Post-release monitoring, including abundance estimation, is an important part of reintroductions, providing a basis for management intervention designed to achieve long-term persistence. The Arabian oryx Oryx leucoryx became extinct in the wild in 1972, surviving as captive populations. Since 1982 reintroductions of Arabian oryx have taken place in Oman and Saudi Arabia. Modelling of oryx population dynamics has highlighted the importance of precise estimation of population size (N). Between 1990 and 2000 three methods of estimating N have been applied in Mahazat as-Sayd protected area in Saudi Arabia: derived population estimates (DPE) based on known births and deaths, distance sampling, and mark-resighting (MR). This study assesses the feasibility and precision of these methods. Inability to assess precision, interdependence of consecutive estimates, and the assumption that all gains and losses are recorded, make DPE of limited value. At current densities, distance sampling along 455 km of driven transects yields too few detections to derive precise estimates of N. To achieve a coefficient of variation of 20% it would be necessary to drive up to c. 2,900 km of transect; this amount of survey effort could be achieved through pooling of data across repeat surveys of established transects. MR estimates, based on re-sighting of collared oryx, have the potential to yield the most precise estimates of N when the proportion of marked animals reaches 30% of the total population. The most reliable MR estimates available indicate the Mahazat as-Sayd Arabian oryx population had grown to >400 animals by 2000.

The spatial distributions of 20 female and 15 male Arabian oryx Oryx leucoryx, reintroduced into the fenced Mahazat as-Sayd protected area (2,244 km2) in western Saudi Arabia between 1990 and 1994, were examined from their release until the end of 1999. Over this period we observed a westward shift in home range location of most male and female founder oryx to include the Rangers' Camp within core areas of activity, despite rain falling in patches throughout most of the reserve. Sporadic and unplanned availability of water had occurred at the Camp during several years. The pre-release enclosure was also located at the Camp, and high quality shading areas could be found underneath portacabins. Oryx that maintained independence of the Camp tended to be older individuals and those released in the first years (1990–1992). Concentration of oryx in the western part of the protected area and around the Camp could potentially reduce the effective carrying capacity of the reserve, change the social structure of the population, facilitate the transmission of disease, modify habitat in the form of a piosphere (a zone of attenuating animal impact away from a watering point) around the Camp, and reduce potential genetic flow within the reintroduced population. Whereas wild-born oryx were observed at the Camp, founders were disproportionately represented, suggesting that potential problems associated with dependence on the Camp may diminish as the total population increases and ages.

This case study investigates the conservation attitudes of two ethnic groups, horticulturalist Pimbwe and agropastoralist Sukuma, living around Katavi National Park (KNP) in western Tanzania, East Africa. Specifically, interest in degazetting KNP was examined (as a reflection of attitude towards the Park) relative to type and extent of KNP outreach, wildlife-related problems, household wealth and residency status. Reported attitudes were then related to fuelwood extraction patterns. Attitudinal surveys showed that a lack of KNP outreach (i.e. village-level services and visits by KNP staff) and increased land wealth and shorter residency time were associated with increased interest in seeing KNP degazetted. However, after controlling for ethnicity only recognition of village-level Park services was still associated with positive attitudes towards KNP. People recognizing KNP services also demonstrated more ecologically sustainable wood extraction methods. These results suggest that while attitudinal studies seem to be a logical step towards making informed decisions about the effectiveness of protected area outreach, relating such outreach to behavioural changes in resource use through attitudinal assessment is a greater challenge, requiring a clear understanding of the relative influence of socioeconomic and cultural factors.

This paper presents an analysis of perceived patterns of wildlife crop-damage in relation to an on-farm assessment of damage in an area bordering the Selous Game Reserve (SGR) in south-eastern Tanzania. Data from an attitudinal questionnaire survey of 202 households in four villages are used to examine local perceptions of wildlife crop-damage in terms of relative impact and which wildlife species were responsible. We explore the influence of wildlife crop-damage on attitudes to the adjacent game reserve. Data on the frequency of crop-damage events and estimated severity of impacts, recorded during a 6-month programme of crop-damage monitoring in one of the survey villages, are used to describe on-farm patterns of crop-damage. Comparison of the two data sets indicates a disjunction between the nature of the wildlife crop-damage conflict as perceived by local villagers, and as it actually occurs in the study area. This disjunction is discussed in relation to the effect of extreme damage events on local people's views, the opportunity costs involved in guarding farm plots against crop-damage, and the tenure arrangements for wildlife that define the relationship with the state wildlife management authority.

Small populations are particularly susceptible to disturbance. Routine censusing to monitor changes is important for understanding both population dynamics and the effectiveness of conservation strategies. Mountain gorillas Gorilla beringei beringei in the Virunga Volcanoes region of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have been censused five times since 1970. However, due to war and political unrest in the region since 1990, no census had been conducted since 1989, when the population was thought to number 324 gorillas. In 2000 we estimated population size using repeated observations of 17 habituated groups and information on 15 unhabituated groups obtained during patrols. The minimum population was 359 gorillas, and a best-case scenario correcting for groups that might not have been counted was 395. Using the minimum population and best-case scenario respectively, this represents a 0.9% or 1.8% annual growth rate over the last decade and 1.0% or 1.3% annual growth rate since 1972. This is lower than growth estimates made in several population viability analyses, but approximately 5% of the 1989 population is known to have died due to military activity over the last decade. Different subsets of the population exhibited different responses to disturbance caused by war. We discuss conservation strategies that are likely to have contributed to an increase in the gorilla population during this time of turmoil. While the population has grown, the results should be viewed with caution, not only because all known growth during the last decade can be attributed to one subset of the population, but also because the region is still plagued by political unrest.

To avoid the risk of misapplying conservation effort the correct diagnosis of the agent causing a population to decline requires scientific approaches. The radiated tortoise Geochelone radiata, endemic to southern Madagascar, is heavily harvested for food and for the pet trade. Fearing overexploitation, the tortoise was protected under Malagasy law and placed on Appendix I of CITES, yet scientific evidence that the radiated tortoise is declining, and that exploitation is the agent driving any decline, is lacking. Interviews with tortoise harvesters, a comparison of the size of the tortoise's range through time, and estimates of tortoise abundance at 14 sites under different levels of harvest intensity were used to seek evidence of overexploitation. In the first study to attempt to quantify the size of the illegal harvest of radiated tortoises, we estimated that up to 45,000 adult radiated tortoises are harvested each year. The species is declining, with its range having contracted by one-fifth over the last 25 years. Three pieces of evidence strongly suggest that overexploitation is driving this decline. Firstly, commercial harvesters reported travelling increasingly far, up to 200 km, to find sufficient densities of tortoises. Secondly, tortoises were either absent or at very low abundance at sites subject to commercial harvesting, but in remote, unharvested regions, tortoises persisted at densities of up to 2,500 km−2. Thirdly, tortoise abundance increased significantly with distance from urban centres of high demand for tortoise meat. If current rates of harvesting continue, the radiated tortoise will go extinct in the wild.

Rousettus obliviosus is a megachiropteran bat endemic to the Comoros Islands in the western Indian Ocean. The species is broadly distributed on Grande Comore, Mohéli, and Anjouan, but appears to be absent from Mayotte. Roost sites were found to be both shallow and deep caves, in dark locations with infrequent human disturbance. Colony size ranged from 100 to several thousand and at two sites seasonal variation was observed. Total estimated population size was 7,100–17,100. R. obliviosus fed on a variety of native and non-native tree fruits and flowers, and was found in native forest habitats, underplanted forest and agricultural areas. R. obliviosus is a manoeuvrable flyer able to hover for brief periods and may echolocate. A small range, sensitivity to disturbance, limited roost site availability and deforestation combine to threaten this species. We suggest that the current IUCN Red List status of Lower Risk: near threatened should be revised to Vulnerable. Protection of roost sites, further surveys to identify additional roosts, further ecological research, and protection of remaining forest are conservation priorities for R. obliviosus.

The Rodrigues fruit bat Pteropus rodricensis is endemic to Rodrigues Island, the smallest of the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean. The species is categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. A study between February 2001 and February 2002 identified 10 roosts, four previously unrecorded. Roost sites were located in the north and south of the island, all within forested valleys. Sixteen counts of each roost site, evenly spaced throughout the study period, showed dramatic changes in individual colony numbers, suggesting movement between roosts. Simultaneous counts of all colonies resulted in a minimum population estimate of 5,076, which is substantially higher than previous estimates of the species. This is believed to be due to a population increase since the last count, newly identified roosts and the movement of bats into different areas, allowing more accurate counts to be made.

From July 1998 to July 2000 we collected locality information and habitat associations for 36 records of the Endangered ocelot Leopardus pardalis in the Mexican State of Sonora. Twenty-seven (75%) of the records for which we could determine the biotic community association were associated with tropical and subtropical habitats, namely subtropical thornscrub, tropical deciduous forest or tropical thornscrub. Only males (11.1% of the total records) have been recorded in temperate oak and pine-oak woodland, and we conclude that the few ocelots reported from these habitats in the US State of Arizona were probably dispersing individuals. Three models of ocelot distribution in Sonora, based on vegetation types, the GARP modelling system and the Adaptive Kernel home range estimator, all produced similar results, with the ocelot mostly associated with the mountainous Sierra region of eastern Sonora. Large tracts of land with a low human population density make Sonora a stronghold for the northernmost distribution of ocelots.

The threatened Kirtland's warbler Dendroica kirtlandii breeds in stands of young jack pine Pinus banksiana growing on well-drained soils in Michigan, USA. We summarize information documenting the range expansion of Kirtland's warbler due to increased habitat management in the core breeding range in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan during 1990–2000. We collected records and conducted searches for the species in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin over 1978–2000. During that time 25 males were found in Wisconsin and 90 males in the Upper Peninsula. We documented colonization of Michigan's Upper Peninsula by six ringed males from the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Four ringed birds also moved back to the core breeding range, including two males that made two-way movements between the core breeding range and the Upper Peninsula. Thirty-seven females were observed with males from 1995 to 2000, all in Michigan. Nesting activities were noted for 25 pairs and at least nine nests fledged young. One male ringed as a fledgling returned to breed in two subsequent years. After a 19-year period of population stability, the Kirtland's warbler population increased four-fold during 1990–2000, most likely in response to a tripling in habitat area. This increase in sightings and documented breeding may be related to habitat availability in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and to saturation of habitat in the main breeding range. The increase in extra-limital records during 1995–1999 corresponds to the time when the population went from the minimum to the maximum projected population densities, and a decline in natural wildfire habitat was just offset by new managed habitat for the Kirtland's warbler.

Few published records exist for the Endangered Andean mountain cat Oreailurus jacobita, a rare and little known felid restricted to high altitudes of the Andes of South America. We present 20 new records for the species, and analyse its altitudinal overlap with the sympatric pampas cat Oncifelis colocolo, a widespread habitat generalist, in north-west Argentina. Our data confirm the recent presence of the Andean mountain cat at several locations in Jujuy, Salta, and Catamarca provinces. Nevertheless, densities appear to be much lower than those of the pampas cat. This Lower Risk, near threatened species represented 68% of the records for small cats at high altitudes and its altitudinal range overlapped with the lower 1,000 m of the range of the Andean mountain cat. Protected areas for the Andean mountain cat in Argentina should be above 3,500 m and have a high proportion of habitat above 4,000 m, where the abundance of potential competitors is lower.

To date, the Sulawesi palm civet Macrogalidia musschenbroekii, a viverrid endemic to the eastern Indonesian island of Sulawesi, was thought to be confined to North and Central Sulawesi. During a 14-month survey throughout south-east Sulawesi, new observations were made of the civet through camera-trapping in south-east Sulawesi forests: at Rawa Aopa National Park, Tanjung Peropa Wildlife Reserve, and Mangolo Recreation Forest, thereby extending the species' range significantly. This paper describes these sightings, and summarizes information on its status and distribution.