Since it was first described in 1901, the Príncipe thrush Turdus xanthorhynchus has been rare and restricted to the native forest in the south of Príncipe Island. The Obô giant land snail Archachatina bicarinata, however, was widespread across the island and at least locally abundant until the 1990s. Since then its population has collapsed, and now, like the thrush, it is also restricted to the native forest in the south of the island. Using species distribution modelling, we show that both species are currently strongly associated with rugged and remote areas of native forest at high altitudes. We argue that their current distribution might be negatively affected by anthropogenic pressures, as both are harvested, and also because invasive alien species are expected to have deleterious effects on these species, although further studies are needed to clarify interactions between these native and introduced species. The diachronic stories of these species highlight an overlooked value of native ecosystems: their role in the conservation of widespread species that might be unable to use anthropogenic landscapes in the future. They also reinforce the need for protected areas that strive to exclude most human activities in the context of particularly sensitive biodiversity, as is often the case on oceanic islands.

Cave biodiversity and ecosystems are underexplored. To guide conservation needs for visitor management, we surveyed the 2,158 m long Danial Cave in northern Iran for vertebrate fauna. We identified four mammalian and two amphibian species in the cave: the greater horseshoe bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Blasius's horseshoe bat Rhinolophus blasii, the lesser mouse-eared myotis Myotis blythii, the Hyrcanian field mouse Apodemus hyrcanicus, the Hyrcanian wood frog Rana pseudodalmatina and the Eurasian marsh frog Pelophylax ridibundus. Considering the increasing tourism pressures at Danial Cave, information on cave fauna is imperative for the conservation management of unique and endemic cave species.

Large carnivores such as the jaguar Panthera onca are particularly susceptible to population decline and local extinction as a result of habitat loss. Here we report on the long-term monitoring of a local jaguar population in a mixed land-use area in the eastern lowlands of Bolivia from March 2017 to December 2019. We recorded 15 jaguar individuals and four reproduction events (five offspring from three females), suggesting that our study area harbours a resident breeding population. Seven iterations of spatially explicit capture–recapture models provided density estimates of 1.32–3.57 jaguars per 100 km2. Jaguar capture rates were highest in forested areas, with few to no jaguar captures in pastures used for livestock. Massive deforestation after the survey period reduced the proportion of dense forest cover by 33%, shrinking the availability of suitable jaguar habitat and placing the resident jaguar population at risk. We use the jaguar as an indicator species to highlight the threat of habitat destruction in the Chiquitano region and we emphasize the importance of intact forest patches for jaguar conservation.

The Endangered tiger Panthera tigris and Vulnerable snow leopard Panthera uncia are umbrella species and conservation priorities. Jigme Dorji National Park is an important protected area for the conservation of both species because it serves as a source site for tigers to adjacent areas and has the largest snow leopard population in Bhutan. Habitat overlap of tigers and snow leopards in Bhutan has been previously reported based on evidence of tigers (pugmarks, livestock killed and camera-trap images) in known snow leopard habitat above 4,000 m altitude. Here we report the first photographic evidence of both tigers and snow leopards at the same locations, confirming habitat overlap and co-occurrence of the two species. The data are derived from the countrywide tiger survey carried out during October 2021–January 2022. Fifty-six pairs of camera traps were installed in a 5 × 5 km grid at an altitude range of 1,200–4,300 m. After a survey effort of 1,528 trap-nights, 478 tiger images and 31 snow leopard images were captured at 12 and three camera stations, respectively. At all three camera stations that captured snow leopard images, tigers were also captured. These findings indicate the habitat overlap and co-occurrence of tigers and snow leopards in Jigme Dorji National Park. Further research is required to inform conservation practice in the National Park focusing on these apex predators.

The status of the forest elephant Loxodonta cyclotis in Guinea-Bissau has been in doubt since the last assessment in 2006. In 2020–2022 we carried out field surveys to update the species' status. We found elephant signs within an area of c. 1,000 km2. Microsatellite genotyping of faeces identified four males. Females could not be individually identified but their presence was confirmed by molecular sex determination. Camera trapping (2,075 camera-trap days) recorded 824 photos in 24 independent sequences, involving three males and two presumed females. The continued presence of elephants in Guinea-Bissau raises hope for the species in the region, but urgent efforts are needed to refine population range and size estimates, increase protected area coverage, and reduce ongoing and impending habitat loss. An emergency conservation action plan is a priority.

Jalthal Forest (62.6 km2) is a remnant forest patch of a once continuous, lush and dense area of sal Shorea robusta and mixed deciduous vegetation in eastern lowland Nepal that is now surrounded by a dense human population. The forest is one of the last remnants of suitable habitat for the Critically Endangered yellow-headed tortoise Indotestudo elongata. This study explored the distribution of and conservation threats facing the yellow-headed tortoise in Jalthal Forest through field surveys in 20 community forests and structured interviews with 80 members of 22 community forest user groups and local people during September–November 2021. We surveyed 11.3 km2 of the forest and observed only four individuals of I. elongata, indicating a population density of 0.35/km2. Local people perceived that the species is decreasing mainly because of hunting (42%) and habitat deterioration from incursion of invasive species (30%). Based on the interviews with local people involved in hunting, an annual mean of 6.8 tortoises were killed during 2017–2021. The purposes of hunting were consumption (70%) and ethnomedicinal uses (30%) by the Meche and Sathar communities. Awareness campaigns and networks of communication amongst all stakeholders are required to conserve this species in Jalthal Forest.