We report on how a long-term study of the reproductive biology of the Critically Endangered Schiedea adamantis (Caryophyllaceae), one of Hawai‘i's rarest plant species, was leveraged for conservation purposes. Our major goals were to provide seeds with the greatest genetic variation possible for reintroduction and to ensure that both female and hermaphroditic plants of this wind-pollinated species were reintroduced in a manner that maximized both outcrossing and seed production. Schiedea adamantis was one of the first Hawaiian plant species listed under the Endangered Species Act (USA). The species has been studied intensively to test hypotheses addressing the evolution of breeding systems. Information on outcrossing levels and the extent of inbreeding depression was integrated into ongoing reintroduction efforts. Population size peaked in 1994, when 267 flowering individuals were found on Lē‘ahi (Diamond Head Crater). By 2016 only 17 flowering individuals were present, with drought and invasive species being possible causes of this decline. Reintroduction attempts in 1998 using genetically diverse seeds were unsuccessful because of drought and a lack of sufficient supplemental irrigation. Additional reintroduction attempts in 2012 and 2014 were more successful because of increased supplemental irrigation. Plants used in reintroductions represent genotypes long since absent in the natural population, and may contain the genetic variability essential for evolutionary responses to climate change and the spread of invasive species. The destruction of many plants reintroduced in 2015 and 2016 by a fire in March 2016 highlights the need for additional restoration areas at Lē‘ahi and elsewhere, and storage of seeds for future use.

The beira antelope Dorcatragus megalotis, which is listed as possibly extinct in Djibouti in the 1996 IUCN Red List, was observed there by the authors in 1993/94. The authors discuss its status in the country and the action needed for its conservation.

Hunting in modern vehicles has seriously reduced the Libyan gazelle populations. The author, who has been studying them, believes that the future for the three species is gravely threatened unless the Government takes strong measures to enforce the protection laws.

This paper presents the current results of a continuing survey of the distribution, status and biological importance of Tanzanian coastal forests. The Frontier-Tanzania Coastal Forest Research Programme has shown that at least 34 locations, and possibly another eight, support important coastal forests. There are probably 350–500 sq km of forest remaining, with most sites smaller than 20 sq km. Most sites, and 75–85 per cent of the total area, are located in Forest Reserves. Coastal forest supports many endemic taxa and many individual forests support species and subspecies known from nowhere else. All these forests are severely threatened and effective conservation action is a priority. The Frontier-Tanzania project findings are contributing to conservation programmes co-ordinated by the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania and the World Wide Fund for Nature (Tanzania).

The Endangered Madagascar giant jumping rat, Hypogeomys antimena, has suffered a major decline in distribution and is now restricted to two seemingly unconnected sub-populations in the largest remaining fragment of deciduous, seasonally dry forest in Menabe, western Madagascar. In a previous study a rapid decrease in numbers of H. antimena was observed in relatively intact forest, suggesting a factor of population decline additional to habitat loss, and provoking fears of a negative trend occurring across its remaining range. In the current study we conducted extensive line transect surveys to estimate active H. antimena burrow density in 2004 and 2005 as an index of population size, and trapping to estimate mean group size, as a multiplier for population size estimation. Within the surveyed areas we estimated the combined size of the two H. antimena sub-populations in 2005 to be c. 36,000, considerably larger than previously assumed. There was no evidence that active burrow density across the species’ known range changed between 2000 and 2005. H. antimena was not uniformly distributed, with higher densities of active burrows found in forest with the highest canopy in areas furthest from forest edges. These core forest areas are vital for the species’ conservation and the recent declaration that the Menabe forest will receive statutory protection provides hope that H. antimena may be safeguarded. However, given its restricted range and low reproductive output, among other factors, H. antimena remains threatened and requires close future monitoring.

The hawksbill sea turtle Eretmochelys imbricata is categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and its population has declined by over 80% in the last century. The Eastern Pacific population is one of the most threatened hawksbill populations globally. Western Mexico is the northern distribution limit for hawksbill sea turtles in the Eastern Pacific and recent research indicates that the Mexican Pacific portion of the population is a separate management unit because of the restricted movements of these turtles. Here we use the most complete database of sighting records in the north-west Pacific of Mexico to identify sites where hawksbill turtles are present. We also develop a conservation index to determine the conservation status of hawksbill turtle sites. Our results demonstrate the importance of this region for juveniles and the relevance of rocky reefs and mangrove estuaries as habitats for hawksbill turtles. We identified 52 sites with records of hawksbill turtles. Most of these sites (71%) are not protected; however, sites with high conservation value included islands and coastal sites along the Baja California peninsula that are established as marine protected areas. Reefs and mangrove estuaries relevant for hawksbill turtles are probably also significant fish nursery areas that are important for local fishing communities, creating opportunities for conservation strategies that combine science, local engagement and policy to benefit both local fishing communities and hawksbill sea turtle conservation.

In 1986 the FFPS contributed £750 from its Oryx 100% Fund towards a study of riparian forest in Somalia. Only small fragments remain. The local and national importance of these forests demands that urgent action is taken to conserve them, as the author explains.

Many studies of wildlife poaching acknowledge the challenges of detecting poaching activities, but few address the issue. Data on poaching may be an inaccurate reflection of the true spatial distribution of events because of low detection rates. The deployment of conservation and law enforcement resources based on biased data could be ineffective or lead to unintended outcomes. Here, we present a rigorous method for estimating the probabilities of detecting poaching and for evaluating different patrol strategies. We illustrate the method with a case study in which imitation snares were set in a private nature reserve in South Africa. By using an experimental design with a known spatial distribution of imitation snares, we estimated the detection probability of the current patrol strategy used in the reserve and compared it to three alternative patrol strategies: spatially focused patrols, patrols with independent observers, and systematic search patterns. Although detection probabilities were generally low, the highest proportion of imitation snares was detected with systematic search strategies. Our study provides baseline data on the probability of detecting snares used for poaching, and presents a method that can be modified for use in other regions and for other types of wildlife poaching.

The historical distribution of the Sumatran rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis stretched from the foothills of the eastern Himalaya in Bhutan and north-eastern India, through Myanmar and Indo-China to Borneo and Sumatra. However, because of poaching and habitat loss the species is now struggling for survival in a few pockets of Myanmar, Thailand, the Malay peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo (Khan, 1989).

The Javan tiger Panthera tigris sondaica and the Bali tiger P. tigris balica were categorized as Extinct on the IUCN Red List in both 2003 and 2008, leaving only the Sumatran subspecies P. tigris sumatrae extant in Indonesia. There have, however, been occasional, more recent reports of the Javan tiger but without conclusive evidence. Here, a potential observation in 2019 of a Javan tiger in a community plantation near the village of Cipendeuy in the forest of South Sukabumi, West Java, and a single hair found on a fence nearby, are assessed. The cytochrome b mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene sequence of the putative Javan tiger hair were compared with that of a Javan tiger specimen in Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, collected in 1930; hair samples of several tiger subspecies and the Javan leopard Panthera pardus melas were used as controls. The results showed that the genetic distances (d) of the putative Javan tiger hair with the Sumatran, Bengal P. tigris tigris and Amur P. tigris altaica tigers and the Javan leopard are 0.074 ± SE 0.009, 0.071 ± SE 0.009, 0.072 ± SE 0.009 and 0.088 ± SE 0.010, respectively, whereas the genetic distance of the putative Javan tiger hair with the Javan tiger museum specimen is 0.040 ± SE 0.006. In addition, phylogenetic trees showed that the putative Javan tiger hair sample belongs to the same group as the museum specimen of the Javan tiger, but is differentiated from other tiger subspecies and the Javan leopard. Whether the Javan tiger still occurs in the wild needs to be confirmed with further genetic and field studies.