The Fal Estuary, with its eelgrass meadows, its reef of red calcareous seaweeds and its mix of southern and northern species of marine life, contains a Voluntary Marine Reserve. As its name implies, such designation does not give it any legal protection. It is listed in The IUCN Invertebrate Red Data Book as a threatened community and is in immediate danger from a proposal to build a container port on the opposite shore.

In 1981 the Government of Burma, conscious that it should be doing more to conserve its natural resources, invited the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Development Programme of the United Nations to assist in a project to identify areas suitable for national parks and reserves. The Minister of Agriculture and Forests has already decided to establish one of the proposed parks, Alaungdaw Kathapa, and it is hoped that the rest will follow. The author was in charge of the project for its three-year duration.

Mulanje massif in Malawi rises steeply from the surrounding plain, a landmark for miles around. An endemic cycad grows on its slopes and the plateau grassland is rich in endemic plants, including everlasting flowers and a heath. The mountain is also the stronghold of the Mulanje cedar, which Malawi has just declared as its national tree. The author, who prepared a report for the Malawi Government on cedar resources on Mulanje, found that the Forestry Department's fire control programme is effective, and that attention now needs to be given to the threat from alien plant invasion.

In Tanzania, in the dry season, Tarangire National Park is second only to Ngorongoro in the concentrations of wildlife to be seen there. But there is a bleak outlook for the species that traditionally migrate to pastures outside the park in the rainy season. Over the last 10 years many of their routes out of the park have been blocked by farms and ranches, and further expansion of agricultural schemes could threaten the remainder. Part of the zebra and wildebeest populations that migrate north have already been lost. The author, who has been carrying out wildlife surveys in Tanzania for the Frankfurt Zoological Society for seven years, proposes some remedies to prevent the park from becoming the domain of only a few resident species.

In a study supported by the FFPS Oryx 100% Fund, the authors investigated the impact of traditional hunting practices on native land birds in Samoa. Hunting and habitat modification have contributed to the near extinction of several endemic species. Through new hunting regulations, conservation education programmes and the development of a national park system, the Government of Western Samoa has moved to strengthen its commitment to the conservation of a unique insular biota.

The fynbos of the South African Cape is renowned for its high number of endemic plants and animals, many of which are under threat. Much effort and money are being spent to secure their future. Amphibians may be especially vulnerable due to land drainage, and amongst those facing this and other threats is the Cape clawed toad Xenopus gilli for which a conservation programme has been developed.