The Lesser Antilles are home to four species of snakes of the genus Alsophis, otherwise known as racers. All four have undergone severe range reductions; at least two subspecies are extinct and another, A. antiguae, now occupies only 0.1 per cent of its historical range. The authors investigated the current distribution of the snakes by field surveys and interviews with the people of the islands.

A new species of shrew, Crocidura desperata n. sp. (Mammalia: Soricidae), is described from specimens recently collected in the Rungwe Forest and the Uzungwe Mountains in southern Tanzania. It is a large and long-furred shrew closely resembling Crocidura lanosa from Mt Kahuzi in eastern Zaire. Like other small mammals with a relict distribution, the newly discovered species appears to be highly vulnerable to forest destruction.

The population of female green turtles Chelonia mydas nesting on Aldabra Atoll has been claimed to be the largest in the Seychelles. Several surveys have been undertaken of the numbers nesting, but none has managed to provide reliable estimates of the size of the nesting population.

Assam, in north-east India, is the main stronghold for the great Indian rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis, with most of the 1500 or so individuals that live there concentrated in parks and sanctuaries. Despite valiant efforts to protect them, the forest guards are poorly equipped and no match for poachers armed with automatic weapons or those who make use of high-voltage power lines to electrocute the animals. The authors have discussed the many problems besetting rhino conservation in Assam with wildlife officials and they make several recommendations that would improve the situation.

Every year large numbers of rattlesnakes (Crotalus spp. and Sistrurus spp.) are collected from the wild in several states in North America. Some of these are collected purely for commercial reasons while others are collected for the traditional, although now largely commercial, ‘rattlesnake round-ups’. Together these activities may remove 300,000–500,000 snakes each year. The high level of hunting together with capture procedures that destroy habitat as well as snakes are damaging rattlesnake populations, other species, and habitat quality.

Cuvier's gazelle Gazella cuvieri is endemic to North Africa and has been classified as Endangered by IUCN. Algeria holds most of the remnant population but little is known about its current status and distribution there. The author studied the gazelle between 1984 and 1988 and found that while populations have declined in some areas, at least 560 individuals survive, some in protected areas.

Despite protection of the species under the Berne Convention, and of the site by planning restrictions, Hermann's tortoises have again been killed at Alyki, 10 years after the original catastrophe. The authors describe the situation leading up to the recent habitat destruction, and its effect. There is a final opportunity to save the tortoise population before it is destroyed by holiday developments.

During the last 5 years a major conservation programme has been under way in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The author worked for the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development between 1987 and 1990, and in this article gives a personal view of the achievements of the organization and the problems it faces in trying to implement its policies.

The buffy-headed marmoset Callithrix flaviceps is among the rarest of Brazil's Atlantic Forest primates and is potentially one of the most endangered by habitat destruction. Rarely seen in captivity, little was known about the species until very recently. Studies carried out during the last 10 years have revealed that these marmosets are not only highly adaptable but are also more widespread than was first thought. There thus seems to be room for cautious optimism for the survival of the species as long as further habitat loss can be minimized.

The steppe marmot of European Russia has suffered from hunting pressure and agricultural development in the past. Now it is regaining its former range by colonizing abandoned farming areas and this process is being helped by reintroduction programmes. Once secure these marmots show considerable potential for increase and could form the basis for a useful and substantial harvest in the future.

Socotra, a small island in the Indian Ocean, is renowned for its remarkable flora. More than one-third of its 750 plant species are endemic, and seven are included in the IUCN Plant Red Data Book. Among these is Dirachma socotrana, which is something of a botanical curiosity. It was described in 1881 but confusion over its vernacular name led to the belief that it was widespread on the island. In 1989 the authors failed to find it in many of the sites where local people said it grew and on a second visit in 1990 the puzzle was resolved with the help of a linguist. In fact the species is apparently confined to one mountain pass. Although it is not immediately threatened it is, like many of the other plants on the island, at risk because of development plans.

The population of endemic fruit bats on Pemba Island, which lies off the coast of Tanzania, appears to have undergone a drastic decline. The author made a short survey in 1989 in some of the areas where the fruit bat was reported to have been numerous, but found that few now exist in these places. The change from traditional hunting methods to the use of shotguns as well as destruction of the island's rain forest are believed to be the principal causes. The author makes a plea for a ban on hunting, a public education campaign, protection of the surviving remnants of forest and a captive-breeding effort as a safeguard against extinction.

Large frugivorous forest birds are among the most endangered avian groups in the Neotropics. Despite this fact, there has been little field work on members of these groups or on other large Neotropical forest birds. While current studies of Neotropical forests are beginning to provide data for reserve management at the ecosystem level, we lack information for management of particular species or habitats. Throughout Latin America, large forest frugivores are economically important as food, as pets or in local crafts. They can also be important seed dispersers and can be used as indicator species of habitat disturbance in protected areas. The conservation status of these birds demands more attention and commitment from conservation organizations and the scientific community in general. Further field research should focus on the basic ecology and natural history of endangered and non-endangered species. These studies will aid in developing badly needed long-term management and monitoring plans both for populations of large forest frugivores and their habitats.