People who have a stake in their environment are more likely to volunteer to assist conservation but they must be empowered to do so. This study explored the possibility of harnessing volunteers in the control of an invasive predator, the American mink Neovison vison, which decimates seabird colonies in coastal west Scotland. A questionnaire was sent to ecotourism boat operators, a group assumed to have an economic interest in wildlife biodiversity and a stake in their environment, to gauge their opinion on lethal control of American mink. The majority (64%) of respondents were concerned about the presence of mink in their area, agreed with control in principle and were willing to become involved in a volunteer capacity. Respondents who would not volunteer but agreed with control (21%) might reconsider if mink had a visible impact on their local wildlife. The minimum level of support people expected was information on where to get, and how to deploy, monitoring and trapping equipment. This study confirms that people with an intrinsic interest in wildlife consider themselves willing to protect their local biodiversity, with only limited resource input, such as an information pack, from external sources.

The taruka Hippocamelus antisensis, a species of deer categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, was thought to be locally extinct in the environs of La Paz, Bolivia. However, local people from Mecapaca municipality reported seeing tarukas at their former community establishment, which had been abandoned several years previously. After confirming the presence of taruka we conducted intensive surveys from which we estimated minimum abundance, and then calibrated relative abundance indices (faecal and track counts) to the abundance estimate. Using these calibrated indices we carried out a preliminary estimate of the total abundance of the species in the municipality of Mecapaca. We also carried out conservation education activities with teachers and students at local schools, which we discuss here in terms of the long-term conservation of this threatened species.

Bats provide important ecosystem services throughout the South Pacific but many species are threatened. The Fiji archipelago has a rich bat fauna yet few arrangements exist to promote the conservation of this group. From July 2008 to March 2011 we visited important sites identified in previous surveys for bats on Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Viti Levu and the Yasawa Islands. We netted and recorded five of Fiji's six bat species (Pteropus tonganus, Pteropus samoensis nawaiensis, Notopteris macdonaldi, Chaerephon bregullae and the Critically Endangered Mirimiri acrodonta). This was only the sixth recorded capture of M. acrodonta. P. tonganus is widespread in Fiji and exploits many different environments. P. samoensis nawaiensis mostly uses forested areas, and large tracts of forest are required for its long-term protection. Cave protection is vital for the two insectivorous species (C. bregullae and Emballonura semicaudata) and N. macdonaldi. In particular, the Nakanacagi maternity site remains globally significant for C. bregullae. E. semicaudata was not caught or detected during our surveys. It appears to be extinct from most large islands in Fiji and has abandoned the only large cave roost (Yaqeta) observed 10 years ago. This species has disappeared from or declined dramatically on Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji. We recommend that the category of E. semicaudata semicaudata on the IUCN Red List be changed to Critically Endangered. Management priorities should focus on community engagement and education, and improved cave and forest management and protection.

Surprisingly little is known about the spatial dimensions of most tropical ungulate migrations, including that of wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus, a species famous for long-distance movements. Using non-invasive photographic identification of 834 adult wildebeest from 8,530 images collected over 4 years we characterize patterns of migratory connectivity throughout the northern Tarangire–Manyara Ecosystem, Tanzania. We document movements between Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks and northwards to the shore of Lake Natron, a straight-line distance of > 130 km. Fifty-six percent of observed movements occur outside the ecosystem's three main protected areas. We supplement photographic data with fine-scale movement data from two individuals with global positioning system collars, and identify three narrow bottlenecks, each vulnerable to human development. We discuss the possible consequences for the wildebeest population if these bottlenecks become impeded. Persistence of this migration alongside a growing human population and proposed road improvement will require additional measures to ensure that pathways remain open to wildlife movement and protected from illegal hunting.

The dependence of forest communities on bushmeat as a source of protein and income is a challenge to wildlife conservation in Sub-Saharan Africa. We investigated the use of caves and overhanging rocks as hunting camps and the consequences for breeding grey-necked picathartes Picathartes oreas in the forests of Cross River in south-east Nigeria. We recorded 84 nesting colonies during guided and random searches. We found 14 (16.7%) breeding sites that had been used as hunting camps, with evidence including fire stands, sleeping spots, cooking utensils and drying racks. Fire stands were the most frequently recorded evidence of camping and were found in 11 of the camps. At the 14 breeding sites only two nesting attempts were made by P. oreas during the survey. Thirty-seven nests (c. 95%) recorded in hunting camps were empty and showed no evidence of ongoing or potential breeding activities, suggesting that the nests may have been abandoned. We attributed the low nesting attempt rate to disturbance caused by hunters, who also affected breeding success through direct removal of eggs and fledglings from nests. We encourage conservation education for the protection of P. oreas and other threatened species in the region and recommend strict enforcement of wildlife laws and disciplinary sanctions. Given the role of the forests of Cross River as a critical habitat for several endemic and threatened species, management efforts targeted at improving the integrity of the forest will benefit grey-necked picathartes and other avian species of conservation concern.