We analysed the supportive social networks associated with the conservation of six threatened Australian bird taxa, in one of the first network analyses of threatened species conservation programmes. Each example showed contrasting vulnerabilities. The Alligator Rivers yellow chat Epthianura crocea tunneyi had the smallest social network and no real action was supported. For the Capricorn yellow chat Epthianura crocea macgregori the network was centred on one knowledgeable and committed actor. The orange-bellied parrot Neophema chrysogaster had a strongly connected recovery team but gaps in the overall network could limit communication. The recovery teams for the swift parrot Lathamus discolor and Baudin's black-cockatoo Calyptorhynchus baudinii had strong links among most stakeholders but had weak ties to the timber industry and orchardists, respectively, limiting their capacity to manage threatening processes. Carnaby's black cockatoo Calyptorhynchus latirostris seemed to have the most effective social network of any of the taxa studied but may be vulnerable to skill shortages. In each case the network analysis pointed to gaps that could be filled to enhance the conservation effort, and highlighted the importance of recovery teams. The research suggests that formal network analysis could assist in the design of more effective support mechanisms for the conservation of threatened species.

Although there is increasing evidence for the effects on wildlife of primary infrastructure (paved roads and human settlements), the effect of secondary infrastructure (tracks and isolated buildings) is generally assumed to be low in sparsely developed areas. We hypothesized that secondary infrastructure may have a negative effect similar to that of primary infrastructure, and hence may be the source of extended impacts in landscapes that are otherwise relatively undisturbed. We studied multi-year breeding site data for a community of large birds (raptors and storks) in the Monfragüe Biosphere Reserve, in the south-west Iberian Peninsula. Using a bootstrap model selection approach we modelled the distribution of breeding sites, using as predictors measures of habitat accessibility (relief, hydrography) and various types of infrastructure (primary and secondary) at different scales. Distance effect functions were developed. Secondary infrastructure exerted a negative effect on breeding sites that was equivalent to that of primary infrastructure, in terms of both transport (track vs road) and dwellings (scattered vs aggregated). The negative effect was distance (rather than density) mediated, and remained within the 1 km scale. The potential impact of secondary infrastructure is greater than that of primary infrastructure as it occupies more extensive areas and includes richer communities, with significant proportions of threatened populations. Our results contradict common assumptions about the negligible impact of secondary infrastructure on biodiversity, reveal new challenges for biodiversity conservation, and provide insights relevant for the spatial planning of isolated buildings and tracks in sparsely developed areas with species of conservation interest.

The Barbary macaque Macaca sylvanus is imperiled throughout its distribution range in north-west Africa. In the summers of 2009 and 2013 we used the piecewise line-transect distance sampling method to study the southernmost population in the High Ourika valley, in the western High Atlas of Morocco. This rugged mountainous area is dominated by degraded fruit-poor environments, mostly holm oak Quercus rotundifolia forest patches. We located four and two groups in 2009 and 2013, respectively, and estimated population sizes of 122 and 84 individuals. The mean group size was 12 individuals in 2009 and 46 in 2013. The estimated mean density (individuals per km2) varied among groups (10–171), with a mean of 27. The population structure varied significantly among groups and years. Our records comprised 24.8 and 20% adult males, 24.8 and 22% adult females, 11 and 13% subadults, 13 and 17% juveniles and 26.4 and 26.3% infants in 2009 and 2013, respectively. In both years 50–56% of the population consisted of young individuals (subadults excluded). The mean sex ratio among adults was 1 : 1. The apparent fecundity rate was 1.06 infants per adult female. We propose conservation actions to protect this peripheral population of Barbary macaques.

Across much of Asia protected areas have a dual objective of conserving biodiversity and supporting rural and indigenous livelihoods. For the red panda Ailurus fulgens and other sensitive species of concern, even limited anthropogenic disturbance may influence their use of protected areas. We quantified the prevalence of timber collection and livestock grazing, and their impacts on red panda habitat use, in Phrumsengla National Park, Bhutan. Red pandas used sites with at least 20% bamboo cover, as evidenced by presence of their faecal pellets. They avoided sites disturbed by livestock, regardless of bamboo availability. Timber collection itself was not an important predictor of red panda presence but bamboo may be harvested opportunistically from sites where timber is collected. Conservation efforts for the red panda should not rely on protected areas alone but should explicitly consider and mitigate impacts of anthropogenic disturbances in protected areas.

Traditional land use practices declined throughout many of Europe's rural landscapes during the 20th century. Rewilding (i.e. restoring ecosystem functioning with minimal human intervention) is being pursued in many areas, and restocking or reintroduction of key species is often part of the rewilding strategy. Such programmes require ecological information about the target areas but this is not always available. Using the example of the Iberian ibex Capra pyrenaica within the Rewilding Europe framework we address the following questions: (1) Are there areas in Western Iberia that are environmentally favourable for reintroduction of the species? (2) If so, are these areas well connected with each other? (3) Which of these areas favour the establishment and expansion of a viable population of Iberian ibex in a reintroduction programme? We modelled environmental favourableness for the species in the Iberian Peninsula using a logistic regression with a forward–backward stepwise procedure, and assessed landscape connectivity using a graph analytical approach after downscaling the model to the Western Iberia region. Our results indicate that several habitat patches in the study area present favourable environmental conditions for reintroduction of the Iberian ibex. Overall, most of the habitat connectivity was concentrated in northern and central patches. We highlight the potential and practical application of the analytical protocol used, for successful integration of species distribution modelling and landscape connectivity in the design of broad-scale reintroduction and recovery programmes.

In Europe 37% of freshwater fish are threatened. However, conservation activity is less widespread for fish compared to other vertebrate groups. The Vulnerable European mudminnow Umbra krameri is a marshland fish endemic to the Carpathian Basin. Its range and population have declined significantly since the 1990s. The main threats to the species are habitat loss and the invasive Chinese sleeper Perccottus glenii. During 2008–2012 a species conservation programme was established to rescue broodstocks from threatened populations, breed them under controlled conditions, translocate both rescued fish and their laboratory-reared offspring to surrogate habitats, and finally reintroduce offspring to their original habitats. Broodstocks from three threatened habitats were bred in the laboratory and produced offspring appropriate for stocking. Six artificial ponds were created in the pilot study area according to the environmental needs of the species, four of which proved to be suitable surrogate habitats in which translocated fish survived and reproduced successfully. Populations in the original habitats were supplemented with fish from laboratory breeding and from the natural recruitment of surrogate habitats, with special care of the corresponding broodstocks. Future challenges include improving our knowledge about the ecological processes in which the European mudminnow participates, identifying the most threatened populations, habitats suitable for restoration and potential areas for creation of surrogate habitats, and enhancing induced propagation methodology.

Carnivores are valued by conservationists globally but protecting them can impose direct costs on rural, livestock-dependent communities. Financial incentives are increasingly used with the goal of increasing people's tolerance of predators, but the definition of tolerance has been vague and inconsistent. Empirical correlations between attitudinal and behavioural measures of tolerance imply that attitudes may be a valid proxy for behaviours. However, theoretical differences between the concepts suggest that attitudinal tolerance and behavioural intention to kill cats would have different underlying determinants. We surveyed 112 residents within a forest–farm mosaic in northern Belize inhabited by jaguars Panthera onca and four other species of wild cats. A conservation payment programme pays local landowners when camera traps record cat presence on their land. Results indicated that tolerance was associated with gender and participation in the camera-trapping programme, whereas intention to kill cats was associated with cultural group (Mennonites vs Mestizos), presence of children in the home and, to a lesser extent, tolerance. Neither dependent variable was significantly related to depredation losses or economic factors. Results suggest that monetary payments alone are unlikely to affect attitudes and behaviours towards carnivores. Payment programmes may be enhanced by accentuating non-monetary incentives, leveraging social norms and targeting specific groups with information about risks and benefits associated with carnivores. By empirically separating two concepts commonly conflated as ‘tolerance’ we clarify understanding of how social forces interact with financial incentives to shape people's relationships with predators.

The Livingstone's fruit bat Pteropus livingstonii is endemic to the small islands of Anjouan and Mohéli in the Comoros archipelago, Indian Ocean. The species is under threat from anthropogenic pressure on the little that remains of its forest habitat, now restricted to the islands’ upper elevations and steepest slopes. We report the results of the most comprehensive survey of this species to date, and present recommendations for ongoing field conservation efforts and monitoring. Morning counts were conducted at roost sites in the wet and dry seasons during 2011–2013. Habitat structure around the roosting sites was characterized and roost numbers compared, to investigate the potential effect of habitat loss and degradation. We estimate the population to comprise c. 1,260 individuals distributed across 21 roosts on the two islands. All occupied roosting sites were restricted to a narrow altitudinal range, and roosting populations in agroforestry areas were smaller than those found in degraded and undisturbed forest. Only one of the 16 roosts on Anjouan was found in undisturbed, old-growth forest with no nearby signs of clearance for agriculture or landslides following tree-felling upslope. Following a suspected severe population decline as a result of widespread and long-term forest loss Livingstone's fruit bat has been recategorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.