An expedition recently mounted in north-eastern Brazil gathered evidence strongly indicating that Spix's macaw Cyanopsitta spixii is effectively extinct in the wild. The only hope of saving the species from total extinction now rests with the small captive population. Fieldwork suggested that habitat degradation played a part in the decline of the species and it was concluded that habitat conservation should be a major consideration in future efforts to save it. A fully integrated conservation package is proposed that reflects the multiplicity of conservation needs of Spix's macaw.

Until recently, de Brazza's monkey Cercopithecus neglectus was not known to occur in the Kakamega and Kisere forests of western Kenya. Today, four groups of successfully breeding de Brazza's monkeys have been identified with a possibility of more. Although this may make the future of this species in Kenya slightly less bleak, efforts to conserve these forests are desperately needed. Through the efforts of Kenya's President, about 4000 ha of these forests have been designated a national reserve, but this area is far too small to support the rare de Brazza's monkeys as well as many other threatened species of flora and fauna. The forests cover about 25,000 ha and more of this land should be set aside as a reserve.

As human pressure on tropical forests grows, conservation needs new approaches. An experiment in conserving tropical rain forests on private lands on the Belize River is under way in Belize. Over 70 landowners have signed pledges to abide by a management plan devised for the conservation of the black howler monkey Alouatta pigra. The author discusses what was involved in creating the Community Baboon Sanctuary and how this approach could be used in similar projects to benefit both wildlife and local people.

In western Poland an underground fortification dating from the 1930s is the winter quarters for the largest aggregation of hibernating bats in northern Europe. Although a major threat has been averted, the bats remain vulnerable to disturbance. The author has been studying these animals since the mid-1970s and, with others, has been pressing for improved protection.

The Pantanal of South America is the world's largest wetland and has an abundant and diverse fauna. Although man's influence has caused many changes there are still some little disturbed areas, which offer opportunities for conservation. The authors discuss some of the threats to the region and recommend how these could be mitigated.

There are at least 25 species of turtles and tortoises in Bangladesh, with freshwater turtles being particularly abundant. Although these turtles form part of the diet for only a minority of people in the country, they are being exported in increasingly large numbers and this trade could now be threatening this valuable resource.