The snow leopard Panthera uncia is categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. It is the least well-known of the large felids because of its shy and elusive nature and the inaccessible terrain it inhabits across the mountains of Central and South Asia. We report the first photographic record of the snow leopard in Kishtwar High Altitude National Park, India. During our camera-trapping surveys, conducted using a grid-based design, we obtained eight photographs of snow leopards, the first at 3,280 m altitude on 19 September 2022 and subsequent photographs over 3,004–3,878 m altitude. We identified at least four different individuals, establishing the species’ occurrence in Kiyar, Nanth and Renai catchments, with a capture rate of 0.123 ± SE 0.072 captures/100 trap-nights. We also recorded the presence of snow leopard prey species, including the Siberian ibex Capra sibirica, Himalayan musk deer Moschus leucogaster, long-tailed marmot Marmota caudata and pika Ochotona sp., identifying the area as potential snow leopard habitat. Given the location of Kishtwar High Altitude National Park, this record is significant for the overall snow leopard conservation landscape in India. We recommend a comprehensive study across the Kishtwar landscape to assess the occupancy, abundance, demography and movement patterns of the snow leopard and its prey. In addition, interactions between the snow leopard and pastoral communities should be assessed to understand the challenges facing the conservation and management of this important high-altitude region.

Estimating the population parameters, performance and factors that influence reproduction from long-term, individual-based monitoring data is the gold standard for effective wildlife management and conservation. Yet this information is often difficult and costly to collect or inaccessible to managers. We synthesized a 20-year set of individual-based monitoring data from a subset of black rhinoceros Diceros bicornis subpopulations across a range of environmental conditions in Namibia. Our findings demonstrate that despite the relatively arid landscape in Namibia, the black rhinoceros metapopulation is performing well, measured by age at first reproduction, inter-birth interval, population growth and survivorship. Information-theoretic modelling revealed that a univariate model including normalized differential vegetative index had a greater influence upon age at first reproduction than population density. The inter-birth interval model set identified cumulative rainfall during the 15 months prior to the birth month as the top model, although the mean normalized differential vegetative index during the inter-birth interval was comparable. There was little evidence for density-dependence effects on reproduction. These findings suggest that although browse quality could have a greater impact on parameters spanning multiple years, shorter-term parameters could be more influenced by rainfall. Our analysis also revealed a synchronous pattern of conceptions occurring in the rainy season. Our study provides a set of population parameter estimates for Namibian black rhinoceros subpopulations and preliminary insights on factors driving their reproduction. These expand our collective knowledge of global black rhinoceros population dynamics and improve our confidence and capability to adaptively manage the black rhinoceros metapopulation of Namibia.

Pallas's fish eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus was recategorized from Vulnerable to Endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2017 because of evidence that there is only a single population, which is declining as a result of continuous, widespread loss and degradation of freshwater wetlands. To determine the species’ status in Bangladesh, we conducted a large-scale community-based interview survey in north-east Bangladesh in 2017–2020. We also examined nest site habitat characteristics through field surveys and remotely sensed data. We conducted a total of 955 interviews in an area of 4,150 km2, through which we were able to determine the presence of 53 breeding pairs at a mean density of 1.2 nests per 100 km2. There was a higher nest density (3.7–4.8 nests per 100 km2) in some locations, which we identify as priority conservation areas. The majority of nests (62.2%) were close together and on tall trees with an open canopy structure. Nests were located within or close to (< 100 m) human settlements, and within 500 m of wetlands and rivers. Felling of nest trees, removal of nests by local people and loss of permanent wetlands (14.6% during 2010–2020) appeared to be the main threats. High nesting density in our study area suggests that the freshwater wetlands in north-east Bangladesh possibly hold the largest population of Pallas's fish eagle globally.

Russian settlement of the Far East inevitably reduced numbers of Siberian tigers and leopards, whose magnificent skins were a major lure for the settlers. But in the 1880s tigers were numerous, and tracks often seen in the streets of Vladivostok; many were shot. Today there may be 200 or so, which is probably as many as at any time since 1914. Now fully protected, they appear to have adjusted to the timber mills and the secondary forest, and are often seen on roads and near gardens. Their main strongholds are two reserves, both likely to be enlarged. The leopard, however, is seriously endangered, and depends for survival on two reserves in the Ussuri region which are being combined to create one huge reserve 200 miles long.

This article reconsiders the use of financial incentives for securing the participation of ‘local’ people on conservation programmes by raising several less discussed social consequences which such incentives may entail. To this end, it outlines the involvement of a South Indian honey-hunting ‘tribe’ with an ecodevelopment programme and the market economy, noting how commercializing ‘traditional’ livelihoods may increase the general ‘standard of living’ but undermine the social ‘fabric’ of the community and aid in the rationalization of custom. It concludes by suggesting that social development should precede economic development for communities in transition between subsistence and commodity-orientated economic practices.

Cuba has the highest combined animal and plant diversity, and the highest degree of endemism, in the West Indies. In 1998 we undertook the first major biodiversity survey of the Sierra del Cristal National Park, in the Holguín province in eastern Cuba, to address the need for baseline data on the wildlife of the forest habitats of this biologically important mountain range. This area was chosen because it is known to be a major stronghold of the endemic Cuban solenodon Solenodon cubanus (Insectivora, Solenodontidae). The project initiated and supported field activities of two Cuban institutions involved in nature conservation. The study focused on indicator taxonomic groups. We recorded a total of 220 species of plants, 53 spiders, 28 molluscs, 10 amphibians, 19 reptiles, 51 birds, and three species of mammal. The highest number of species were recorded in montane forest. Thirty-five percent of the taxa recorded are endemic to the area or to Cuba. Information gathered during the study will form the basis for developing long-term management plans for habitats and resident species, in conjunction with the authorities responsible for environmental conservation.

The effect of landscape on populations is of great importance, especially given the number of species inhabiting patchy landscapes. Developments in geographical information systems are facilitating a greater application of spatial analyses to threatened species, such as the Endangered giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca, for which habitat patchiness and quality are key limiting factors. Of all factors that influence the suitability of habitat for the giant panda, topography is not subject to change. Here, we report a spatial and statistical analysis of the high quality topographic habitat preferred by the giant panda across its stronghold in the Qinling Mountains, China. High quality topographic habitat, as indicated by a combination of elevation, slope and aspect, covers 92,788 ha, accounting for 15% of the current range of the species. The distribution of the giant panda closely follows patterns of topography and areas with patches of high quality topographic habitat are strongly associated with areas supporting greater numbers of giant pandas. However, comparisons between our model and the existing reserve system reveals a number of inadequacies. Some of the reserves contain little high quality topographic habitat and many patches of high quality topographic habitat are unprotected. Given the importance of topography and the decisive role it plays in shaping habitat, landscapes containing high quality topographic features must be a critical consideration in the design of reserves for the giant panda. The existing system of nature reserves is heavily weighted towards judicial and administrative boundaries, to the detriment of other factors such as topography.