In central Argentina there is intense conflict between productive livestock activities and wild carnivores, particularly the puma Puma concolor. Livestock guarding dogs are one of the most effective non-lethal tools for reducing predation on livestock, and their use has increased globally, and in this area recently. Using 5 years (2018–2022) of camera-trap data, we analysed the daily activity patterns of pumas and a guarding dog, identified the major factors affecting puma habitat use, and examined puma–dog interactions in a human-dominated landscape in central Argentina. In a total sampling effort of 23,738 trap-days, we recorded 212 events of pumas and 166 of the dog. Pumas had a nocturnal activity pattern, whereas the guarding dog was mostly diurnal, with activity peaks in the early morning and afternoon. The intensity of habitat use by pumas increased with the proportion of scrubland cover and the distance from points where human activity was the greatest but was not affected by the presence of the dog. We found that the interactions between pumas and the guarding dog were infrequent and limited in space, and some evidence that pumas may avoid the presence of the dog. This exploration of puma–livestock guarding dog interactions contributes to knowledge of how guarding dogs work as a non-lethal measure to mitigate human–carnivore conflicts and what their effects are on wildlife in a modified rural landscape where ranching is the main economic activity.

Prevailing narratives within the conservation decision-making literature argue conservation professionals should utilize rational, objective methods that do not engage emotion to make decisions. However, as conservation professionals are emotional beings, it is inevitable that emotion will be present during such processes. Perpetuated narratives and limited investigation into the involvement of conservation professionals’ emotion in decision-making processes mean the emotional selves of conservationists continue to be denied and unexplored, potentially hindering transformative change. To trouble these prevalent narratives, I investigate if and how conservationists’ emotion is involved in decision-making and whether external structures influence this involvement. Sixteen conservation professionals took part in this study. The data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, the diary method and a workshop, and were subjected to a thematic analysis. The findings demonstrate that conservationists’ emotion plays three roles within conservation decision-making processes: as a way of knowing, as a (de)motivator, and as a relationship shaper. These roles are not recognized or nurtured, and this is predominantly influenced by organizational culture. These findings indicate the need for conservation organizations to create healthy emotional cultures, to in turn enable professionals to acknowledge, and utilize, the roles of emotion within their work. Additionally, creating organizational cultures that encourage and enable the expression of, engagement with, and reflection on emotion could support conservationists to enact transformative change and transform the field of conservation itself.

Armed conflicts in biodiversity hotspots across Africa significantly threaten conservation efforts. The incursion of armed groups since 2017 in the W–Arly–Pendjari Complex in Benin, Niger and Burkina Faso poses a severe threat to conservation efforts in one of West Africa’s largest transboundary natural World Heritage sites. Local conservation managers often have no clear strategies to address such threats. A better understanding of the key drivers of the armed conflict would help them to respond quickly and effectively using adaptive management approaches. We used the participative Delphi technique to identify the factors driving the conflict, the key players contributing to security threats in the region and the stakeholders who could contribute to solving the conservation issues linked to the security crisis. A panel of 20 experts identified the main drivers of the insecurity to be political, economic and social, especially the vulnerability and marginalization of local communities as a consequence of weak government control and limited resources. Violent extremist groups, particularly Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, pose significant threats to conservation efforts in the region, which our results suggest would be best addressed through military action and regional cooperation to combat terrorism. We recommend that conservation managers adopt a community-focused strategy to reduce the vulnerability of forest-dependent communities and counter local alliances with Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin. Our findings contribute to a wider understanding of how the growing threat of violent extremist groups can negatively affect protected areas and what steps should be taken to counter this.

Live animal programming is one way that zoos and aquariums can connect their visitors to wildlife. At The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in California, USA, children aged 7–15 years were assigned to different animal presentation styles as part of their participation in a 3-day summer camp involving ambassador animals. Children were either allowed or not allowed to touch a tortoise being presented to them, following current practices in zoos. We predicted that the ability to touch a tortoise would increase both the desire to conserve tortoises in the wild, as intended, as well as the desire to own a tortoise as a pet, reflecting an unintended descriptive norm. We found no overall effect of allowing children to touch a tortoise on their personal desire to own a tortoise or on making them think others could own them, although participating in the live animal programme at the summer camp reduced older children’s personal desire to own a tortoise and lowered all children’s belief that other people should be able to own tortoises. Across presentation styles, exposure to an ambassador animal encounter increased children’s conservation intent, suggesting that attending a nature-based camp increased their pro-conservation attitudes. Age moderated the effects: touching increased conservation intent and liking among younger children more than older ones, while they still expressed a desire to own tortoises as pets. We discuss the implications of our results for ambassador animal programmes with children.

Global demand for shark products has contributed to increased levels of illegal shark fishing, posing a significant threat to marine ecosystem health and the sustainability of related livelihoods. Despite increased management and policy attention, including bans on shark finning and harvesting of certain species, compliance is not universal, and unsustainable practices persist. In this study, we focus on illegal shark fishing by Sri Lanka’s semi-industrial fleet, aiming to explore fishers’ awareness, perceptions of, and compliance with measures introduced to curb unsustainable shark fishing. During January–June 2023, 254 questionnaire-based interviews and six focus group discussions were conducted at three harbours associated with previous illegal shark landings to explore awareness of regulations and potential drivers of non-compliance. Our findings suggest that only 9% of respondents were aware of all banned shark species, 12% landed banned sharks that were caught incidentally and 47% reported that illegal shark landings occur. Thematic analysis identified key drivers of non-compliance, including the economic importance of sharks, reluctance to discard sharks, lack of awareness of regulations and perceived corruption amongst management authorities. These findings underscore the need to incorporate human dimensions into policymaking and fisheries management to address the global issue of illegal shark fishing effectively. Additionally, we identify that local support is critical for the success and sustainability of shark conservation and management efforts.

Understanding demographic processes is critical for conserving threatened epiphytes, yet detailed population studies remain rare. We analysed population dynamics in the context of phorophyte structure of the threatened orchid Cattleya quadricolor, endemic to Colombian tropical dry forest, to identify conservation priorities across eight fragmented subpopulations. Using stage-structured population projection models, we estimated both asymptotic growth rates (λ) and transient dynamics to assess long-term persistence and short-term vulnerability. Across all sites, λ values were consistently < 1, demonstrating that populations are in decline. Demographic structure was strongly skewed towards adult individuals, with seedling and juvenile stages strikingly underrepresented, suggesting recruitment failure as a major population bottleneck. Transient analyses further revealed limited capacity for short-term recovery after disturbance, especially in small populations. Phorophyte composition further influenced risk, as small host trees provide less stable substrates and greater accessibility to collectors, exacerbating vulnerability. Conservation priorities therefore differ amongst populations. In some sites, immediate protection of adult plants, targeted management of phorophyte assemblages and stronger enforcement against illegal collection are most urgent. In others, actions to enhance seedling recruitment, establish ex situ collections and reinforce reintroduction programmes are critical to buffer populations against extinction risk. By integrating asymptotic and transient demographic models with habitat context, our study demonstrates a comprehensive framework for evidence-based conservation of rare epiphytes, and underscores the importance of demographic approaches and phorophyte context for guiding orchid conservation in fragmented tropical dry forests.

The brazilwood tree Paubrasilia echinata is endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil and is categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List as a result of habitat loss and overexploitation. Phylogenomic analysis has identified five groups based on genotype, including the arruda-RJ lineage endemic to the state of Rio de Janeiro. We propose a prioritization classification protocol for Atlantic Forest fragments and evaluate the effectiveness of conservation for this species in Rio de Janeiro. We collated a total of 164 occurrence records of P. echinata from fieldwork during 2004–2024 and from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. We classified forest fragments containing the species as high, medium or low priority for conservation. The arruda-RJ lineage persists in 43 forest fragments in the coastal region, 30 of which are documented for the first time here. Most forest fragments are small and have an uneven population structure. Urbanization is the primary threat to the survival of this lineage. We documented protected areas in 33 fragments, and identified conservation opportunities. The greatest number of forest fragments is in the northern region where there are the most protected areas and the brazilwood populations hold the greatest local genetic diversity. We propose targeted conservation actions for P. echinata arruda-RJ in eight forest fragments identified as high priority and with the greatest potential for conservation of the lineage. We identified 25 fragments as medium priority and 10 fragments as low priority. Our approach is applicable to other lineages of P. echinata and is aligned with Global Biodiversity Framework targets.

Prey abundance is a critical determinant of tiger Panthera tigris population recovery, necessitating robust long-term monitoring to assess prey population trends and inform management interventions. We estimate the density trend of principal tiger prey populations (chital Axis axis, chousingha Tetracerus quadricornis, nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus, sambar Rusa unicolor and wild pig Sus scrofa), in Kawal Tiger Reserve, Telangana, India, for 2010–2022. Using 28 systematically placed 4 km line transects, we observed an increase in the chital population, whereas the populations of sambar, nilgai and chousingha remained stable. The wild pig population fluctuated over this period. Despite Kawal’s designation as a tiger reserve in 2012, which enhanced protection, there is no resident tiger population in the Reserve. In the last decade, 15 tigers (of which only two were females) dispersed to Kawal from a nearby population in Maharashtra. Using prey availability models, we predicted that prey in the Reserve’s 893 km2 core area could support > 30 tigers in 2022. However, to establish a tiger population with > 30 individuals may require the reintroduction or assisted dispersal of females and enhanced connectivity with neighbouring protected areas that have source populations. This study highlights the critical importance of long-term prey monitoring for informing evidence-based conservation strategies to restore Kawal as a viable habitat for tigers.

The dhole Cuon alpinus is a large canid that is categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and at risk of global extinction. Information on the spatial distribution of suitable habitat is important for conservation planning but is largely unavailable. We quantified the spatial distribution of potential range as well as the relative probability of dhole occurrence across large parts of the species’ global range. We used the MaxEnt algorithm to produce a multi-scale environmental niche model based on 24 environmental variables and dhole occurrence data from 12 countries. We identified three regions where dhole conservation should be focused: western India, central India, and across the Himalayan foothills through Southeast Asia. Connectivity between suitable areas was poor, so coordinated action among these regions should be a priority. For instance, transboundary dhole conservation initiatives across the Himalayas from southern China, Myanmar, north-east India, Nepal and Bhutan need to be initiated. We also highlight the value of improving dhole population viability on unprotected land and increasing monitoring in the northern parts of its historic distribution, in particular in areas within mainland China.

The lowland tapir Tapirus terrestris is confined to South America and is categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. The species was extinct in the state of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil by the early 20th century but during 2017–2021, 14 individuals from six captive groups were reintroduced through a soft release method in the Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve in the Atlantic Forest. The reintroduced population was continually monitored with camera traps during the pre-release acclimatization period and after release. The released tapirs decreased the proportion of diurnal activity but did not decrease daily activity levels. Their activity patterns differed between the acclimatization period and post-release, as well as between the dry and wet seasons, but there was no difference between the activity of males and females. The tapirs modified their activity patterns over the course of the reintroduction period, showing an increasing resemblance to the behaviour of wild populations.

Urbanization is one of the most enduring transformations in land use, resulting in often irreversible habitat loss and fragmentation, which are key drivers of defaunation. However, the impact of urbanization varies depending on the native vegetation remaining within urban areas. In the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, urbanization has led to biodiversity loss but the city still has a significant coverage of green areas and remnants of Atlantic Forest. This includes the Tijuca National Park, which has been the focus of reintroduction projects to restore native fauna. The first of these was of the Ariel toucan Ramphastos ariel in 1970, which has established well. Flocks are now often seen in the city’s green spaces but no monitoring has been carried out since the reintroduction. Here, we seek to understand how the reintroduced population is utilizing urban green areas for feeding and reproduction, which are key indicators of reintroduction success. We characterized frugivory in the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden over 290 weeks during 2017–2023, using the feeding bouts method. We recorded 850 observations of toucans feeding on the fruits of 91 plant species. We also assessed reproductive success during two breeding seasons, monitoring 29 fledglings in 10 nests. Nests in tree cavities were re-used in both breeding seasons, by different nesting birds. We conclude that this urban green area provides breeding sites for the R. ariel population and food resources year-round. Our results corroborate the potential of urban green areas to support biodiversity and contribute to the success of reintroduction projects in cities.

Mexico ranks third globally in seabird diversity and second in the number of endemic species that breed within its territory, yet 16% of seabird species in the country are categorized as threatened on the IUCN Red List, including the Critically Endangered Townsend’s shearwater Puffinus auricularis. Nearly 20 years ago, the breeding population of Townsend’s shearwater, which is endemic to the Revillagigedo Archipelago of Mexico, was inferred to comprise < 100 breeding pairs. Since then, conservation initiatives have been implemented in the archipelago. We assessed the current status of Townsend’s shearwater by mapping the distribution of breeding colonies, estimating breeding population size, evaluating reproductive success, describing ongoing threats and modelling population trends under three conservation scenarios. During 2016–2024, we conducted field surveys on the islands of Socorro and Clarión using acoustic monitoring techniques in historical nesting areas. We estimated that the breeding population on Socorro comprises < 200 pairs and documented the return of a small breeding population to Clarión after a 30-year absence. However, reproductive failure persists because of the effects of native predators such as land crabs, snakes and ravens. The population has exhibited a slow decline driven by interactions between native and invasive species. Without ongoing restoration efforts and management actions, including the removal of feral cats, the population could face extinction.