Species surveys

The West Indian Iguanas form a unique group of species inhabiting tropical dry forests throughout the Bahanas and the Greater and Lesser Antilles. They are among the most endangered of the world's lizards, primarily because much of their fragile island habitat has been eliminated by human developemnt or severely degraded by exotic species. The Jamaican iguana, considered by some to be the rarest lizard in the world, may number no more than 100 adults.

Grouse have long attracted and fascinated people. Their display behaviour, and their traditional communal mating grounds or "leks", have inspired poetry and folklore as well as scientific theories on sexual selection and mating systems. Im many parts of their range, hunting plays a major role in the culture, economy, and subsistence of local communities.

This compilation brings together current information on the status of Asian freshwater cetacean populations, the factors that have caused their recent declines, and what can be done to improve their chances for survival. All of the species or populations in quesion are classified as endangered or critically endangered in the 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.

One threat to parrot arises from their attractiveness as "talking" companions to humans, leading to a high demand for trade that involves hundreds of thousands of birds annually on a global basis, and gives parrots a high monetary value. There is an urgent need to change the attitudes of both the many millions who keep parrots, and those who make billions of dollars in trading them.

The family Cracidae is made up of 50 species of guans, curassows and chachalacas - large gregarious game birds, many of which have striking colours. They are important as seed dispersers, biological indicators of the environment, a major protein source for indigenous people, and for ecotourism. Nearly half the species in the family are threatened and several have been pushed to near extinction by wide-spread destruction of tropical forets and over-harvesting.

The African elephant is the largest living land mammal. It once inhabited most of the continent, from the Mediterranean coast down to its south tip. This picture of elephant range today is one of scattered, fragmented populations south of the Sahara Desert. Estimates suggested that elephant populations had more than halved in several areas between 1981-87.

The black and the white rhinoceros have become flagship species for international conservation. They are significant not only for the continuation of a major evolutionary heritage, but also as symbols for the protection of African savannahs. The battle for the survival of these species has been marked by some notable successes and sadly, many failures, and the situation is still critical.