The Atrato slider Trachemys medemi is a freshwater turtle endemic to the Atrato River basin in the Urabá region of north-west Colombia. Although there is limited information about the species, it was provisionally categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List by the IUCN Turtle Taxonomy Working Group in 2021 because of its restricted distribution. This study aimed to estimate the potential distribution of T. medemi, identify relevant climatic factors affecting its geographical range and predict its probable future distribution under different climate change scenarios. We recorded its occurrence along the Atrato River and in the surrounding areas, and we employed an ecological niche modelling approach to predict species distribution based on our field data and literature records. Our model indicated that the aquatic distribution of the Atrato slider encompassed the lower, middle and upper Atrato River. This distribution was influenced by air temperature, water temperature and hydrological slope. Our climate change models predicted a dramatic loss of suitable habitat in future, leading to > 50% reduction in T. medemi populations within 30 years. Considering the threat from climate change together with the cultural tradition of harvesting wild turtles for human consumption, we suggest (1) a conservation focus on areas of potential habitat already protected under the National System of Protected Areas in Colombia, (2) empowering local community-based programmes that protect biodiversity, and (3) encouraging reforestation to improve connectivity amongst habitats in the turtle’s geographical range, particularly in degraded areas.

We studied conservation initiatives in Wallacea, a global biodiversity hotspot where numerous endemic plant and animal species are threatened by agricultural and industrial expansion. Seventy per cent of Wallacea’s 391 recognized Key Biodiversity Areas lie outside legally protected habitats. Our research explores biodiversity conservation options in six highly biodiverse landscapes where local farmers actively manage production systems subject to overlapping administrative jurisdictions and exposed to intensifying development pressures. For the past decade we have engaged with local communities in these landscapes to identify scenarios that could meet their development needs and also maintain the region’s biodiversity. Conservation management will need local institutions able to influence the behaviour of numerous local stakeholders. We conclude that there is a need to provide financial incentives to local people for conservation either through profitable nature-based enterprises adapted to local community skills or by providing conditional cash payments linked to conservation goals. Ecosystem boundaries do not align well with administrative jurisdictions and new institutional arrangements will be needed to meet the goals of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

As part of a project investigating the distribution of the Critically Endangered western long-beaked echidna Zaglossus bruijnii in western New Guinea, we report two new records of this rarely-recorded species in forests around Klalik Village in Sorong Regency on the Vogelkop Peninsula of south-west Papua Province, Indonesia. In the most recent IUCN Red List account, of 2016, the western long-beaked echidna is reported only from this Peninsula. It formerly occurred on the adjacent land-bridge island of Salawati, but is probably extinct there. Previously, we have also confirmed records of the species in Bintuni Bay (Teluk Bintuni Regency). Our new records of the species are the first confirmed sightings in Sorong Regency. We interviewed hunters and conducted spotlighting surveys, during which we observed two live echidnas in October 2023. Interviewees were asked about their knowledge of the western long-beaked echidna and if they had encountered the animal locally. Encouragingly for its conservation, local people believe the species persists across Sorong Regency. This species appears to be relatively inactive in dry weather and more observable after rain. Our findings suggest that the presence of this species in Klalik could provide an incentive for local communities to protect the Klalik forests from snaring for wild animals and to support mammal-watching, including spotlighting of echidnas as an ecotourism-based conservation programme.

The Nubian ibex Capra nubiana was categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List in 2020. Historically, its distribution extended from north-east Africa to the Middle East. Its current distribution in Saudi Arabia according to the IUCN Red List is unclear, suggesting that it may be restricted to one location, and may have been extirpated from 11 other sites. During 2020–2022, camera-trap surveys were undertaken to determine the presence of the Arabian leopard Panthera pardus nimr within Saudi Arabia, covering the habitat of the Nubian ibex and providing an opportunity to review its distribution. We obtained 426 Nubian ibex records from 42 camera-trap stations, comprising 113 independent detections at eight of the 16 sites surveyed. Additionally, the species is known to occur in at least five areas where captive-bred Nubian ibex have been released. Our findings confirm that wild Nubian ibex populations persist along the mountain ranges in the west of the country and highlight areas that remain important refuges for this ungulate. Reintroductions have become a key strategy in Saudi Arabia to reinforce threatened populations and increase the geographical range of the Nubian ibex. We advocate a cautious approach to reintroductions, based on population-level genetic research on both wild and reintroduced populations.

Human–wildlife conflicts are a growing global issue for wildlife, especially for large carnivores. The leopard Panthera pardus is generally solitary, shy and cryptic; however, human–leopard conflicts occur, including attacks on people. Attacks are generally rare throughout the majority of the species’ range, although in India they have been relatively high and are increasing. A high number of leopard attacks have been reported in the Kashmir region of India since 2000. These have been associated with the loss, fragmentation and degradation of leopard habitat as well as the scarcity of wild prey. We document leopard attacks in the Kashmir region during 2006–2023, examine causes for recent trends and discuss the challenge of coexistence. A total of 424 leopard attacks were reported, of which 312 (73.6%) resulted in injury and 112 (26.4%) in the death of the victim. The attacks were predominantly during February and September, and least during December and April. The peak number of attacks occurred during 10.00–10.59. The majority of the victims were 0–19 or 30–49 years old. Attacks by leopards were rarer than attacks by Asiatic black bears Ursus thibetanus in the same region during the same time period. However, a higher per cent of leopard attacks resulted in deaths. The number of attacks has been declining since 2009, with the exception of 2013. The reason for the decline is likely the removal of problem leopards, and the proactive measures of the Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife Protection Department and NGOs in the region.

The dhole Cuon alpinus was historically one of the most widespread large carnivores in Asia, but it has declined across its range as a result of habitat loss, hunting and prey depletion. There are few recent confirmed records of the species in Vietnam, and it has been reported as possibly extirpated. Here, we report a new camera-trap record of a dhole in Pu Hoat Nature Reserve, in Nghe An province, north-central Vietnam. To our knowledge, this is the first confirmed record of the dhole in Vietnam in > 20 years. We are unable to determine whether the record represents a vagrant animal or a remnant population. However, this new record should be viewed in the wider context of the species’ decline across Vietnam. During 2014–2024, in addition to our study, 3,231 camera-traps were set in 1,657 stations across 31 sites that would have been within the species’ historical range but the dhole was not recorded. We conclude that, despite this new record, the species is likely extirpated across most protected areas in Vietnam.

In the Indian Trans-Himalaya, Pallas’s cat Otocolobus manul is reported exclusively from Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim. In Ladakh, it has been reported primarily from the south-east, with no prior evidence of its occurrence in the north. In this study, we documented the first record of Pallas’s cat in the Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary in the Nubra Valley, northern Ladakh. We identified the species based on the non-invasive genetic analysis of a morphologically ambiguous scat sample collected during a study on dietary patterns of sympatric carnivores. DNA-based species identification confirmed the presence of Pallas’s cat. We also identified prey remains, of pika Ochotona spp. and Himalayan marmot Marmota himalayana, in the scat. Our record extends the known range of Pallas’s cat into northern Ladakh and adds a new mammal species to the documented fauna of the Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary. We recommend a comprehensive assessment of distribution, population, diet, habitat and potential threats to this elusive species to ensure its long-term survival in this landscape.

Conservation of the Pemba flying fox Pteropus voeltzkowi, endemic to Pemba, Zanzibar, has been a success story. Low numbers last century prompted a local conservation response that likely resulted in a 400% increase in the population. But, with project funding having been gradually reduced over 15 years, it is unclear whether the population has maintained its recovery. Here we report findings from a new survey, in 2024, showing that the population size is that of the recovered population in 2008. However, many P. voeltzkowi have moved to urban centres, probably to avoid disturbance, primarily hunting by children. Only half the people interviewed remembered the earlier conservation campaign, but nearly all would support an environmental education campaign aimed at children in schools.

The silver-backed chevrotain Tragulus versicolor, categorized as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List, is a poorly known and recently rediscovered ungulate endemic to Vietnam. To better understand its distribution and conservation status, we conducted semi-structured interviews and camera-trap surveys during 2018–2025 across 15 forest sites in five provinces of south-central Vietnam. We deployed 522 cameras at 487 stations, totalling 37,592 camera-trap nights. The silver-backed chevrotain was detected at five sites, including four newly confirmed populations beyond the single previously known population in Nui Chua National Park. The species was found in dry and semi-dry forests, with the highest number of detections in Nui Chua National Park and the Hon Heo peninsula. We failed to record the silver-backed chevrotain in several sites within presumed suitable habitat, and interviews indicated possible local extirpations driven by sustained snaring pressure. Our findings highlight the silver-backed chevrotain’s fragmented distribution, as well as its vulnerability to unsustainable hunting pressure and habitat loss and degradation. Given its limited distribution and the ever-increasing anthropogenic threats, urgent conservation actions are needed, including strengthening in situ protection in remaining strongholds and the establishment of an insurance ex situ population. This study provides the most up-to-date assessment of the status and distribution of the silver-backed chevrotain, and provides a foundation for evidence-based conservation planning for the species.

The global ornamental fish trade presents significant challenges to the conservation of biodiversity. In this study we explore patterns in the freshwater ornamental fish market in Hong Kong, one of the largest wildlife trading hubs. We conducted weekly surveys over a 3-month period in Hong Kong’s primary aquarium shop district to document species diversity, conservation status, native origin and market value. A total of 540 freshwater fish species of 73 families were recorded. We found that species occurrence in the market was largely price-driven, and minimum retail price was the strongest predictor of how frequently we encountered a species in our surveys. We assessed each species’ placement along the market occurrence–price gradient and found that potentially undescribed species dominated the expensive/rare end of the market, where the anthropogenic Allée effect (in which novelty/rarity exacerbates exploitation because of increased demand) may be influential. Alarmingly, 86 (16%) of the species in the market were potentially undescribed, and 38% of species in the market were either not evaluated or categorized as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List at the time of our surveys. The significant proportion of unassessed and potentially undescribed species is of concern because of the potential for unsustainable exploitation prior to consideration of appropriate regulatory frameworks. Although our data suggest that cheaper, common species dominate the trade, the substantial presence of little-known species is of conservation concern, underscoring the need for more extensive monitoring.