Global biodiversity is at a heightened risk of extinction and we are losing species faster than at any other time. It is important to understand the threats that drive a species towards extinction in order to address those drivers. In this paper, we assess our knowledge of the threats faced by 24 Himalayan Galliformes species by undertaking a review of the threats reported in the published literature and the supporting evidence that the threat is having an impact on the species’ populations. Only 24 papers were deemed suitable to be included in the study. We found that biological resource use and agriculture and aquaculture are the predominant threats to the Galliformes in the Greater Himalaya but the evidence available in the studies is quite poor as only one paper quantified the impact on species. This study shows that major gaps exist in our understanding of threats to species, and it is imperative to fill those gaps if we want to prevent species from going extinct.

Conserving species and achieving the Convention on Biological Diversity's international conservation targets necessitates stopping extinctions, recovering depleted populations and maintaining viable populations. The contribution of ex situ management to species conservation has long been debated, and there is limited information on ex situ management activities available in a format that allows success to be assessed. We therefore gathered information from three sources to explore cases in which ex situ management was considered to have had a positive conservation impact for terrestrial vertebrate species. We (1) reviewed the published literature, (2) examined for which taxa ex situ management had contributed to the downlisting of species on the IUCN Red List and (3) surveyed a global network of ex situ management practitioners. We found that ex situ management has contributed to improvements in conservation status for a range of vertebrate species. Ex situ management was reported as contributing to the downlisting of 18 species on the IUCN Red List over a 10-year period. Across sources, the most common role of ex situ management was the provision of individuals to increase population numbers in situ. The strength of evidence for the impact of ex situ management varied within and among sources. Therefore, for the role of ex situ activities in conservation to be understood fully, and for such interventions to reach their potential, documentation of intended and actual benefits needs to be improved. Better reporting of ex situ activities would enable improved learning, facilitating better targeting of ex situ activities to global species conservation goals.

Large ground-dwelling Neotropical gamebirds are highly threatened by habitat loss and hunting, but conservationists rarely attempt to distinguish between these two threats in the management of populations. We used three different types of species records to determine the status (i.e. persistence level) of the Endangered red-billed curassow Crax blumenbachii in 14 forest remnants in north-east Brazil, as either persistent, precarious or extirpated. We related these persistence levels to variables measured in a 2-km buffer radius, including variables associated with habitat quality (proportion of forest cover, length of rivers, patch density, distance from rivers) and hunting pressure (proportion of cacao agroforests and farmlands, length of roads, total area occupied by settlements, distance from roads and from settlements). Curassows were more persistent in forest patches located (1) more distant from settlements, (2) in landscapes with few settlements, (3) in landscapes with a high incidence of roads, (4) in a mosaic with a high proportion of forest, shaded cacao agroforest and farmland, and (5) more distant from other forest patches. Hunting pressure potentially exerts more influence on persistence than habitat quality: (1) hunting pressure submodels had a higher explanatory power than habitat quality submodels, (2) final models comprised four hunting pressure variables but only two habitat quality variables, and (3) hunting pressure variables appeared in all models whereas habitat quality variables appeared in only one final model. If hunting pressure is driving declines in curassows, regions with low human presence and a high proportion of forest cover are recommended for establishing new reserves.

The Critically Endangered Himalayan Quail Ophrysia superciliosa has not been reliably recorded since 1876. Recent searches of historical sites have failed to detect the species, but we estimate an extinction year of 2023 giving us reason to believe that the species may still be extant. Species distribution models can act as a guide for survey efforts, but the current land cover in the historical specimen record locations is unlikely to reflect Himalayan Quail habitat preferences due to extensive modifications. Thus, we investigate the use of two proxy species: Cheer Pheasant Catreus wallechi and Himalayan Monal Lophophorus impejanus that taken together are thought to have macro-habitat requirements that encapsulate those of the Himalayan Quail. After modelling climate and topography space for the Himalayan Quail and these proxy species we find the models for the proxy species have moderate overlap with that of the Himalayan Quail. Models improved with the incorporation of land cover data and when these were overlaid with the Himalayan Quail climate model, we were able to identify suitable areas to target surveys. Using a measure of search effort from recent observations of other galliformes, we identify 923 km2 of suitable habitat surrounding Mussoorie in Northern India that requires further surveys. We conclude with a list of five priority survey sites as a starting point.

There were 2,541 nature reserves accounting for c. 15% of China's land territory by 2009. As nature reserves hold the majority of the country's wildlife they play a fundamental role in protecting the country's biodiversity. National policies relevant to nature reserves have had a positive effect on biodiversity although these policies are now facing increasing challenges. We reviewed the development of relevant policy and legislation and identify and assess challenges, using a questionnaire survey and personal interviews. The main challenges identified and assessed included lack of harmonization between government departments, between nature reserves and other protected area designations, and between nature reserves and local communities. In addition, recent transfers of responsibilities between government entities, potential impacts of forest tenure reforms, and issues surrounding natural resource use and ecotourism were identified. These obstacles could undermine the achievements of biodiversity conservation in China if they are not addressed soon. Given these findings, we make recommendations to guide future policy formulation in relation to nature reserve management and development.

IUCN (The World Conservation Union) published its first Action Plan more than a decade ago (Oates 1986). Many taxon-specific Specialist Groups working under the auspices of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) have since produced such documents, some of which are now in their second editions (e.g. Reeves and Leatherwood 1994). As we know only too well ourselves, Action Plans take a great deal of time and effort to compile, but what evidence is there to show that they are effective in achieving their prime objective of increasing the amount and quality of work that gets done to save threatened species from extinction?

The spatial distribution of displaying Malaysian peacock pheasants was documented at a site in Peninsular Malaysia. Calling males were clustered and, therefore, were not evenly distributed throughout the available habitat. The location of these clusters differed between calling periods. An objective method of assessing micro-habitat structure at the forest-floor level was devised to investigate habitat use by displaying males. Habitat structure was measured at 197 points throughout the study site, both in areas used by the pheasant and in those areas not used by the pheasant. A DECORANA ordination revealed that two gradients explained much of the variation in micro-habitat structure. Male calling clusters were located in areas that were away from the river and more stable (e.g. fewer treefalls). Within these clusters, display scrapes were sited in areas that were more stable and were more influenced by the rivers than elsewhere within the area used by the calling males. It is suggested that the environmental gradients described by the ordination are more likely to determine the position of the calling cluster than individual habitat structure variables. Within calling clusters, however, it seems probable that the presence or absence of ground-level vegetation directly influences the siting of display scrapes.

Swamp Francolin Francolinus gularis is endemic to the Indian sub-continent, being found in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. It is threatened with extinction and is listed as ‘Vulnerable’, mainly as a result of habitat degradation and loss. This study investigated the distribution, habitat use, threats and most appropriate method for surveying the species at Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve in southeastern Nepal from February to July 2004. The most appropriate method, which recorded the highest number of birds (without double-counting), was identified as point counts undertaken early in the morning during the breeding season. The abundance estimate for the species was 15.5 ± 2.50 birds km−2. Habitat use, as compared with availability, differed significantly between seasons, with Woodland-Grassland and Wet Grassland preferred in the breeding season and summer. Dry Grassland and Woodland were preferred during the monsoon months. On average, 40.4 (± 15.6) people were recorded in the study area each day and there was a general trend for the number of birds to decrease with increasing numbers of people. Each day an average of 31.6 (± 16.7) livestock was recorded in the study area and more than 120 were regularly present throughout the eastern section, although there was no significant relationship between number of cattle and Swamp Francolin. We conclude that as long as the degree and distribution of anthropogenic pressures does not increase, the Swamp Francolin should survive at Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve. However, as the species is reliant on different habitats in different seasons, deterioration in the quality or extent of either of these could have a serious impact on the species.

Cabot's tragopan Tragopan caboti, a pheasant that inhabits subtropical montane forests in south-east China, is categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Nesting in trees, it routinely makes use of natural platforms and the old nests of other species, both of which may sometimes be in short supply. This study was designed to test how much use would be made of artificial nest platforms, and to identify factors influencing their occupation. Basketry platforms made of bamboo were erected in parts of Wuyanling National Nature Reserve, Zhejiang Province, China. The tragopans used 16 platforms (8%) in 2002 and 12 (5%) in the following year. A census of the population in spring suggested that a high proportion of the females (41% in 2002, 36% in 2003) in the study area made use of the platforms. There were significant preferences for platforms in mixed conifer/broadleaf forest, as opposed to pure stands, as well as for sites on the upper part of hill slopes. Principal component scores were used to represent variation in 11 variables measured at each platform site. Binary logistic regressions employing these scores as predictors for each year separately did not reveal a consistent model for distinguishing used from unused platforms, although short distances to the forest edge were associated with use in both years. These nest platforms are cheap and easy to erect, and may have the potential to halt or reverse a perceived downward population trend for this species across the whole of its fragmented range. Further trials are therefore advocated.