Once the Sahel supported healthy populations of wildlife. Today only remnant populations exist, survivors of the ravages of drought, desertification, excessive hunting and competition for pasture. In the past few years the problems for these animals and for the people trying to conserve them have been exacerbated by a new wave of hunters. Arab princes and their retinues, having exterminated most of the prey species in their native land, are invading the Sahelian countries in search of new hunting grounds. The author, who has worked for 20 years in the Sahel, here describes what is happening in Niger and Mali and urges that steps be taken to stop the slaughter.

Much of the news we hear regarding the conservation situation in Africa portrays a continent in crisis. Increasing human population, decreasing agricultural production, loss of forest cover and mounting debt all point to a bleak future. Even in countries where conservationists have been most active the black rhino is near extinction and the elephant population is crashing. The conservation community has responded with last-ditch conservation efforts, commonly known as ‘firefighting’ or ‘band-aid conservation’. This paper examines an opportunity to practice ‘conservation before the crisis’ in Gabon, a country with time on its side to address its long-term conservation and development needs.

Despite increased hunting pressure accompanied by habitat degradation, the current distribution of Nubian ibex Capra ibex nubiana in Saudi Arabia closely resembles that of historical record and spans a wide diversity of habitat types. Efforts are under way to conserve the species and two special ibex reserves have been created.

Two species of rhinoceros—the Javan and the Sumatran—once inhabited Vietnam but the Sumatran rhinoceros apparently became extinct there early this century and by the late 1960s it was feared that the Javan rhinoceros probably no longer occurred there either. Then, in November 1988, a hunter shot an adult female rhinoceros about 130 km north-east of Saigon. He was arrested when he tried to sell the horn and hide. In early 1989 the authors were conducting wildlife surveys near where the killing took place and they took this opportunity to check the status of the species. They found evidence that perhaps 10–15 Javan rhinoceros still survive in Vietnam. As a result of this discovery the Vietnamese Government has set up a Rhinoceros Conservation Group.

White-topped pitcher plants, among the most attractive members of the genus Sarracenia, are in great demand for floral displays, in the USA and Europe. It is doubtful whether current levels of exploitation are sustainable; there is no way of controlling harvesting for the domestic market and the monitoring of exports is difficult. As well as this pressure, wild populations are perhaps in even greater danger from changes in land use.

The FFPS has been involved for some time in conservation activities in the diminishing montane forests of east-central Africa. These montane forests form an upper sector of an even more endangered medium-altitude forest formation. Throughout their distribution, medium-altitude forests have been extensively disturbed by ever-increasing human activities. Extensive areas remain only in eastern Zaire, where there ststus is uncertain, and in Uganda. The Ugandan forests are now the focus of a major internationally financed development programme.

Pacific Islanders, conservationists, and bat biologists are applauding the recent decision of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to increase protection of flying foxes, or fruit bats, of the genera Acerodon and Pteropus from the adverse effects of international trade into US jurisdictions in the Pacific. This decision culminates efforts dating as far back as 1981 to control international trade in these species, which has decimated populations on many islands. It poses a challenge to US government authorities to institute wildlife trade controls in the Pacific and to Pacific Island governments, many of which are not yet CITES members, to develop effective measures to control exports of these and other species.

The population of loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta nesting on the island of Zakynthos, Greece, the largest known rookery in the Mediterranean, is in danger of dying out because of the effects of human interference. Tourism is a prime factor in causing problems, which include direct disturbance of nesting females, compaction of the sand and obstruction of access, photic pollution affecting the hatchlings and accidental damage to adults from speed boats. Attempts are being made to conserve the turtles, and a recent Ministerial Decision should be of help, but implementation of conservation measures is difficult to achieve. This is because the local economy is highly dependent on the tourist industry and there is an understandable reluctance to see this curtailed in any way just to protect the turtles.

Jentink's duiker, Africa's rarest duiker, was reported to be common in Sierra Leone at the turn of the century, but subsequent investigations failed to find evidence of the animal's presence. In 1988, as part of a faunal survey organized by the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone, the authors discovered that the duiker definitely occurred there and that some had been recently killed. Although this finding extends the known range of the species, the duiker is rare and remains poorly known. There were recommendations to protect the forests of the Freetown Peninsula even before the presence of the duiker was confirmed and these are now reinforced.

In theory, large reserves or parks reduce the risk of extinctions because they contain sizeable populations of endangered species of plants and animals. In practice, however, most developing countries do not have the resources to protect large areas and economically valuable species from illegal exploitation. This paper, modified from one published elsewhere (Leader-Williams and Albon, 1988) shows that the rates of decline of black rhinos Diceros bicornis and African elephants Loxodonta africana are related directly to conservation effort and spending. The author concludes that, if local extinctions are to be avioded, conservation schemes must be funded adequately or resources must be concentrated in small parts of large reserves.

In the last 45 years the expansion and intensification of agriculture has meant that Europe has lost much of its permanent lowland grassland. Many species associated with this habitat are threatened as a result including several ground-nesting birds. The authors explore the opportunities that exist for conserving them.

The black-crested gibbon is believed to be endangered throughout its range in China and northern Vietnam, where much of the original forest has been destroyed. The only reserves known to have substantial populations are the Ailao Mountain and Wuliang Mountain Natural Protected Areas in Yunnan Province, China, which together may have 1500 of an estimated total of 3500 black-crested gibbons in protected areas in China. Although they are probably the best protected, the gibbon populations of both reserves have been badly depleted by deforestation and hunting. Recent reports that roads will be constructed through the centres of the reserves, and that gold has been discovered in one of them, increase concern. The Ministry of Forestry has started new conservation measures, but further action is required.

In an attempt to stem the decline of the black rhinoceros Diceros bicornis in Kenya, the Rhino Rescue Charitable Appeal Trust was formed in England in 1985. Within a year work on the first sanctuary, in the Lake Nakuru National Park, had begun. The sanctuary was opened in 1987, when 17 rhinos from Mr Courtland Parfet's private ranch at Solio joined the wo animals already in Nakuru. A further 11 females are due to be added to the park shortly. Rhino Rescue, of which the author is a patron and trustee, is also developing its own education programme, and is contributing to other rhino sanctuaries in Kenya.