Populations of North American grassland birds have suffered drastic declines. The causes of these declines are only partially understood and may vary among regions. During the 2004 and 2005 breeding seasons we recorded survival information from 220 nests of four bird species in nine study sites representing three habitat types of the desert grasslands of central Mexico, where grassland birds had not yet been studied. We predicted that land-use change from shortgrass steppe to heavily grazed savannah-type grasslands and agriculture would negatively affect nesting success, number of fledglings and nest abundance. We also examined temporal effects on reproductive success. We found some evidence that nest survival of savannah sparrows Passerculus sandwichensis, loggerhead shrikes Lanius ludovicianus and white-winged doves Zenaida asiatica varied with date, and that nest survival of the dove was lowest in agricultural sites. However, confidence intervals were large, suggesting that other variables were also important. Whereas white-winged dove nests were notably more abundant in agricultural areas compared to the other habitat types, western meadowlark Sturnella neglecta nests were not found in agricultural areas. Ploughing caused the largest proportion of nest failures in agricultural areas and, on average, all species fledged fewer young per nest in agricultural areas. Therefore, minimizing agriculture and adjusting harvest times could enhance conservation of grassland-nesting birds in central Mexico. Our study also suggests that inter-annual variation in rainfall can change the onset of nesting by at least 2 months.

The Barbary macaque Macaca sylvanus, categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, is the only macaque species found outside Asia. Conservation concern for the species arises from habitat loss, overgrazing, cutting and collection of firewood and fodder, drought, and the illegal pet trade. Population estimates since 1975 suggest an overall decline. Macaques are considered economic pests in the Middle Atlas of Morocco because they strip cedar Cedrus atlantica bark. The Moroccan department of Eaux et Forêts considers the stripping a serious threat to the cedar forests and has suggested that the macaque population is increasing. The aims of this study were therefore to determine the current status of the macaque in the Middle Atlas and to assess the contradictory claim that the Barbary macaque population is increasing versus the conclusions of a 2002 study that the population is decreasing. We conducted 244 km of line transects from June to December 2005 in the Middle Atlas. Our results indicate densities of 12.1–28.2 km−2. These estimates are lower than earlier estimates of 43–70 km−2 and corroborate the results of the 2002 survey indicating that the macaque population is in decline. Human-induced habitat loss and capture of infants for the pet trade appear to be the two main factors driving the decline. We make recommendations to mitigate these threats.

The wild yak Bos mutus is one of the most charismatic members of the Tibet/Qinghai Plateau fauna, and 19th century explorers to the plateau described vast herds. Overhunting, in particular, has greatly reduced wild yak populations and forced them into remote areas. The species is categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and as a Class 1 protected animal in China. Introgression with domestic yaks is another threat, and the wild yak population of the Arjinshan Nature Reserve is particularly important because Uigher herders in and around Arjinshan do not have the tradition of raising yaks. We provide information on the status of the wild yak in Arjinshan based on observations in 1993 and on vehicle surveys during 1998–2009 and point samples from 2009. The steppes of north-east Arjinshan are the most important area, and we saw c. 1,700 yaks there in winter 2008. We saw more yaks in the north-east on similar routes driven in winter 2008 compared to winter 2005, suggesting that the wild yak population in Arjinshan is stable or increasing.

In the Mexican state of Chiapas the rainforest has been cleared, to make way for crops and extensive cattle ranching, at an annual rate of 12.4% since 2002. The conservation status of the Endangered black howler monkey Alouatta pigra in these fragmented landscapes in north-eastern Chiapas has not previously been examined. We therefore surveyed A. pigra populations in the municipality of Playas de Catazajá during 2004–2006 to obtain population and habitat data for this species in 115 fragments of remnant vegetation. A geographical information system was used to determine the variables (fragment size, and distances to the nearest fragment, human settlement and water body) that could be used to generate an index of habitat potential for A. pigra. We estimated a population of 659 individuals and a mean troop size of 5.0 ± SE 2.3. The adult male : female ratio was 1 : 1.4, the adult female : juvenile ratio 1 : 0.6 and adult female : immature ratio 1 : 0.8. The index of habitat potential indicates that 12% of the fragments have a high conservation potential for A. pigra. This index is a valuable tool for evaluating the conservation status of this species and its habitat, and can be expanded to include additional variables, thus allowing for a more comprehensive assessment.

The bush dog Speothos venaticus and the short-eared dog Atelocynus microtis are categorized as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. I document the occurrence of these two little known canids in a fragmented landscape in southern Amazonia (around Alta Floresta, Mato Grosso state, Brazil) using interviews and two extensive camera-trapping surveys. From a total of 144 interviews conducted during 2001–2002 in forest fragments and continuous forest sites, bush and short-eared dogs were confirmed in only eight (5.6%) and 14 (9.7%) forest sites, respectively. Two camera-trapping surveys, conducted in 2003–2004 and 2007–2008, with a total of 6,721 camera-trap days, recorded two photographs of bush dogs and seven of short-eared dogs, in three continuous forest sites. On the basis of the large sampling effort it appears that these two elusive species occur at low densities in the study region. The continued presence of these species in an agricultural frontier with high deforestation rates makes this information of relevance for long-term conservation initiatives in this region and in other Neotropical agricultural frontiers.

Crop raiding by elephants is the most prevalent form of human–elephant conflict and can result in devastating economic losses for farmers, loss of human lives and the killing or capture of elephants. Chilli (capsaicin)-based elephant deterrents have been promoted as tools for reducing such conflict but have been little tested. From October 2005 to April 2006 we tested crop-guarding systems around Way Kambas National Park in Indonesia. We evaluated the effectiveness of community-based guarding using traditional tools (e.g. noise-makers) at one site and community-based guarding plus chilli-grease-covered fences and tripwire-triggered sirens at another site. We monitored human–elephant conflict rates around the Park to assess the effectiveness of our mitigation trials. Over the trial period there were 34 attempts by elephants to enter crop fields at the chilli and sirens site and 57 attempts to enter fields at the conventional site but 91.2% of attempts were repelled successfully at both sites. Over the same period there were 401 crop-raiding incidents elsewhere around the Park. In 2007 farmers at both our former sites voluntarily adopted the methods that had been used at the conventional site, but not at the chilli and sirens site, and were able to repel 156 of 178 (87.6%) attempted elephant raids. We conclude that community-based guarding using conventional tools is the key to keeping elephants out of crops and that chilli-grease fences (and sirens) do not add any significant deterrent effect but do add expense and create additional work. However, other chilli-based deterrents may be effective and chillies have value as elephant-resistant cash crops.

Monitoring rare and elusive species for effective management and conservation is particularly challenging and often demands the development of specialized techniques. Scat surveys have been applied to monitor a variety of rare species but relatively little attention has been given to the development of appropriate sampling designs. To determine if scat surveys could be applied to compare the distribution of species across three habitats of a fragmented region in the Brazilian Amazon, the removal of human (n = 27) and jaguar (n = 27) scat samples in forest, riparian corridor and pasture habitats was recorded for 24 hours. Dung beetles were responsible for removing the majority of samples (71%) and a generalized linear mixed effect model revealed significant influence of habitat and scat type on removal probability, with forest and riparian corridors having higher removal compared with samples in pasture habitats. Although non-invasive scat surveys can potentially address fundamental broad-scale conservation and management questions, our results demonstrate that scat surveys in the tropics must account for differences in scat removal rates between habitats and target species before conclusions can be drawn regarding patterns of habitat use.

The Chelonia face an extinction crisis, particularly in Asia: unsustainable harvests, and habitat fragmentation and loss accompanying rapid urbanization and land development all pose threats to turtles. These threats are particularly acute for those species with a high commercial value such as the yellow-margined box turtle Cuora flavomarginata. Because of burgeoning demand in the food and pet markets, combined with extensive habitat loss, C. flavomarginata is categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. To investigate the status and distribution of this species in Taiwan we conducted an extensive trapping survey in 2001–2008, locating a total of 527 different individuals at 23 sites. Our results show that C. flavomarginata is restricted to low-elevation forested hills. Populations in lowland areas may have been extirpated by land development. There are four clusters of localities in low-elevation primary and secondary forests, and some relatively large populations survive. However, capture success at most sites was low. In those sites where we trapped > 20 individuals, sex ratios were significantly skewed towards females and adults predominated. The most essential measure for the conservation of C. flavomarginata in Taiwan is to secure and preserve some relatively undisturbed habitats at low elevations.

Although South-east Asia harbours most of the world's tropical peatlands relatively little is known about the primate communities of the associated habitat, the peat swamp forest. To understand better the role of tropical peat swamp forests for the conservation of primates in general, and for the endemic primates of the Mentawai Islands in particular, we conducted a line transect survey in a 12.5-km2 section of peat swamp forest in northern Siberut. A total of 215 records of all four Siberut primates (Endangered Kloss's gibbon Hylobates klossii, Endangered Mentawai langur Presbytis potenziani, Vulnerable Siberut macaque Macaca siberu and Critically Endangered pig-tailed langur Simias concolor) were obtained. Pig-tailed langurs (65.5 km-2, 95% confidence interval, CI, 41.9–102.6) and Siberut macaques (35.8 km-2, 95% CI 25.5–50.4) were the most common species, with density estimates similar to (pig-tailed langur) or greater than (Siberut macaque) those in adjacent lowland rainforest on mineral soil. Density estimates of the Mentawai langur (2.7 km-2, 95% CI 1.3–5.3) and Kloss's gibbon (1.0 km-2, 95% CI 0.3–2.8) were approximately one-third and one-tenth, respectively, of the adjacent lowland rainforest. Given that resource density and diversity in peat swamp forest are probably lower than that of lowland rainforest, primate densities appear to be relatively high, with overall primate biomass (881 kg km-2) exceeding values for lowland rainforest on mineral soil. Our results underline the general importance that peat swamp forests may have for South-east Asian primates and for two island endemic species in particular.

Parasites place their hosts under strong selection for adaptive traits that increase parasite resistance. The initial impact of invasive parasites has rarely been observed and can be particularly strong on naïve hosts with limited prior exposure to parasites. Philornis downsi is an introduced fly to the Galapagos Islands whose parasitic larvae cause high mortality in nestlings of Darwin's finches. We used a within-nest camera system and nest monitoring data to examine this new host–parasite interaction in the wild. Many P. downsi flies entered finch nests with incubated eggs or nestlings but only when parent finches were not present. Parasitic P. downsi larvae were observed to emerge from the nest base at night to feed both internally and externally on nestlings. Adult and nestling Darwin’s finches exhibit grooming and avoidance behaviours in the presence of P. downsi parasites. Specifically, in nests with high parasite intensity, nestlings increased self-preening behaviour, ate larvae and stood on top of one another. Female finches probed into their nestling’s nares (first instar larvae reside in the nares) and probed into the nest base (second and third larvae reside in the nest base during the day). These findings shed light on the emergence of anti-parasite behaviour as well as host–parasite relationships after recent parasitism in a naïve host.

While little is known about hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys imbricata in the eastern Pacific Ocean, available information suggests that the population has declined substantially in recent decades and could be near extirpation in the region. To evaluate the current status of the population more effectively and to determine the feasibility of recovery efforts, a workshop of regional marine turtle specialists was held in June 2008 in Los Cóbanos, El Salvador. An international working group, Iniciativa Carey del Pacífico Oriental (ICAPO; Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative in English), was established to consolidate information, promote conservation projects and raise awareness about the species. We present information derived from the workshop and compiled by the ICAPO working group since that time. Considering only records from 1 January 2007 to 31 May 2009 it appears that El Salvador hosts the majority of known hawksbill turtle nesting activity in the eastern Pacific, with 79.6% (n = 430) of all nesting observation records, and Mexico hosts the majority of records of hawksbill turtles at sea, with 60.3% (n = 44) of all in-water observation records. Although current abundance is very low, the pervasiveness of the species in the region suggests potential for conservation and recovery. Despite a historical paucity of research focusing on this population, the relatively large and steadily increasing number of records as a result of concerted efforts demonstrates the viability of the ICAPO network as an instrument to promote conservation of this species in the eastern Pacific.

The yellow-headed parrot Amazona oratrix is categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List but little is known about its distribution, particularly along the Pacific coast of Mexico. We used ecological niche models, with presence records from museum collections and historical sightings, overlain on vegetation maps, to predict the historical range of the yellow-headed parrot along the Pacific coast of Mexico. We compared this with the current range of the species, estimated with ecological niche models using presence–absence data from surveys during 2003–2008. We estimate that the range of the yellow-headed parrot along Mexico’s Pacific coast has contracted by 79%. The current range may now cover only 18,957 km2, in three main areas. At one of these, a small isolated area on the coast of Jalisco, the species may be vulnerable to extirpation or genetic endogamy. There is a lack of conserved tropical semi-deciduous forest, which provides optimal habitat for reproduction of this parrot, within the current range of the species. Only the south, along the coast of Oaxaca, has extensive areas of this habitat. There are only three, small, protected areas within the species’ current range. Conservation strategies need to be implemented to restore connectivity between the three main areas of the current range of the yellow-headed parrot on the Pacific coast of Mexico.