The author conducted a survey in 1985 that revealed dismal prospects for two endangered Philippine mammals. Habitat destruction and hunting pressure have caused local extinction of the spotted deer and the warty pig in the Visayan Islands, and the remaining populations are not expected to survive very much longer if current practices continue. The country's Bureau of Forest Development wants to establish a sanctuary for the deer and has started a captive breeding project, but the depressed state of the economy and political unrest make their work extremely difficult.

Three gibbon species inhabit the tropical and subtropical forests in China, all of which occur in Yunnan Province: the crested gibbon Hylobates concolor, lar gibbon H. lar, and hoolock gibbon H. hoolock. As a result of deforestation and over-hunting, all three species are gravely endangered in China and may be on the verge of extinction; they are now considered to be the nation's rarest animals. A recent census and survey of crested gibbons in Yunnan Province, partly funded from FFPS's Oryx 100% Fund, revealed new information on the distribution, status and conservation of gibbons in China. The authors made recommendations for future conservation measures, and these are now being considered by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Government.

When the Kafue National Park was established in 1950 the northern boundary was drawn to include the Busanga Plain, where there was a small population of red lechwe, much reduced by hunting. The effect of the protection was striking: numbers began to increase immediately and by 1973 there were 2000 individuals. In 1985 the authors conducted censuses to establish how the antelopes had fared in the intervening years. Their findings reveal just how successful the conservation measures have been.

It has been argued that the initial rarity of an animal species may be a good indicator of subsequent vulnerability. The usefulness of this argument in the conservation of endangered species has been investigated by the authors, who have compared the apparent vulnerability of certain rare animals with their actual status. The two approaches agreed substantially, but some striking differences occurred. Some rare species seem more prone to extinction than is officially recognized, and their status should be reviewed. Other species are not particularly rare, but are threatened for other biological and economic reasons. Knowledge of rarity is a good starting point, but this sould be followed by a detailed examination of other relevant factors to discern genuine risk.

The endemic snails of the Galápagos are threatened—by introduced fire ants, by black rats and by the destruction of the Scalesia forest that is home to many of them. More than 30 endemic bulimulid snails are now considered endangered there, many of them occurring only in the 10 per cent of the Galápagos that does not have national park status. The problems of protecting them are formidable, and failure would mean the loss not only of individual species, but of a rare opportunity to study speciation in a natural laboratory.

In 1981 the FFPS helped fund the Southampton University Expedition to the Ankarana Caves in northern Madagascar. This was the first attempt at any systematic biological work there. Within the longest cave, la Grotte d'Andrafiabé, a striking variety of fauna was found, including several arthropod species that were new to science. This preliminary report, by one of the expedition's members, describes some of the findings. A new 10-man team returned to Ankarana in August 1986 to extend the work.

In 1981, as a result of Dr Sálim Ali's assessment of the deteriorating status of the great Indian bustard, the Bombay Natural History Society embarked on a five-year project to study the ecology and distribution of the bird. The author, who has worked on the great Indian bustard in three places in India and who took part in the BNHS bustard project, describes its findings.

From the authors' review of the mammals of Ethiopia, undertaken during the last 14 years, it is clear that Ethiopia's elephants and rhinoceroses have suffered massive declines since the beginning of the century. There are perhaps 9000 elephants left, but poaching for ivory and agricultural encroachment continue to threaten them, and only a few rhinoceroses still survive. Ethiopia has limited resources to protect these remaining animals, and needs help and encouragement from outside its boundaries.

The two Barbary macaque troops on the Rock of Gibraltar have long attracted countless numbers of tourists, yet no benefit to this endangered species has ever resulted. Rather, some visitors feed and disturb the monkeys of the Queen's Gate group, with drastic consequences for their activity, breeding and general condition. The author, who has worked with the species on the Rock and in the wild in North Africa, proposes the establishment of a park, which would protect the Queen's Gate troop, generate funds for conservation, and act as an education centre.

The clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa has already disappeared from part of its range in southern Asia; it is classified as vulnerable by IUCN and is on Appendix I of CITES. Little is known about this secretive forest-dweller anywhere in its range, and the sparse information needs to be augmented so that effective conservation measures may be taken if necessary. In early 1986 the senior author travelled through the interior of Malaysian Borneo, staying at villages and timber camps, to assess the status of the species in the region and to find out more about its behaviour.