Palawan is one of the last relatively undeveloped islands in the Philippines. It still has extensive forest cover, and is of considerable conservation importance. However, the remaining forests are disappearing fast in the face of rapid population growth and uncontrolled logging. The authors visited the island to carry out ecological fieldwork in 1984. Here they report on threats to the forests, and discuss the prospects for sustainable development on Palawan.

The few remaining forests where the Sichuan hill-partridge lives are all being logged. This species, with its very restricted range, is one of China's most endangered birds and yet it has no protection at all. The authors say a reserve should be set aside for the partridge before it is too late; such action could save not only this species but others of restricted ranges, which also live in the same broad-leaved forests.

This article proposes that serious consideration should now be given to the establishment of banks of genetic material from rare and endangered species. In the light of advances in the technology associated with semen assessment and preservation, the limitations that have so far discouraged the practice of semen freezing and banking can now be minimized and circumvented. The authors review these developments and suggest that semen preservation should be reconsidered as a practical means of preserving the genetic diversity currently contained within captive stocks of wild animals.

In 1984 international attention was focused on Mt Apo National Park in the Philippines when the IUCN declared it one of the world's most threatened protected natural areas. Human settlements had destroyed large areas of the park and in 1983 the Philippine Government reclassified over half of the park for agricultural development, although this was revoked in 1986. The author lived in the park while working on the Philippine Eagle Conservation Programme, witnessing the problems first-hand. He describes the park and the problems it faces, which he believes could be overcome.

Little is known about the mandrill Mandrillus sphinx in the wild. It is an elusive primate and thus difficult to study in its rain-forest habitat in equatorial Africa. As human pressure on its habitat grows it has become increasingly urgent to discover more about the species so that appropriate conservation measures can be planned. The author made a 15-month study of the mandrill in Gabon and discovered that it was not as widely distributed as had been believed. Although it is threatened by hunting pressure and habitat disruption, populations still remain and five reserves protect some of these.

Tsetse eradication and control programmes are often carried out in order that cattle can be introduced into the cleared area. The resultant destruction to habitats and wildlife can be considerable, and the majority of Africa's human population does not benefit from increased beef production. The authors say that we need a different approach, one that would concentrate on controlling sleeping sickness in humans, and on conserving the indigenous vegetation and fauna. They illustrate their approach by describing what could be done in a part of northern Zambia where sleeping sickness is endemic.

The black snub-nosed monkey Rhinopithecus bieti is facing extinction. Although some work has been done on the other Chinese snub-nosed monkeys, R. roxellanae and R. brelichi, very little is known about R. bieti. The author describes the results of the first detailed ecological survey of this species.

Few people see the clouded leopard, and its elusiveness makes it a difficult subject for scientific study. In Sumatra, there has been no serious research on the species, and the authors present the scanty information on its distribution there and stress the urgent need for a survey to establish the whereabouts of viable populations.

There has never been a thorough survey of Taiwan's clouded leopard population, and some believe it may no longer survive there. The author conducted a preliminary survey in 1986 and discovered that the last reported sighting of the species was in 1983.