Guitarfishes are of particular concern for marine conservationists, as their populations are declining at alarming rates, and more than 70% of these species is listed under some threat category or as data deficient. Furthermore, for 60% of currently described species, risk assessments have not been reviewed for over a decade (Moore, 2017). Another aggravating factor for their conservation is that guitarfishes

COVID‐19 has spread around the globe, with massive impacts on global human health, national economies and conservation activities. In the timely editorial about conservation in the maelstrom of COVID‐19, Evans et al. (2020) urged the conservation community to collaborate with other relevant sectors of society in the search for solutions to the challenges posed by the current pandemic, as well as future

In the era of biodiversity and ecosystems collapse (IPBES, 2019), the description of species new to science is often an event to celebrate as a sign of enduring life. On the other hand, conservationists may immediately worry about the condition of the newly described species, intuitively expecting such species to be rare and range restricted, and possibly to occur in already severely altered habitats

Taxonomic inflation—the increase in species richness through taxonomic rearrangement rather than species discovery—is a challenge to conservation (Isaac et al., 2004). The examination of the conservation impacts of taxonomic inflation on a group as large and diverse as birds is clearly a monumental task. Birdlife International’s recent revision increased the number of recognized bird species by some

Protected areas are a cornerstone of biodiversity conservation. They form the basis of national strategies for meeting Convention on Biological Diversity and climate change targets. UNESCO has afforded World Heritage Site (WHS) status to 213 natural sites, primarily protected areas, in recognition of their outstanding universal value. However, 17 of these sites are currently inscribed on the ‘World

Restoring and maintaining megafauna in today’s human‐dominated landscapes is a major challenge for conservation. The refugee species concept (Kerley et al., 2011) is helpful in reminding us that species’ habitat use might have changed over time, and that the option space for restoring such species can therefore be wider than appreciated. In this context, Kerley et al. (2020) express concerns that our

Conservation science is about developing a robust understanding of how to reduce threats and extinction risks for biodiversity, as expressed in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Conservation Action Plan approach (IUCN/SSC, 2013). As a branch of science, it must therefore follow the scientific best practice of considering alternative hypotheses in order to minimise the risk

As we sit in the vortex of the Covid‐19 outbreak, individual energies are focused on staying safe and juggling the personal, social and financial impacts of the pandemic and political responses to it. These impacts are profoundly re‐shaping our lives, with many commentators suggesting that ‘normality’ will be permanently redefined for all sectors of society. The future is not clear because the maelstrom

Each year, millions of animals are captured, transported and sold – both legally and illegally. The overexploitation of commonly traded species is driving wild populations towards extinction, with consumer demand for rarer species resulting in a strengthening feedback loop between supply and demand (Tournan et al., 2012). The direct impact of the removal of traded species can also have indirect consequences