The African wild ass is endangered. Its habitat is a drought-stricken war zone; its flesh is eaten and is believed to cure hepatitis; it is eagerly sought by dealers and collectors. The author, Chief Curator at Israel's Hai-Bar reserve, examines the problems hindering the conservation of this animal and explains why it is urgently necessary to list it on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora at its meeting in April 1983.

n I 1981 the authors reviewed all the information then available to them on the world ivory trade to determine the number of elephants represented by Africa’s raw ivory exports. Their findings were published in Oryx in February 1982. Since then they have been able to collect and analyse more data, which has permitted a more accurate assessment of the situation up to the end of 1982. Contrary to their earlier conclusions, they expect the output in ivory to remain high throughout the coming decade.

The author has been resident scientist and naturalist guide in the Galapagos Islands during 1970–72 and 1976–79, and throughout has been associated with sea-bird conservation in the archipelago. In July 1982, he visited the islands once again, and here reports on the effect of tourism on Galapagos wildlife over the 11-year period. Some of this work has be aided by the ffPS 100% Fund.

While information was being gathered for Part 1 of the new IUCN Amphibia-Reptiha Red Data Book, dealing with crocodilians and chelonians (Groombridge, 1982), it became evident that one small terrestrial emydid turtle, Heosemys silvatica, was known to science by only two museum specimens, both collected i n 1911 in hill rain forest in south-west India (Henderson, 1912). The apparent rarity of the species, and the extent to which rain forests in south-west India have been destroyed or modified, led to concern for the species's survival and made a survey of the type locality a matter of priority. The species was included, with ‘Indeterminate’ status, in the new Red Data Book. This paper is a pre liminary report of a brief field survey initiated by the first author and carried out between 26 October and 5 November 1982.

Project Tiger was launched by the World Wildlife Fund in 1972. The author, who was closely involved in the project, examines the progress ten years later.

The rain forests of southern Mexico represent the northernmost extent of this ecosystem in the Americas. In the past 30 years half of these forests have been destroyed; only three patches remain where once forest stretched unbroken from Veracruz to Chiapas. But at a university research station set up in 1967 something is being done. The authors, who work at the station, describe the conservation, research and education taking place there and the important role the station has in persuading the community of the necessity of conserving the country’s rain forests.

Releasing animals into the wild, especially when they have become extinct there, is an appealing and dramatic conservation technique. It is, however, fraught with risks and often expensive; its success depends upon meticulous planning. The authors discuss the reasons for translocation, the many problems involved and the special cases where such an exercise may be justified.

The huemul has vanished from much of its historic range in Chile and Argentina; now perhaps only 1300 are left. Since 1976, wildlife guards have been protecting huemuls in some parts of Chile and in 1977 a huemul guard station was built at the Rio Claro with ffPS support. In 1980–81 the author censused the known huemul populations in Chile and reports on their present status, evaluates the conservation measures that are being taken and recommends further action needed to save them.