Zimbabwe's approach to wildlife conservation started to change radically just over 30 years ago. Recognition of the fact that wildlife will only survive outside protected areas if the people who share the habitat are given responsibility for and derive benefits from wildlife has had positive effects for the conservation of the macrofauna. The author, the country's former Director of National Parks and Wild Life Management, describes the history of wildlife management in Zimbabwe and how the new approach is working.

Human behaviour probably evolved within the confines of small social groups whose members were closely related or interacted repeatedly over long periods of time. Patterns of behaviour regarding use of natural resources reflect this. It would appear that humans also tend to perceive as more urgent environmental problems occurring over a relatively short period of time, at relatively local spatial scales, and which affect them directly, rather than those occurring over greater spans of time and space. If so, then conservation strategies may be planned accordingly. This hypothesis is explored in the context of species conservation by the presentation of a country case-study (Nepal) and by a review of selected conservation programmes from several developing nations. There has been a general lack of research efforts that examine the effect of societal scales in this context, and more such efforts are needed to achieve conservation goals.

The immense ecological importance of invertebrate animals is discussed in relation to using ecological values in setting priorities for their conservation. The spectrum of values, from taxa that we know perform vital ecological roles to taxa that may be ecologically redundant, is outlined.

Reduced to a tiny fraction of its original area, much of the Atlantic Forest habitat remaining in eastern Brazil is distributed in small, isolated patches on private land. The potential role of these fragments in the conservation of the region's primate fauna is poorly understood. As part of a study of buffy-headed marmosets Callithrix flaviceps in Minas Gerais, forest remnants were visited in order to evaluate this potential. Marmosets were observed in one-third of the sites and may exist in up to 60 per cent of forest patches in the region. A second threatened primate, the brown howler monkey Alouatta fusca, may occur in one-quarter of the sites visited. The muriqui Brachyteles arachnoides was not encountered. Overall, the survey suggests that, with appropriate management, privately owned forest fragments may play an increasingly important role in the conservation of the Atlantic Forest's fauna in this and other regions.

The otter population in Shetland has increased significantly between 1988 and 1993, with more animals being found on all coastal strata and in all parts of the archipelago except South Mainland, the only area to show a decline. South Mainland is where the tanker Braer grounded in January 1993 and the subsequent oil spill might have affected the distribution of otters there. The causes of the changes are unknown and it is not known what happened to the otters in South Mainland after the spill, but it is is highly unlikely that the large increases recorded elsewhere on the archipelago were caused by the movement of animals away from South Mainland.

Over 10 years ago, Oryx published initial details of an investigation into the effects of selective timber logging on primates in the Sungai Tekam Forestry Concession in peninsular Malaysia (Johns, 1983). This original 2-year field study developed into a long-term monitoring programme, in which the recovery of primates in the regenerating forest is to be recorded throughout the logging cycle. This is the only such monitoring programme so far established in the world's tropical forests. The dataset is now complete for forests logged up to 18 years ago.

Ambangulu Forest is one of the few remaining tracts of natural forest between 800 and 1200 m in the West Usambara Mountains of Tanzania. It may be the biologically richest area in the region but it is threatened by illegal felling of timber trees, wind damage, grazing and browsing livestock, and collection of fuel-wood and building poles. A proposed project aims to protect the forest and benefit local people at the same time.

The grey gentle lemur Hapalemur griseus is currently divided into three subspecies. Of these, very little is known about the western gentle lemur H. g. occidentalis and survey work to assess its distribution and numbers is urgently needed. The sighting of this species approximately 200 km to the south and 200 km to the north of the previously recorded populations further highlights this need. The Tsiombikibo Forest, where Hapalemur was sighted, may harbour further surprises and should be investigated more extensively in order to assess habitat condition and the species present.