The Critically Endangered Arabian leopard Panthera pardus nimr was believed to be absent from the Nejd region in Dhofar Governorate, Oman. However, a scat confirmed by DNA analysis in 2011 and camera-trap images from 2014 confirmed the presence of the leopard in this region. During 2014–2021, our camera traps documented at least eight individual leopards, demonstrating the species is resident and breeding in the region. This finding extends the Arabian leopard's known range in Oman by c. 40 km northwards. To improve detection probability, we recommend that camera-trap surveys for the leopard in the Arabian Peninsula are of at least 18 weeks duration. We advocate the designation of central and western areas of the Nejd as a National Nature Reserve, to protect critical habitat for the Arabian leopard and for other species in this region.

Ensuring the demographic and genetic viability of small populations of threatened primates requires a range of management approaches. Here we describe a novel mixed in situ and ex situ management project that was developed to restore a population of the Critically Endangered northern muriqui Brachyteles hypoxanthus. This isolated population, located in Ibitipoca, Lima Duarte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, had declined to two adult males and would have gone extinct without intervention. A first attempt at in situ management in 2017 involved the translocation of a solitary female from another region, but this female did not associate or interact with the males and disappeared after 9 months. We thus initiated a second and ongoing ex situ management project that involved constructing a complex consisting of a large, open-air enclosure abutting a small patch of forest surrounded by an open area in the process of restoration, all of which is protected by electric fencing. The entire area within the fencing is called Muriqui House. The two Ibitipoca males and two solitary, wild females from another location were captured and released into the enclosed part of Muriqui House between March 2019 and January 2020 and into the forested part of Muriqui House in February 2020. The birth of an infant in this group in November 2020 and the acceptance by the group of a third female translocated from another area in January 2021 demonstrate the potential of this approach for the recovery of this isolated population, with positive implications for the conservation of the species.

The unsustainable use of wildlife increases the risk of species extinction. In biodiversity-rich Indonesia, information on the scale of wildlife use is limited and requires further study. To address this, we explored the potential of text messaging (short message service; SMS) surveys to investigate levels and spatial patterns of domestic wildlife use, using songbird keeping and shark consumption as case studies because of their widespread occurrence in all 34 Indonesian provinces. We sent 340,000 messages for each survey during October–November 2018 and incentivized responses with a mobile data package as reward. We obtained survey response rates of 1.4% (songbird ownership) and 1.5% (shark consumption). Our results revealed an estimated 175.7 million songbirds being kept by 35% (80.4–86.6 million) of the Indonesian population and 33.5 million people (14% of the Indonesian population) to have consumed shark products in their lifetime. We identified hotspots of songbird ownership in several provinces in Java, corroborating previous findings, and new ones in the North Sumatra province, for example. The provinces of Maluku, Aceh and East Nusa Tenggara had the highest numbers of reported shark consumers per 1,000 people. Responses indicated a wide variety of shark products being consumed, highlighting the need for in-depth research to understand the explanatory factors behind these practices. These findings demonstrate the potential of SMS surveys to be a cost-effective approach for conducting large-scale studies on wildlife consumption patterns over a short period of time.

The Critically Endangered Cantor's giant softshell turtle Pelochelys cantorii is a freshwater turtle found in South and Southeast Asia. Its population is declining because of habitat destruction and alteration, and hunting for its meat. Data on the species’ ecology, behaviour, population size, distribution and threats are limited, and previous surveys undertaken in India have failed to detect individuals in the wild. This lack of data hinders strategic conservation planning. Ecologists and conservationists increasingly utilize local ecological knowledge to determine the status and gain insights into the ecology of threatened and rare species that are difficult to detect in field studies. To examine the historical and current occurrence of Cantor's giant softshell turtle, we conducted community interviews along the Chandragiri River in Kerala, India. With data from these interviews, we identified multiple sites where the species continues to occur. Older respondents and those that used the river for fishing and irrigation were more likely to report sightings of the species. Our findings also improved knowledge about the turtles’ seasonal and diel activity patterns. A network of key informants identified through the interviews provided information on turtle bycatch, sightings and nesting. This network is being utilized for the continued monitoring of the species and could help in devising evidence-based management strategies for softshell turtles in India. These methods can also be adopted more widely for other threatened species of freshwater turtles globally.

India has an extensive bird trade that provides income and livelihoods for many people but involves considerable unregulated and illegal activity, threatening both native and exotic species and posing potential health risks to people and wildlife. Action to curb illegal trade is vital, but there is currently a lack of information on trade routes and the species involved to inform the development of strategies to address such trade. We therefore examined media reports of bird trade seizures published during 2010–2020 as a cost-effective approach to gaining insights into the composition and structure of the bird trade in India. We collected 182 media reports referring to 109 seizure events by searching for keywords on popular search engines and Indian newspaper websites. We found that 25,850 birds were seized, most frequently members of the family Psittacidae. Of the 58 species identified, 18 were native and 40 non-native to India. The greatest numbers of birds were seized in Uttar Pradesh. Analyses of trade networks indicate that Uttar Pradesh is an important trade hotspot particularly for native species and has strong transnational connections with neighbouring Nepal. We identified West Bengal as an important trade hotspot, particularly for non-native species, probably because of its extensive land borders with neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh. Our study highlights priority areas for interventions as well as key knowledge gaps that need to be addressed to facilitate the development of strategies to manage illegal, unsustainable and otherwise harmful trading of birds.

Predicting future conservation needs can help inform conservation management but is subject to uncertainty. We measured deforestation rates during 2015–2017 for 114 protected areas in Madagascar, linked deforestation to the status of protection according to IUCN categories I–VI, used recent deforestation rates to extrapolate forest cover over 2017–2050 and linked the size of forest blocks to the projected persistence of lemur subpopulations. In the six IUCN categories for protected areas in Madagascar the median size of forest blocks is 9–37 km2 and median annual deforestation rates range from 0.02% in the single IUCN category III site to 0.19% in category II and 1.95% in category VI sites. In 2017, 40% of all forest blocks within protected areas were < 10 km2, and this is projected to increase to 45% in 2050. Apart from these small forest fragments, the modal site of forest blocks was 160–320 km2 in 2017, and this is projected to decrease to 80–160 km2 in 2050. The range of > 50% of all lemur species exclusively contains forest blocks of < 10 km2. The modal size of forest blocks > 10 km2 is predicted to remain at 120 km2 until 2050. Although uncertainty remains, these analyses provide hope that forest blocks within the protected areas of Madagascar will remain large enough to maintain lemur subpopulations for most species until 2050. This should allow sufficient time for the implementation of effective conservation measures.

Anthropogenic activities are negatively affecting the flora and fauna of Madagascar, including its Endangered flagship lemur species, the ring-tailed lemur Lemur catta. Population numbers at some sites are rapidly declining, yet much of the species' habitat is insufficiently surveyed. Because widespread population assessments are critical to guiding conservation management strategies, additional data are needed to monitor L. catta population trends and to identify the limits of their geographical range. Here we report survey results confirming the presence of this species at 65 of 83 sites in southern and south-western Madagascar, including three subpopulations that were previously considered likely to be locally extinct. We identified a minimum of 792 L. catta individuals (summing only maximum group sizes at each site) and as many as 1,221 individuals (using estimated population counts). These findings help refine the distribution of L. catta and reaffirm their presence in areas of their historical geographical range. Identifying species occupancy at sites such as these provides valuable data to support species conservation, but also highlights the need for additional surveys throughout the range of the species.

Despite being protected under the law, illegal trade in tortoises and freshwater turtles is common in India, with different species being trafficked for different markets. Indian species of tortoises and hard-shell turtles are predominantly trafficked for the pet trade and soft-shell turtles for the meat trade. Given their distinct markets, the operation of trade may vary between these different groups of tortoises and freshwater turtles, thereby necessitating different types of interventions. However, a systematic examination of illegal trade in tortoises and freshwater turtles that takes into account the differences between these markets is currently lacking. Here we compare the supply networks of tortoises/hard-shell turtles (in demand for pet trade) vs soft-shell turtles (meat trade), using information from 78 and 64 seizures, respectively, that were reported in the media during 2013–2019. We used social network analysis to compare the two networks and the role of individual nodes (defined as locations at the district or city scale) within these networks. We found that the tortoise/hard-shell turtle network had a larger geographical scale, with more international trafficking links, than the soft-shell turtle network. We recorded convoluted smuggling routes in tortoise/hard-shell turtle trafficking, whereas soft-shell turtle trafficking was uni-directional from source to destination. Within both networks, we found that a few nodes played disproportionately important roles as key exporting, importing or transit nodes. Our study provides insights into the similarities and differences in the illegal supply networks of different groups of tortoises and freshwater turtles, in demand for different markets. We highlight the need for intervention strategies tailored to address the illegal trade in each of these groups.

For the Western Indian Ocean region, there is a significant knowledge gap regarding marine turtle nesting on the continental coast of East Africa. Here we present results from a long-term (2000–2020) community-based monitoring programme in and around Watamu Marine National Park, Kenya, covering 30 km of coastline (c. 6% of the national total). Conservation actions effectively protected nesting turtles and resulted in a near-total cessation of illegal egg harvesting in Watamu Marine National Park. Collected data indicate this is an important marine turtle nesting index site in Kenya and the wider region. Green turtle Chelonia mydas nests were most common (95%), followed by olive ridley turtles Lepidochelys olivacea (4%), with occasional nests of hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata and leatherback turtles Dermochelys coriacea. Clutches per season increased significantly over the 20-year monitoring period for green turtles (50%) and showed a positive trend for olive ridley turtles. Watamu remains an area at risk from human pressures such as coastal development. Clutch distribution along the Watamu Marine National Park beach has shifted over time, probably because of coastal development and disturbance. Illegal take of adults and eggs continues in areas north and south of the Watamu Marine National Park, possibly slowing rates of recovery. Clutches deemed at risk were moved to a safe location within the National Park, and hatching success was high. Continued conservation efforts, including wider engagement with stakeholders to reduce human pressures, are needed to ensure the perpetuation of this nesting site.

The Asian tapir Tapirus indicus population has decreased as a result of habitat destruction and degradation, illegal hunting and negative human–tapir interactions. Although this species is categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and is a protected species in Indonesia, where it occurs on Sumatra, studies of its ecology and behaviour and of interactions with people remain limited. We investigated the characteristics of local communities around tapir habitat in Batang Gadis National Park and the interactions of people with tapirs, and assessed the potential for future negative interactions. This study took place in March and October 2021 in Sopotinjak and Pagar Gunung villages. We conducted interviews, using questionnaires, amongst local communities that are familiar with tapirs. The communities belong to the Mandailing Tribe, comprising farmers that frequently access the adjacent forest to support their livelihoods. Local people need protein from animals, but they do not hunt the tapir. Negative human–tapir interactions could potentially increase in the future if tapir browsing intensity in community gardens increases and farmers suffer significant economic losses. We encourage Batang Gadis National Park authorities to develop a human–tapir co-existence management system and to protect tapir habitat.

Seahorses Hippocampus spp. are commercially and culturally important to many communities. Although seahorses are widely used in traditional medicine, as curios and as aquarium fishes in Southeast Asia, documentation on the current nature and extent of culturally motivated seahorse uses in Malaysia is lacking. To examine how ethnicity and other socio-demographic drivers shape traditional medicinal use and underlying cultural beliefs involving seahorses, we administered a questionnaire-based survey during March 2021–April 2022 to members of the general public and fishers in Malaysia. Approximately one-fifth (21.0%) of respondents reported consuming seahorses (34.4% of these used seahorses for medicinal purposes, 55.2% for other non-medicinal uses and 10.4% for both types). Consumers of seahorses were from all ethnic groups except for Indigenous groups. In the general public group, medicinal use was more common amongst the Chinese respondents, whereas in the fisher group, other uses were more common amongst the Malay respondents. Amongst the threats facing seahorses, which include overfishing, habitat destruction, bycatch and ocean plastic pollution, only bycatch was perceived as a major threat by most of the general public and fisher respondents. The relatively low prevalence of reported seahorse use amongst Malaysians is an encouraging finding from a conservation perspective. However, the high proportion of non-medicinal uses indicates the need to focus on such other uses to ensure the sustainability of seahorse use in Malaysia.

The Rhino Bond is the first financial instrument dedicated to protecting a species. The Bond allows investors to invest in the conservation of the black rhinoceros Diceros bicornis, with the amount of money returned by the investment depending on whether rhinoceros numbers increase (and by how much). In this paper we focus on how the Bond was brought into being. We draw on an analysis of organizational reports along with data collected from interviews with key informants to investigate the roles of the various stakeholders in the Bond, how species and sites were selected, the motivations and experiences of the stakeholders and the involvement of stakeholders in decision-making. We found that although conservation actors are attracted by the potential for new funding, they have experienced challenges navigating complex financial instruments. The needs of financial actors often dictated decision-making, with implications for the species and sites chosen for the Bond. As profits are tied to an increase in population size of a specific species (which needs to be monitored), the instrument has favoured large and easily counted species and populations. Only some sites were able to meet the stringent conditions of financial instruments, including metrics on financial sustainability. We argue that the dominance of financial principles and motives means that not all species or sites will be viable candidates for investment and that conservation finance should not be seen as a panacea.

Population size and geographical range are the key quantitative criteria used by the IUCN to assess the conservation status of a species. However, such information is often incomplete and inconsistent, even for seemingly abundant species. To assess the population and conservation status of Indian primates, we conducted a systematic review of recent research using the searching, appraisal, synthesis and analysis (SALSA) approach. We reviewed a total of 41 studies on Indian primates conducted during the last 2 decades (2000–2021) for information on various parameters that influence their conservation. We found that 20 out of a total of 26 primate species were evaluated for their population status, and the majority of these studies (71%) showed an overall declining population trend. Remarkably, all but one of the studies conducted exclusively within protected areas revealed declining population trends, whereas trends were more variable for primate populations in non-protected areas. Our data indicate that only 27% (n = 7) of Indian primate species have been surveyed or re-surveyed to assess their population status within the last 5 years. Although threats vary in time and space from species to species, 78% of the studies recorded natural system modifications including habitat loss and fragmentation among the main threats to the survival of Indian primates. Most studies on the population status of Indian primates have either been spatially limited or used outdated methods. We recommend that future studies adopt robust techniques to estimate populations and work across larger geographical scales to develop effective management strategies for the conservation of primates in India.

The Critically Endangered white-bellied heron Ardea insignis is a large-bodied, range-restricted, piscivorous bird of the Himalayan mountains. With fewer than 60 individuals remaining globally, regular monitoring is required for this rare species. We present the results of surveys during 2017 and 2023–2024 in Namdapha Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh, India. The encounter rate of white-bellied herons in 2017 was 0.55 individuals per km of river, but we did not detect the bird during intensive surveys in the same location during 2023–2024. The surveyed area within the Reserve was once a stronghold for the species, but its population appears to be declining. Monitoring the population has helped reveal this decline, but identifying and conserving stretches of river still utilized by the remaining individuals is now critical.

The Asian tapir Tapirus indicus is the only tapir species in Southeast Asia. It is declining across its range and is categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. The forests of Sumatra are critical to Asian tapir conservation as they contain some of the last remaining populations of the species, yet conservation efforts are hindered by a lack of information on habitat suitability. We collated camera-trap data from nine landscapes across 69,500 km2 of Sumatran rainforest to help predict suitable habitat for Asian tapirs on the island. Predictions from Bayesian occupancy models demonstrated that tapir occupancy was greatest in forests below 600 m elevation and exclusively in forests with high aboveground biomass. Forests around the Barisan Mountains on the west of Sumatra provide the most suitable habitat for the species. Only 36% of the most critical habitat (i.e. 80th percentile of predicted occupancy values, or above) for tapirs is formally protected for conservation, with much of the remainder found in forests allocated to watershed protection (35%) or logging (23%). We highlight several key areas in Sumatra where tapir conservation could be bolstered, such as by leveraging existing conservation efforts for other charismatic flagships species on the island.

Variable harlequin frogs Atelopus varius have declined significantly throughout their range as a result of infection with the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). The Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project maintains an ex situ population of this Critically Endangered species. We conducted a release trial with surplus captive-bred A. varius individuals to improve our ability to monitor frog populations post-release, observe dispersal patterns after freeing them into the wild and learn about threats to released frogs, as well as to determine whether natural skin toxin defences of frogs could be restored inside mesocosms in the wild and to compare Bd dynamics in natural amphibian communities at the release site vs a non-release site. The 458 released frogs dispersed rapidly and were difficult to re-encounter unless they carried a radio transmitter. No frog was seen after 36 days following release. Thirty frogs were fitted with radio transmitters and only half were trackable by day 10. Tetrodotoxin was not detected in the skins of the frogs inside mesocosms for up to 79 days. Bd loads in other species present at sites were high prior to release and decreased over time in a pattern probably driven by weather. No differences were observed in Bd prevalence between the release and non-release sites. This trial showed that refinements of our methods and approaches are required to study captive Atelopus frogs released into wild conditions. We recommend continuing release trials of captive-bred frogs with post-release monitoring methods, using an adaptive management framework to advance the field of amphibian reintroduction ecology.