This study examines mortality of the Amur tiger Panthera tigris altaica caused by traffic collision incidents in the Russian Far East from 1980 to 2023. Forty-six per cent of mortality incidents occurred within the last 4 years of this period (2020–2023) following an outbreak of African swine fever, which led to a reduction of prey available for tigers. Using multiple regression analysis, we identify significant predictors of tiger mortality, including road type, biotope, and distances to settlements and federally protected areas. We identified five locations with concentrations of tiger mortality, with four of these near protected areas comprising 54% of all incidents. Asphalt roads have an elevated risk of tiger deaths during the winter, whereas unpaved roads have elevated risk during warmer months. Wildlife-friendly road planning, including crossings and enhanced night-time controls, is crucial for reducing mortality and ensuring the survival of this species amidst increasing development of human infrastructure. This study highlights the urgent need for targeted conservation efforts to reduce traffic-related risks to the Amur tiger.

Island-endemic arthropods are understudied species and likely to be highly threatened with extinction. Analysis of IUCN Red List assessments can be used to highlight important microhabitats requiring conservation for the effective management of island-endemic arthropod biodiversity. We synthesized information on the 296 island-endemic arthropod species assessed as Critically Endangered as of April 2024, the geography of the islands to which they are endemic, and the broad threats they face. These species comprised 33 taxonomic orders, across which an average of 53% of species were limited entirely to tiny, confined areas of habitat: caves, high elevation areas, isolated pools or sea stacks. These micro-refugia are most utilized by crustaceans and least utilized by myriapods. Caves and pools are the most important habitats on temperate islands where habitat degradation threatens crustaceans. On small tropical islands where arachnids and hexapods are threatened by invasive species, refugia are mostly in high elevation areas. Sea stacks appear to be effective refugia from invasive species only for threatened island-endemics with notable long-distance dispersal adaptation. None of the refugia appear effective in sustaining arthropod species immediately threatened by climate change. Using the interaction between arthropod life history, habitat and threats, it is possible to generalize micro-refugia that (1) should be immediately targeted for management, and (2) could yield undescribed or presumed-extinct species. Prioritizing such refugia for management and research can guide efficient expenditure of local capacity. In our case study, on Ascension Island, micro-refugia for seven endemic arthropods covered < 0.1% of the island's total area.

Biodiversity credits are increasingly being promoted as an innovative tool for closing the biodiversity finance gap. A growing number of providers are offering biodiversity credits, either linked to carbon credits or as a new asset class in their own right. However, there are also warnings that they could become a double-edged sword for conservation and distract governments from their financial responsibilities agreed in the Global Biodiversity Framework. Biodiversity credits differ from other environmental policy instruments in that they offer a non-offsetting way of financing conservation and restoration activities. Well-designed credit schemes can therefore make a significant contribution to real net biodiversity gains. But to realize their full potential, biodiversity credits need to be based on a common methodology, broaden their focus to include marine areas, and respect the rights of local and Indigenous communities. Benefit sharing and embedding in regulatory approaches will be critical to their success.

Estimating the population size of shy and elusive species is challenging but necessary to inform appropriate conservation actions for threatened or declining species. Using camera-trap surveys conducted during 2017–2021, we estimated and compared African clawless otter Aonyx capensis population densities and activity times in six conserved areas in southern Africa. We used two different models to estimate densities: random encounter models and camera-trap distance sampling. Our results highlight a general pattern of higher estimated densities and narrower confidence intervals using random encounter models compared to camera-trap distance sampling. We found substantial variation in densities between study areas, with random encounter model estimates ranging between 0.9 and 4.2 otters/km2. Our camera-trap distance sampling estimates supported the relative density estimates obtained from random encounter models but were generally lower and more variable, ranging from 0.8 to 4.0 otters/km2. We found significant differences in otter activity patterns, with populations either being nocturnal, mostly nocturnal or cathemeral. As all study areas experience little human disturbance, our results suggest that there are large natural variations in otter densities and activity patterns between regions. When densities are converted to metrics that are comparable to previous studies, our estimates suggest that African clawless otter population numbers are generally lower than previously reported. This highlights a need for broader spatial coverage of otter population assessments and future studies to assess potential environmental drivers of spatial, and potentially temporal, variation in population numbers and activity patterns.

Conservation management in human-modified landscapes requires information on the sustainability of interactions between people and biodiversity. Wild Chinese alligators Alligator sinensis only persist within the National Chinese Alligator Reserve in south-eastern China, where they live alongside agricultural communities that utilize local terrestrial and wetland habitats. We conducted an interview survey of communities within and around the Reserve to evaluate whether local ecological knowledge can provide a baseline on the species' local status and trends, and to understand the relationships between land-use practices and alligator presence and survival. Respondents within the Reserve were more likely to recognize alligators, report sightings and perceive declines than other respondents. Absolute levels of knowledge and experience of alligators were low, highlighting the species' perilous status, and analysis of correlative patterns between respondents' experiences and associated data on human–environmental interactions provides new conservation-relevant insights. Alligator sightings were more likely to be reported by respondents who did not grow crops, and eggs and nests by those who did not utilize local water sources for irrigation, suggesting that existing environmental pressures associated with agriculture may be unsustainable for alligators. Although respondents who lived outside the Reserve were more likely to use agrochemicals, we found no relationship between pesticide or fertilizer usage and variation in respondent awareness or experience of alligators. Our findings indicate that China's last wild alligators continue to experience negative human pressures, and current land-use practices are probably incompatible with long-term alligator survival.