Context: Management of human–wildlife conflicts is of critical importance for both wildlife conservation and agricultural production. Population models are commonly used to simulate population dynamics and their responses to management actions. However, it is essential that this class of models captures the drivers and mechanisms necessary to reliably forecast future system dynamics. Aims: We aimed

Context: Feral cat is a favoured food item in some Australian Indigenous communities. We describe how cats are hunted and whether cat hunting can contribute to the persistence of threatened species. Aims: To determine whether cat hunting by expert trackers has the potential to be an effective method of managing predation impacts on threatened species at key sites. Methods: We recorded all cats captured

Context: Improving the welfare outcomes for captured animals is critically important and should underpin ‘best-practice’ trapping. Most Australian States and Territories have regulations and guidelines that form a legal framework for the maximum number of hours an animal can be restrained in a trap. Because servicing all traps within preferred time frames (less than 24 h) can be logistically difficult

Context. Diet variability is a significant driver of seabird decline; however, data on seabird diet composition and trends have been affected by changes in precision and resolution owing to the evolution of different sampling methods over time. We investigated the effectiveness of applying a passive molecular diet method using faeces obtained from the endangered yellow-eyed penguin. Aims. To assess

Context: Significant resources have been devoted to the control of introduced mesopredators in Australia. However, the control or removal of one pest species, such as, for example, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), may inadvertently benefit other invasive species, namely feral cats (Felis catus) and rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), potentially jeopardising native-species recovery. Aims: To (1) investigate

Context: The disruption of normal activities by humans (i.e. ‘anthropogenic disturbance’) can have important behavioural, physiological and population effects on coastal birds. These negative effects include increased vigilance, increased energy expenditure and reduced nesting success. To overcome this, separation distances (e.g. buffers and setbacks) are often used to separate threatening stimuli

Context: Precise and accurate estimates of animal numbers are often essential for population and epidemiological models, as well as for guidance for population management and conservation. This is particularly true for threatened species in landscapes facing multiple threats. Estimates can be derived by different methods, but the question remains as to whether these estimates are comparable. Aims:

Context: In many countries, annual wolf surveys based on snow-track counts have become unreliable because of inconsistent snow coverage. We considered incidental observations by volunteers throughout the year as an alternative monitoring protocol. Aims: We recruited interested citizens throughout Lithuania, including hunters, foresters and farmers, to estimate wolf distribution, abundance, pack numbers

Context: Developing a new tool for wide-scale rat eradication is necessary for significant biodiversity gains. Underlying beliefs linked to public opinion can help guide policy makers to understand public concern and inform an effective discourse. Aims: We investigated underlying beliefs linked to levels of support for a potentially disruptive tool, gene drive, compared with a traditional stepwise

Context: The shore-based survey is a common, non-invasive, and low-cost method in marine mammal science, but its scientific applications are currently limited. Such studies typically target populations whose distributions are not random with respect to nearshore sites and involve repeated scans of the same area from single, stationary platforms. These circumstances prohibit the use of classic distance

Context: In recent years, multiple computer algorithms, which allow us to perform photographic capture–recapture analysis, have been developed. Their massive application, also in wildlife demographic and ecological studies, is largely due to the fact that these tools are non-invasive and non-expensive. To maximise the performance of these programs, it is essential to have a good photo-standardisation

Context: The Baudin’s cockatoo is one of three black cockatoo species endemic to Western Australia and is listed as Endangered by state and federal governments. Although there is a Recovery Plan in place for this species, conservation efforts are hindered by gaps in knowledge regarding the species movement ecology. Aims: To identify key foraging and roosting habitat for Baudin’s cockatoos and to determine

Context: Pig production is increasing in developing countries and is increasing the coexistence of different production systems regarding management practices. Small mammals can cause major economic and sanitary problems on pig farms. The interactions among small mammals, production practices and habitat complexity have been sparsely studied. Aims: The aim was to compare small-mammal assemblages on

Context: The conservation of large wild herbivores presents a challenge posed by the fact that their broad habitat requirements overlap with various human activities. Elucidating the factors that explain their distribution patterns provides us with a better understanding of habitat–species relationships and facilitates the design of effective management policies. Aims: Identify the natural (forage

Context: Non-invasive sampling methods are widely used by ecologists to collect animal hair, images, tissue or signs. Sampling devices are imperfect, and collection success may vary over time owing to behavioural changes in study organisms or other factors. If collection success decreases, the utility of non-invasive sampling devices for longitudinal studies that rely on consistency may be compromised

Context: Translocations have been widely used to re-establish populations of threatened Australian mammalian species. However, they are limited by the availability of sites where key threats can be effectively minimised or eliminated. Outside of ‘safe havens’, threats such as exotic predators, introduced herbivores and habitat degradation are often unable to be completely eliminated. Understanding

Context: For migratory animals, particularly those with long generation times, changing weather patterns may cause a mismatch between periods of expected and actual resource availability, termed phenological mismatch. The cave-dwelling Natal long-fingered bat (Miniopterus natalensis) is a regional migrant within South Africa for which the (hitherto unknown) phenology of migration may be affected by

Context: Feral domestic cats (Felis catus) have contributed to substantial loss of Australian wildlife, particularly small- and medium-sized terrestrial mammals. However, mitigating cat impacts remains challenging. Understanding the factors that facilitate coexistence between native prey and their alien predators could aid better pest management and conservation actions. Aims: We estimated feral cat

Context: In Australia, various species of macropods (family Macropodidae) are known to occur within peri-urban areas, where they can be a source of human–wildlife conflict. Some species, such as the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), have received considerable research attention over the past few years following demands from land managers for evidence-based management guidelines; however,

Context: Recent global concern over invertebrate declines has drawn attention to the causes and consequences of this loss of biodiversity. Feral cats, Felis catus, pose a major threat to many vertebrate species in Australia, but their effect on invertebrates has not previously been assessed. Aims: The objectives of our study were to (1) assess the frequency of occurrence (FOO) of invertebrates in feral

Context: Eradication of invasive rodents on islands typically results in positive conservation gains, and maintaining a rodent-free island requires elevated biosecurity, including prevention of assisted rodent arrival via watercraft, aircraft and animals such as birds. Cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis) are widespread, and often fly several kilometres daily to roost and forage. They frequently swallow insects

Context: The niche reduction hypothesis (NRH) predicts that the realised niche of declining species is reduced by threats that are mediated by environmental, biotic and evolutionary processes, explaining why species decline in some locations but not others. The critically endangered central rock-rat (CRR) survives only in rugged mountain range habitat in central Australia and is highly vulnerable to

Data from animals equipped with global positioning system collars have advanced our understanding of vertebrates, but this technology has rarely been employed to study feral equids. Hesitation to equip feral equids with telemetry collars in the USA can often be attributed to safety concerns stemming from one study from the 1980s, where injuries were sustained by feral horses (Equus ferus caballus)

Context: Feral cats are invasive predators of small and medium-sized fauna throughout Australia. The only broad-scale population-management technique for feral cats currently available in Australia is poison baiting. As poison baits for feral cats must be surface-laid, this can lead to the unintended exposure of non-target species consuming the baits. Encapsulation of a toxin within a robust, controlled-release

Context: Introduced predators, especially cats, are a major cause of extinction globally. Accordingly, an extensive body of literature has focussed on the ecology and management of feral cats in continental and island systems alike. However, geographic and climatic gaps remain, with few studies focusing on rainforests or tropical islands of the south-western Pacific. Aims: We aimed to estimate cat

Context: Fenced reserves from which invasive predators are removed are increasingly used as a conservation management tool, because they provide safe havens for susceptible threatened species, and create dense populations of native wildlife that could act as a source population for recolonising the surrounding landscape. However, the latter effect might also act as a food source, and promote high densities

Context: Translocation is a widely used non-lethal tool to mitigate human–wildlife conflicts, particularly for carnivores. Multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors may influence translocation success, yet the influence of release-site landscape context on the success of translocations of wildlife involved in nuisance behaviour is poorly understood. Moreover, few studies of translocated wildlife involved

Context: The translocation of southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) has been suggested as a management tool to alleviate conflicts with the agricultural sector because of the damages caused by their burrowing activity. Translocation is widely used for removing problem animals from conflict areas, but its effectiveness is rarely adequately evaluated and often fails to resolve conflicts

Context: The ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) has experienced considerable population declines in recent decades, especially in agricultural environments of the Central Valley of California. Although large-scale changes in land cover have been reported as an important driver of population dynamics, the effects of microhabitat conditions on specific demographic rates (e.g. nesting) are largely

Context: Increasing forest fragmentation and degradation has forced wildlife to live in close proximity to humans, increasing the chances of human–wildlife conflict. Leopard (Panthera pardus) typifies the problem faced by large carnivores. It is a threatened species with a wide distribution, with a large part of their range outside protected areas, leaving them vulnerable to human–leopard conflict

Context: Wildlife tourism is expanding and can detrimentally affect taxa such as penguins, if not managed carefully. The yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) is an endangered species, with mainland populations projected to decline to extinction in the next 40 years, despite conservation interventions. Their nesting sites are exposed to increasing numbers of human visitors, which contributes to

Context. Feral cats (Felis catus) pose a significant threat to Australia’s native species and feral cat control is, therefore, an important component of threatened species management and policy. Australia’s Threatened Species Strategy articulates defined targets for feral cat control. Yet, currently, little is known about who is engaged in feral cat control in Australia, what motivates them, and at

Context: Advancements in camera-trap technology have provided wildlife researchers with a new technique to better understand their study species. This improved method may be especially useful for many conservation-reliant snake species that can be difficult to detect because of rarity and life histories with secretive behaviours. Aims: Here, we report the results of a 6-month camera-trapping study

Sustained poaching over the past decade has led to significant loss of black (Diceros bicornis) and southern white (Ceratotherium simum simum) rhinoceroses across South Africa. Whereas much research has focussed on the heavily targeted state-owned populations, there is little understanding of the trends and challenges faced by rhino populations held in the private sector. Private rhino ownership has

In human-modified landscapes, where large bird and mammal species are often functionally extinct, bats are the main seed dispersers. However, the role of seed dispersal by bats for the maintenance of habitat dynamics in fragmented landscapes is still not understood, with information lacking on landscape-level effects of plant–bat interactions. We present some key topics related to spatial ecology of

Context: Feral cats have been identified as a key threat to Australia’s biodiversity, particularly in arid areas and tropical woodlands. Their presence, abundance and potential impacts in rainforest have received less attention. Aims: To investigate the distribution and diet of feral cats (Felis catus) in upland rainforest of the Wet Tropics. Methods: We collated available occurrence records from the

Context: Feral cats (Felis catus) are a significant threat to wildlife in Australia and globally. In Australia, densities of feral cats vary across the continent and also between the mainland and offshore islands. Densities on small islands may be at least an order of magnitude higher than those in adjacent mainland areas. To provide cat-free havens for biodiversity, cat-control and eradication programs

Context: An effective management of human–wildlife conflict is key to successful conservation, especially in areas where large carnivores occur. This is particularly important when new conservation regimes such as biological corridors are to be operationalised, as is the case in Bhutan. Aims: The aim of the study was to determine livestock depredation by tigers in a biological corridor (BC) in Bhutan

Context: Estimates of a species abundance and habitat preferences provide vital information on their status and the appropriate conservation management. For nocturnal arboreal primates, obtaining reliable estimates of these parameters is particularly challenging because of their cryptic behaviour, often resulting in a small number of detections. Although techniques are available for assessing the abundance

Context: Wild boars (Sus scrofa) and European badgers (Meles meles) have been increasingly implicated in crop damage in Greece. The species’ increasing presence on agricultural land has also raised concern about disease transmission to livestock and humans. Greece does not have any plans for the management of these situations, because they have only recently emerged. Understanding public preferences