Wildlife hunting, for meat and skins, is an important component of the rural economy in Argentinian Patagonia. Every year thousands of fur-bearing mammals are killed and the impact of this on their populations is unknown. This paper reports on the results of a preliminary investigation into the sustainability of the harvest of culpeo foxes Dusicyon culpaeus in a 1000-sq-km area of Neuquen Province. Monitoring of fox densities and harvest rates over 5 years on six ranches revealed that, despite intense hunting, the numbers of foxes remained little changed. On the other hand, life-table analysis suggested that the levels of hunting pressure on four ranches were too high to allow fox populations to persist unless they were boosted by immigration. The findings have applications for wildlife managers in establishing sustainable harvest rates and optimal spatial distribution of those rates.

Few issues in the conservation community rival the intensity of the debate over sustainable use of wild species. At one extreme, people advocate that sustainable use ensures conservation of the resource. Others view it as a guise to exploit wild species. Somewhere between these positions, scientists point out that it impossible to guarantee sustainability given the complexity of human and biological factors that must be balanced. All these points of view are represented among the membership of the IUCN.

Setting priorities for wildlife conservation in the Peruvian Amazon must deal with a variety of issues, including subsistence and commercial hunting, loss of habitat from deforestation, and the international trade in wildlife and wildlife products. However, what is the rank of these priorities for wildlife conservation in Peruvian Amazonia? One way to evaluate priorities for wildlife conservation is by determining how different human activities affect the number of animals removed from the populations. This yields a measure of the impact of these activities on animal populations and enables wildlife managers to rank priorities for wildlife conservation efforts.

Zimbabwe's approach to wildlife conservation started to change radically just over 30 years ago. Recognition of the fact that wildlife will only survive outside protected areas if the people who share the habitat are given responsibility for and derive benefits from wildlife has had positive effects for the conservation of the macrofauna. The author, the country's former Director of National Parks and Wild Life Management, describes the history of wildlife management in Zimbabwe and how the new approach is working.

Wildlife conservation efforts are increasingly faced with declining, overcrowded or fragmented populations, environmental contamination, and the introduction of new species of either competitors or pathogens. These efforts are coming under increased public scrutiny in their attempt to balance human social and economic needs with those of wildlife. The integration of veterinary medicine as part of a multidisciplinary approach to conservation can assist in the successful planning, implementation and evaluation of conservation projects. Beyond the role of immobilizing animals, veterinarians can contribute to assessing and monitoring the health of wild populations, and can train others in modern approaches to working with and caring for wildlife.