity that earns over US $200 million annually in international sales. The high fashion leather goods made from the skins earn ten times that amount in retail sales. The CSG actively monitors this trade, identifies legal and illegal crocodilian skins and products, and participates in national and international forums to develop laws and regulations that support crocodilian conservation.

In 1971, when the CSG began, all 23 species of crocodilian were endangered or threatened. By 1996, after 25 years of effort, one-third of the species (8) were sufficiently abundant to support well-regulated annual harvests, one-third of the species (8) were no longer in danger of extinction but are not harvested, and one-third of the species (7) remain endangered. No other group of vertebrate animals has undergone such a dramatic improvement in its conservation status.

The key to this success is the cooperation of companies involved in the international reptile skin and leather trade, crocodilian farmers and ranchers, skin traders, tanners, manufacturers, fashion designers, and major retailers. Today, the crocodilian skin industry views conservation as an investment in the future that is equivalent to investing in new equipment and technology. Many of the companies contribute to conservation projects and actively curtail illegal trade.

However, the conservation efforts of the CSG are not finished. The seven endangered crocodilian species, and some threatened populations of the more abundant species, require further conservation. Additional populations of all species need protection in national parks and other protected areas. And, of course, vigorous efforts continue to suppress any and all illegal trade.

The CSG operates under the auspices of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of IUCN-The World Conservation Union, the largest consortium of conservation organizations and agencies. The CSG works closely with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and other international intergovernmental bodies to promote crocodilian conservation and legal trade that does not threaten the survival of these important reptiles.

The CSG can be reached through its Executive Office, Dr. Grahame J.W. Webb, PO Box 530, Sanderson, NT 0812, Australia. Tel: (61) 8 922 4500. Fax: (61) 8 8947 0678. Email: gwebb@wmi.com.au.