Oryx—The International Journal of Conservation

The April 2013 issue of Oryx contains 20 research articles, including three that make up a special section focusing on the use of local knowledge for conservation purposes. In the lead article Leela Rajamani uses community knowledge to inform the conservation and management of the dugong, a rare species of marine mammal, in the Sulu Sea, Malaysia. When financial constraints are high and the need for management intervention for threatened species is potentially urgent, using local ecological knowledge for the management of protected areas is often the best option. The findings of an assessment of the status of 40 threatened vertebrate species in North Vietnam, reported in a case study in this special section, was dependent on the local ecological knowledge of hunters in the Mgo Son Ngo Luong Nature Reserve in North Vietnam. In the third article Suazo et al’s documentation of fishermen’s perceptions of interactions between seabirds and artisanal fisheries demonstrates that an understanding of the traditional practices of fishermen is critical for the future of community-based conservation of marine resources and biodiversity in the Chanos archipelago of Chilean Patagonia.

Two further special sections in this issue include three articles on plant conservation and seven focusing on carnivore conservation. Elsewhere in the issue, C. Briceño et al. present good news about an increase in a huemul population in coastal Patagonia, Chile, following the successful removal of cattle and the cessation of poaching.

Read the full list of articles in the April issue of Oryx.