“The most valuable reptile in the world”, is how American Professor Archie Carr describes the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas). Unfortunately, this value is reflected again in the great reptile's alternative common name “the Edible Turtle”. Under the richly ironic scientific name of mydas, this ponderous marine has poured its rich juices into centuries of banquets proffered by the Lord Mayor of London or President of the United States. Genuine turtle soup is still a top status symbol in upper-class diet through most of the civilized world—except South-east Asia.

In former times the Mediterranean Monk Seal, Monachus monachus (Hermann), was abundant on the Black Sea and Mediterranean coasts, along the Atlantic seaboard of north-west Africa and around Madeira and the Canary Islands. The following records are especially interesting.

In the past, the brown bear was found in all the forested mountain regions of Bulgaria. This is known from written and oral evidence, and there are places with names including the word “bear” where no bears have been seen for a long time. The bear conflicted with the interests of man; it did enough damage to agriculture to be condemned as a pest, and its extermination was encouraged.

Seventy years ago the population of Southern Rhodesia was only about 500,000. The inhabitants occupied the land according to their tribal customs, and were mainly hunters and pastoralists. In those days the whole country abounded with wild life. Then western civilization came to the country, bringing with it advanced agricultural techniques, medical science and the western system of law. Within thirty years vast changes and development took place. The indigenous population trebled: industries, particularly mining, sprang up all over the country and around these industries towns were built with the resultant network of road and rail communications. But, following the pattern of development seen in so many countries, Rhodesia's natural resources were being squandered and destroyed, in some cases through lack of knowledge, in others wantonly. Nevertheless, even in the 1920's a few people, supported by the Government, did make some provision for the conservation of wild life and in 1927 the first game reserve was established at Wankie. By the 1930's, however, it was obvious that other resources, particularly the soil, were being lost at an alarming rate. Again a few far-sighted people, led by Water Court Judge Mcllwaine, stirred up public opinion, the Governor appointing a commission of enquiry into the extent to which the natural resources were being squandered. The outcome of this enquiry was the establishment of the Natural Resources Board, constituted by Act of Parliament which, in essence, recognized the Board as the public trustee for the natural resources of the country. The Board has extremely wide powers and can give orders to the owners, occupiers or users of any land to adopt such measures as it may deem necessary for the conservation and protection of the resources. Whilst an appeal to the court against such orders is provided for, the Board relies upon persuasion rather than compulsion and depends upon the goodwill and common-sense of the people to ensure a future both for themselves and for those who are to follow.

Schemes for the preservation of fauna in Kenya, Tanganyika, and Uganda are much to the fore at the present time, and quite rightly so, but we would like to advance the claims of N'gamiland as being one of the finest places of them all where the wild life of Africa may yet be found in its almost pristine state, rivalling that of N'gorongoza, the Serengeti Plains and the Ngorongoro Crater. We plead also the urgent need for the formation of a society dedicated to the protection of the fauna in support of an understaffed and overworked Game Department.

N'gamiland is the native reserve of the Batawana tribe, which has at its head Mahumahati Moremi, the Queen Regent. The headquarters of both the native and of the British administration is at Maun, situated in the Okavango Swamps area. No European is allowed to own property in N'gamiland, and any trading store run by Europeans is leased from the tribe. Queen Moremi has the last say on all matters. There is no known mineral wealth in N'gamiland.

It would appear that the natural hazards present in Iceland have little or no lasting effects on the fauna. Far more important are the threats introduced by man and his domestic stocks, though even here the effect has more significance in relation to the flora, rather than the fauna. Direct predation does occur, and forms part of the economy, but one must presume that the present-day protection laws and conservation in Iceland seem to be adequate for most of the fauna and flora, the exceptions being the Harlequin and Barrow's Goldeneye at Myvatn. The difficulty seems to be not in giving legal protection by law, but in enforcing it.

The cropping of marine mammals does not seem to have had any great effect on their numbers and one must assume that provided cropping does not increase, conservation measures must be adequate. It must be emphasized, however, that this is only a survey of the conditions existing to-day and a great deal of work must be done on the population dynamics, and a closer study of the effects of the particular physical forces mentioned must be made. It is hoped that through the auspices of the Anglo- Icelandic Field Research Group, and with the help of our colleagues in Iceland, there will be many facilities for future workers.