Once the Sahel supported healthy populations of wildlife. Today only remnant populations exist, survivors of the ravages of drought, desertification, excessive hunting and competition for pasture. In the past few years the problems for these animals and for the people trying to conserve them have been exacerbated by a new wave of hunters. Arab princes and their retinues, having exterminated most of the prey species in their native land, are invading the Sahelian countries in search of new hunting grounds. The author, who has worked for 20 years in the Sahel, here describes what is happening in Niger and Mali and urges that steps be taken to stop the slaughter.

Much of the news we hear regarding the conservation situation in Africa portrays a continent in crisis. Increasing human population, decreasing agricultural production, loss of forest cover and mounting debt all point to a bleak future. Even in countries where conservationists have been most active the black rhino is near extinction and the elephant population is crashing. The conservation community has responded with last-ditch conservation efforts, commonly known as ‘firefighting’ or ‘band-aid conservation’. This paper examines an opportunity to practice ‘conservation before the crisis’ in Gabon, a country with time on its side to address its long-term conservation and development needs.

The population of loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta nesting on the island of Zakynthos, Greece, the largest known rookery in the Mediterranean, is in danger of dying out because of the effects of human interference. Tourism is a prime factor in causing problems, which include direct disturbance of nesting females, compaction of the sand and obstruction of access, photic pollution affecting the hatchlings and accidental damage to adults from speed boats. Attempts are being made to conserve the turtles, and a recent Ministerial Decision should be of help, but implementation of conservation measures is difficult to achieve. This is because the local economy is highly dependent on the tourist industry and there is an understandable reluctance to see this curtailed in any way just to protect the turtles.

In theory, large reserves or parks reduce the risk of extinctions because they contain sizeable populations of endangered species of plants and animals. In practice, however, most developing countries do not have the resources to protect large areas and economically valuable species from illegal exploitation. This paper, modified from one published elsewhere (Leader-Williams and Albon, 1988) shows that the rates of decline of black rhinos Diceros bicornis and African elephants Loxodonta africana are related directly to conservation effort and spending. The author concludes that, if local extinctions are to be avioded, conservation schemes must be funded adequately or resources must be concentrated in small parts of large reserves.

In western Poland an underground fortification dating from the 1930s is the winter quarters for the largest aggregation of hibernating bats in northern Europe. Although a major threat has been averted, the bats remain vulnerable to disturbance. The author has been studying these animals since the mid-1970s and, with others, has been pressing for improved protection.