The Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco National Park and Integrated Management Area was established in September 1995. At 3.44 million hectares it is one of South America's largest protected areas. The tropical dry forest of the Chaco, which this reserve protects, is Bolivia's most threatened major lowland habitat type. With the creation of this reserve the protected-area coverage of the Gran Chaco increased to 4.7 per cent. With at least 69 species of mammals (the Chiroptera have not yet been surveyed), it is one of the richest Neotropical sites for this taxonomic group. The Kaa-Iya park is being administered by the Izoceño-Guaraní Indian organization, the Capitanía del Alto y Bajo Izozog, and puts community-based conservation into practice. Threats to the park include encroachment by colonists, ranchers and farmers; the Bolivia-Brazil gas pipeline; and hunting.

In 1994 and 1995 the authors studied Mongolian gazelle Procapra gutturosa populations in Inner Mongolia, China, conducting interviews and making field observations in eight counties along the national boundary between Mongolia and China. Mongolian gazelle distribution was estimated to cover approximately 73, 152 sq km, which was only 25.2 per cent of that in 1950–70. The adult malefemale sex ratio was 1: 4, and the average herd size 923.3 individuals in November/December 1994 and 23.1 in March/April 1995. The gazelles regularly migrate from Mongolia into China from October onwards and return to Mongolia in late February. Hunting is a major threat to the survival of the species.

Traditionally, wildlife conservation efforts have concentrated on the establishment of national parks and reserves. Additional strategies are needed if we are to conserve more than a small proportion of the world's natural habitats and their wildlife. One such strategy is the application of wildlife conservation regulations by private land owners on their properties. This paper uses examples of ranches in the seasonally flooded llanos of Venezuela to evaluate if effective wildlife conservation can coexist with sustainable wildlife use and cattle production. Income estimates derived from cattle production data varied among ranches from $US7.1 to $US26.4 per ha, while estimates of potential additional income through regulated capybara Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris and caiman Caiman crocodilus exploitation ranged up to $US7.7 per ha. The economic benefits of capybara and caiman harvests can be realized only by protecting wildlife habitat. Thus, it is suggested that large ranches in the llanos can play a major role in wildlife conservation as well as provide economic gains for those involved. Common denominators for success are: personal involvement of owners, effective patrolling systems, co-operation of neighbouring ranchers in patrolling activities, and ranches being located far from densely populated areas. For the programmes to succeed in the long term, government and conservation agencies will need to give more support to landowners.

In 1995 a new population of the recently described, endangered bovid, the saola Pseudoryx nghetinhensis, was found in the forests of Bu Huong, Nghe An Province in Vietnam. The new records were to the north of the main known populations, and represent an important range extension for the species. The new population may number only 30 individuals and appears to be confined to river valleys in primary forest. Investigations at this site and a compilation of published and unpublished data suggest that the range of the species in Vietnam and Laos includes over 5000 sq km of mountainous terrain, four protected areas (Vu Quang and Pu Mat, Nature Reserves [Vietnam], Nakai Nam Theun and Hin Namnu National Biodiversity Conservation Areas [Laos]), and three proposed protected areas (Bu Hong [Vietnam], Nam Chuan and Nakai Nam Theun Northern Extension National Boidiversity Conservation Areas [Laos]). All known locations for the species are mountainous with steep river valleys, covered by evergreen or semideciduous forests between 300 and 1800 m, with low human disturbance. The main threats to its survival are hunting by local villagers and clearance of forests to provide farmland. Both need to be tackled if the saola and other forest-endemic species of this area are to persist.

This article presents data on the ecology, exploitation and management of the Mongolian gazelle over the last few decades. The species has suffered a massive decline in its range area, coinciding with the construction of the Ulaanbaatar—Beijing railway in the 1950s. It is heavily hunted, both legally and illegally. Threats to the species are outlined and recommendations made about the conservation measures required to secure its future.

Between 31 March and 28 May 1995 and 5 April and 2 May 1996 two expeditions carried out surveys of the status and distribution of the wild Bactrian camel Camelus bactrianus ferus in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Gansu Province in the People's Republic of China, the last known habitat of the subspecies in the country. The surveys revealed that the wild camel is highly endangered in China, due to illegal mining and hunting. An estimated total of 380–500 individuals remain and immediate action is needed to ensure their survival.

The argali, Ovis ammon, a species of wild sheep, is threatened in Mongolia, suffering from poaching and competition with domestic livestock. The authors conducted ground and aerial surveys of argali in Dundgobi, Omnogobi and Dornogobi aimags (or provinces) of the South Gobi region of Mongolia. Ground surveys were conducted by vehicle and on foot, while aerial surveys were conducted using two Soviet AN-2 aircraft flying 40-km parallel transects. The interactive computer programme Distance was used to estimate population size and density. The authors observed a total of 423 argali in 85 groups (mean group size = 5.0 ± 0.6 SE), including 300 individuals in 61 groups on the ground survey (mean size = 4.9 ± 0.8 SE) and 123 animals in 24 groups during the aerial survey (mean size = 5.1 ± 1.2 SE). Population structure of the groups observed during the ground survey was 14.3 per cent males, 53.3 per cent females, 19.7 per cent lambs, and 12.7 per cent animals of undetermined sex (means = 0.7 ± 0.2 SE males, 2.6 ± 0.6 SE females, 1.0 ± 0.2 SE lambs, and 0.6 ± 0.4 SE undetermined). We estimated a population size of 3900 ± 1132 SE argali in the study area for a population density of 0.0187 ± 0.0054 SE animals/sq km. More rigorous and comprehensive surveys for argali, preferably for each distinct population, should be conducted for more accurate estimates. Argali require more active conservation and management, especially with respect to poaching and competition with domestic livestock. If sport hunting is to continue, a large portion of all money

Pegasid fishes (sea moths) have only entered the arsenal of traditional Chinese medicine within the past few decades, but are now used in southern China and Hong Kong to treat respiratory ailments and cancers. Brief trade surveys suggest that millions of individuals of two pegasid species are used each year, and that they cost relatively little compared with other ingredients. Most pegasids are apparently a bycatch of trawl fishing, which has recently intensified near China. Trade and use of these fishes is expanding – they have been sought in the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam – and should be monitored, particularly because the biology of pegasids makes these fishes vulnerable to exploitation.

The Choiseul 1995 project spent 6 months studying the Chiroptera of Choiseul, one of the least disturbed and most poorly known islands in the Solomons. Among the results were: the rediscovery of a member of the Megachiropteran genus Pteralopex, which had been thought possibly extinct; a new record of another endemic pteropodid with a limited distribution; and evidence of a decline in the ‘commonest’ member of the family in the archipelago. The threats, present and future, to these animals and the forests of the island are discussed. An overview of the status of Pteralopex spp. in the Solomons provides an insight into the need for conservation action in the country as a whole.

The Pemba flying fox Pteropus voeltzkowi is a fruit bat endemic to the island of Pemba, off Tanzania. A total of 41 reported roosting areas were visited in June and July 1995, and 19 occupied roosts were located, most of them in the west of the island, and on small islets off the west and south of Pemba. Roosts were situated in primary forest, secondary forest (overgrown clove plantations), traditional graveyards and mangrove areas. A range of sizes and species of trees were used as roosts. The minimum population of P. voeltzkowi was estimated to be between 4600 and 5500 individuals. In total 94 per cent of the population was located at 10 roost sites. Larger colonies were associated with roosts located in forests, which together supported 75 per cent of the total bat population. Colonies were of mixed sex, but no young or obviously pregnant females were observed. Major threats to this species appeared to be hunting and deforestation (both logging and clearing for agriculture) and P. voeltzkowi is considered to be endangered.

This paper presents the results of field work conducted between 1994 and 1996 to establish the occurrence, and population, breeding and conservation status of bats in and around Kenting National Park, southern Taiwan. Of the 20 bat species that occur in Taiwan, Kenting National Park and its vicinity harbour eight species; three are endemic to Taiwan and two are endemic subspecies. Six of the eight species roost in natural caves and man-made tunnels. Two species of forest bats were captured during mist-netting. The most predominant species were the horseshoe bat Rhinolophus monoceros and the common bent-winged bat Miniopterus schreibersii. The major threat for the cave-dwelling bats around Kenting is the closure of cave entrances by farmers. Recommendations are given for conserving the bats and their habitats in Taiwan.

The Okapi Wildlife Reserve was created in May 1992 to conserve a representative area of the Ituri rainforest in north-eastern Zaïre. This article examines the threats facing this large protected area and summarizes the management actions proposed to address these problems within the next 10 years. Emphasis is placed on the need to integrate the local population into reserve management and to empower people as much as possible to manage their own resources. The long-term future of the reserve in the context of national economic and political instability is discussed.

St Helena is a small Atlantic island with an unusual and remarkable flora and fauna but with a legacy of ecological destruction typical of oceanic islands. The efforts of the island's governmental Endemic Section in the conservation of the flora and fauna is examined alongside the objectives of the section as listed in its current business plan. The worthy level of progress that is evident (including the rediscovery of species, habitat restoration and a high level of environmental awareness) is attributed to local ownership, an emphasis on education, and pragmatism and flexibility. The problems that limit the section's long-term effectiveness are funding, limited baseline ecological information and limited technical understanding.

The Sumatran tiger is the only one of three original subspecies of tigers that survives in Indonesia today. Its wild population, estimated to be 400–650 animals, has progressively diminished because of habitat destruction, poaching and the removal of tigers involved in conflicts with local farmers. This paper presents previously undocumented information on the market in tiger products. It shows that, while no documentation of intentional tiger poaching to meet an international demand for tiger bones was recorded, the domestic demand for tiger bones, teeth and claws is still a potential threat to the future survival of this subspecies. In addition to continuing work to protect the integrity of tiger habitat in Sumatra, enforcement actions are required to prevent the domestic market for tiger parts increasing the threats to this subspecies and to ensure its conservation.

The Sumatran rhino Dicerorhinus sumatrensis is regarded as critically endangered with a world population of approximately 400. In 1991 it was recorded in Way Kambas National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia, 30 years after the park's last rhino was believed to have been shot. A Sumatran Rhino Population and Habitat Viability Analysis (PHVA) workshop in 1993 recommended an immediate survey be carried out to assess the rhino population in the park. The Way Kambas Project recorded observations of rhino sign between 1993 and 1995. Sign was most frequently observed along trails in mature secondary forest. Data from the areas surveyed suggest the presence of at least four rhinos.

The historical distribution of the Sumatran rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis stretched from the foothills of the eastern Himalaya in Bhutan and north-eastern India, through Myanmar and Indo-China to Borneo and Sumatra. However, because of poaching and habitat loss the species is now struggling for survival in a few pockets of Myanmar, Thailand, the Malay peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo (Khan, 1989).

Equatorial Guinea has a new network of protected areas, but only Monte Alen National Park has any effective protection. As a contribution to the knowledge of this area, a survey of primate populations was carried out during a 7-month period in 1994. The results showed that there is a high primate diversity (15–16 distinct species) in Monte Alen. The three most commonly sighted monkey species were Cercopithecus nictitans (35.9–40.8 per cent of sightings), Cercopithecus cephus (28.9–43.5 per cent) and Cercopithecus pogonias (17.4–22.4 per cent). Mean distance covered to find any group of these guenons varied from 1.1km in open primary forest to 2.7 km in dense primary forest. Gorilla nests were more abundant in secondary forest near villages (5.15 nests/km), while chimpanzee nests were mostly found in primary forest (5.35 nests/km). Hunting pressure appears to be low but shifting agriculture has a significant impact on the conservation of the area. The degree of threat varies between species. Alternatives for better management of the area, such as educational programmes and sustainable use of natural resources, are suggested.