When Myers (1988) published his first overview of threatened hotspots for conservation of biodiversity world-wide, most of the 10 areas he selected (for example, Madagascar, the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, the eastern slope of the Andes) were already known to be critically important. However, one of his hotspots, the small island territory of New Caledonia in the South Pacific, was an unexpected inclusion in the global priority list. Although well known to botanists as a living museum of unique and ancient plants, and to marine biologists as the site of the world's second largest coastal barrier reef, New Caledonia had been largely overlooked by the international conservation community. None the less, it ranks as one of the world's most endangered biodiversity hotspots and requires an immediate and substantial commitment of conservation resources.

Project Angonoka, in its aim to conserve the endangered angonoka or ploughshare tortoise Geochelone yniphora in north-western Madagascar, has given a high priority to working with local people. Many of the environmental changes threatening the angonoka also cause difficulties for local people. An environmental awareness campaign has used the angonoka as a main theme, as an animal unique to the region whose near extinction symbolizes the impact of environmental changes occurring in the area. This campaign has stimulated the creation of village environmental associations. The activities undertaken by these associations have demonstrated a local willingness to manage and conserve their environment, and show how promotion of a flagship species can stimulate more general environmental conservation and sustainable development.

The late Sir Peter Scott, a former President of Fauna and Flora International, proposed the idea of Red Data Books as conservation tools more than 30 years ago. Today, the international Red Data Book programme appears to be effectively at an end, with priority being given to Action Plans and Conservation Assessment Management Plans for groups oftaxa. These, however, cannot entirely replace Red Data Books, and the author of this paper argues that Red Data Books have many vital roles to play in species conservation and makes a plea for their renascence.

Sustainable development is increasingly being seen as a legitimate, and locally critical, element in wildlife conservation. However, relatively few studies of projects attempt to combine conservation and development goals. The Hadejia—Nguru Wetland Conservation Project in Nigeria grew out of a concern for wildlife (particularly wetland birds), but has expanded to address issues of environmental sustainability and economic development at both the local and the regional scale. This paper assesses the achievements of the project's approach.

Four endangered species of marine turtle nest on the southern beaches of Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. The turtles and their eggs are an important traditional source of food for the people of the area and turtle populations have apparently declined considerably, probably because of overexploitation. This paper reviews what is known about Bioko's marine turtles, their nesting seasons, population trends, use by humans, conservation status and recent conservation efforts. Recommendations are made for additional research and conservation action.

The issues of habitat loss and hunting are of paramount importance to wildlife conservation in Asia. In Sulawesi, Indonesia, these problems are having a serious impact on the vertebrate fauna. Using line-transect methods, the densities of 11 species of large birds and mammals were compared between 1979 and 1994 in the Tangkoko-DuaSudara Nature Reserve in North Sulawesi. During those 15 years, populations ofanoa Bubalus depressicornis, bear cuscus Phalanger ursinus, crested black macaque Macaca nigra, maleo Macrocephalon maleo and red junglefowl Gallus gallus declined by 50–95 per cent while populations of Sulawesi pig Sus celebensis, Tabon scrubfowl Megapodius cumingii, Sulawesi tarictic hornbill Penelopides exarhatus and red-knobbed hornbill Aceros cassidix increased by 5–100 per cent. We considered hypotheses for these changes: habitat loss outside the reserve, habitat degradation inside the reserve, and hunting. Only hunting adequately explained the pattern of changing densities observed. Unless protection from hunting is enforced for these species, we may soon witness the demise of these unique animals in North Sulawesi and possibly throughout the island.