Human-induced land-use change has resulted in substantial loss and degradation of habitat for forest-dwelling wildlife. The moor macaque Macaca maura, an Endangered primate endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia, has been observed in a wide array of habitats, including heavily modified areas, but little is known about the quality of these habitats. Here we compared the habitat quality of two areas occupied by moor macaque populations: a previously human-modified karst forest now located within a national park and a heavily modified forest located in an unprotected area. We assessed habitat quality by measuring specific indicators of potential food availability derived from vegetation data and quantified the nutritional environment based on macronutrient analysis of fruit samples collected at the two sites. Although the species richness, diversity and overall stem density of macaque food trees were greater in the protected area forest, total basal area and mean diameter at breast height were greater in the heavily modified forest. Mean metabolizable energy concentrations of fruits eaten by macaques were similar between forests, as were the proportions of protein, lipids and total non-structural carbohydrates. These results provide further support for the notion that heavily modified habitats should not be overlooked for their potential conservation value. To further augment their value, conservation efforts should focus on forest restoration, specifically the planting of fast-growing species that are utilized by both wildlife and people.

Although cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus were once widespread in the Horn of Africa, their presence in Somaliland has not been confirmed since 2010, and they have been presumed extirpated in recent years. During 2021–2022 the Cheetah Conservation Fund and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in Somaliland carried out two rapid surveys in the Awdal region of western Somaliland to investigate the status of the cheetah in this area. The team collected socio-ecological data from 26 villages for a total of 13 days. In both years people from most villages reported sightings of cheetahs, and the team also received multiple reports of predation on small livestock (sheep and goats) by cheetahs. We also investigated two reports of recent cheetah presence. This led to finding a set of confirmed cheetah tracks, which we followed for > 250 m, and two large feline scrapes, both approximately the size expected of a cheetah. In 2020 and 2022 we received direct evidence of cheetah presence in the form of mature cheetah carcasses. In the first instance the cheetah was reported as having been shot in defence of livestock, and in the second instance two cheetahs were apparently poison-baited. Both reports were accompanied by photographic records. This combination of social and ecological data means that we can confirm the recent presence of wild cheetahs in western Somaliland. We will now prioritize work with local communities to understand and mitigate human–cheetah conflict and continue to investigate the distribution of cheetahs throughout Somaliland.

Conflicts between people and wildlife have become widespread as people move to areas previously home to wildlife and as wild populations recover. In Patagonia, one of the main threats to guanaco Lama guanicoe conservation is the animosity of sheep ranchers towards the species. As key stakeholders in guanaco conservation we assessed ranchers’ perceptions regarding guanaco abundance in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. We contrasted these perceptions with estimated guanaco abundance and explored the socio-ecological factors influencing perceptions and how perceptions of overabundance are rooted in contextual factors rather than actual abundance. We performed semi-structured interviews with ranchers from Isla Grande and estimated guanaco abundance independently using density surface modelling. Ranchers were divided into three categories depending on their perception of guanaco abundance: ‘too many’, ‘many’ and ‘normal’. Those in the ‘many’ and ‘normal’ categories perceived guanaco abundance as being similar to actual abundance, whereas those in the category ‘too many' overestimated guanaco abundance. The perceived issues affecting livestock production varied between categories, although feral dogs emerged as the main problem. Negative perceptions of the guanaco stemmed from ranchers' beliefs that the species reduces forage availability for livestock, and from their disappointment about the government's handling of concerns regarding livestock production. Greater understanding and integration of the human dimension in conservation are needed to design more inclusive and resilient management plans.

The green turtle Chelonia mydas is a large marine turtle present in tropical and subtropical seas of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List based on the trend of nesting populations at 32 sites, of which only three are in the Pacific Ocean. New Caledonia is a sui generis overseas territory of France in the south-west Pacific Ocean c. 1,210 km east of Australia. The presence of green turtles in New Caledonian waters is known, although the main nesting sites are far from the main island, on remote uninhabited islands. Since 1988 field missions to these remote reefs, namely d'Entrecasteaux, Bellona and Chesterfield, have collected data to quantify the nesting of green turtles in New Caledonia. For the first time we analyse the data collected during these missions. D'Entrecasteaux, Bellona and Chesterfield Reefs host a large nesting colony of green turtles, with the upper credible estimate of nesting activities reaching 150,000 nesting tracks in some years. These numbers exceed the estimated number of green turtle activities in the Pacific. The trend of the number of nesting activities is stable and has the same relationship with the Southern Oscillation Index as observed at Australian nesting sites. Our recommendations for the French authorities are to continue monitoring these populations, collect new demographic parameters and ensure the protection of these remote reefs, which should be considered a national treasure for New Caledonia.

The northern bald ibis Geronticus eremita disappeared from Europe in the Middle Ages. Since 2003 a migratory population has been reintroduced in Central Europe. We conducted demographic analyses of the survival and reproduction of 384 northern bald ibises over a period of 12 years (2008–2019). These data also formed the basis for a population viability analysis simulating the possible future development of the northern bald ibis population under different scenarios. We analysed life stage-specific survival rates, rearing protocols and colonies, and the influence of stochastic catastrophic events and reinforcement translocations on population growth. Life stage-specific survival probabilities were 0.64–0.78. Forty-five per cent of the mature females reproduced, with a mean fecundity of 2.15 fledglings per nest. The complementary population viability analysis indicated that the Waldrappteam population is close to self-sustainability, with an estimated population growth rate of 0.95 and a 24% extinction probability within 50 years. Of the 326 future scenarios tested, 94% reached the criteria of extinction probabilities < 5% and population growth rates > 1. Stochastic catastrophic events had only a limited effect. Despite comparatively high survival and fecundity rates the population viability analysis indicated that to achieve self-sustainability the Waldrappteam population needs further translocations to support population growth and the implementation of effective measures against major mortality threats: illegal hunting in Italy and electrocution on unsecured power poles. The findings of this study are to be implemented as part of a second European LIFE project.

Ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata and Varecia rubra) are categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and genetic studies are needed for assessing the conservation value of captive populations. Using 280 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop sequences, we studied the genetic diversity and structure of captive ruffed lemurs in Madagascar, Europe and North America. We found 10 new haplotypes: one from the European captive V. rubra population, three from captive V. variegata subcincta (one from Europe and two from Madagascar) and six from other captive V. variegata in Madagascar. We found low mtDNA genetic diversity in the European and North American captive populations of V. variegata. Several founder individuals shared the same mtDNA haplotype and therefore should not be assumed to be unrelated founders when making breeding recommendations. The captive population in Madagascar has high genetic diversity, including haplotypes not yet identified in wild populations. We determined the probable geographical provenance of founders of captive populations by comparison with previous studies; all reported haplotypes from captive ruffed lemurs were identical to or clustered with haplotypes from wild populations located north of the Mangoro River in Madagascar. Effective conservation strategies for wild populations, with potentially unidentified genetic diversity, should still be considered the priority for conserving ruffed lemurs. However, our results illustrate that the captive population in Madagascar has conservation value as a source of potential release stock for reintroduction or reinforcement projects and that cross-regional transfers within the global captive population could increase the genetic diversity and therefore the conservation value of each regional population.

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.

Effective transboundary corridors play a crucial role in jaguar Panthera onca conservation. Local residents reported jaguar sightings along the Baritú–Tariquía Biological Corridor, which prompted us to carry out this camera-trap survey. We surveyed an area of 1,243 km2 across the corridor to confirm jaguar presence. We used 50 single camera stations, with cameras placed c. 5 km apart. We placed the cameras along trails, streams and mountain ridges. We recorded jaguars at seven sites across the Corridor; at least three different individuals were identified. These records confirm the presence of the jaguar in the Baritú–Tariquía Biological Corridor between Argentina and Bolivia, a trans-frontier area of the Austral Yungas facing multiple threats but hosting one of the southernmost jaguar populations. Conservation efforts in border regions can promote collaboration and synergies between agencies and other conservation stakeholders, with important implications for wide-ranging predators such as jaguars and their habitats.

The bush dog Speothos venaticus is a highly social Neotropical canid categorized globally on the IUCN Red List as Near Threatened, as Vulnerable in Brazil and as Critically Endangered in Minas Gerais, south-eastern Brazil, and the Atlantic Forest as a result of human pressure. As part of the monitoring of this mammal, during January 2019–March 2020 we placed one camera trap in each of 22 forest fragments in various landscapes in 15 municipalities in the state of Minas Gerais and one municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro. On average, each camera trap was active for 4.3 months in each fragment. In a total of 2,856 trap-days we obtained the first record of S. venaticus in south-eastern Minas Gerais, c. 2 km from Serra de Santa Rita Mítzi Brandão Biological Reserve. This is the northernmost record of S. venaticus in the Atlantic Forest and highlights the importance of forest remnants in a fragmented landscape for this species. Further monitoring of this area should be a priority, to increase knowledge regarding the distribution of this species and for developing conservation strategies appropriate to these fragmented landscapes.