Oryx—The International Journal of Conservation

The October 2011 issue of Oryx contains 16 research articles including seven that make up a special section on conservation in Asia and Australasia. The regional focus of this section of the journal marks the location of the International Congress for Conservation Biology, which will take place in New Zealand in December 2011. The theme of the Congress, Engaging Society in Conservation, is touched upon directly in a number of articles in this issue, including two that form part of a second special section dedicated to carnivore conservation. Angelo et al. illustrate how a participatory network of volunteers can be used successfully to monitor pumas and jaguars in the Upper Paraná Atlantic forest, while Figel et al. examine human–jaguar interaction in a community-dominated landscape in Mexico.

The two lead articles in the October 2011 issue assess market-based approaches to conservation governance in a profile of Indonesian markets for wild birds and the harvesting of the orange-headed thrush in Bali. Both articles examine aspects of the hugely popular Indonesian pastime of keeping and competing with wild songbirds, which is thought to be responsible for rolling local extinctions. This issue’s cover species, the Near Threatened chestnut-capped thrush, is one of the commonest species in songbird competitions.

The need to engage society in conservation is also the focus of the ‘call to arms’ Forum section of the October issue of Oryx, in which Elizabeth Bennett and John Parr explore the failure of current enforcement systems to save charismatic species. Bennett calls upon governments and non-governmental organizations, with the support of civil society, to commit appropriate resources, personnel and technologies to the fight against illegal wildlife trade, while Parr urges the use of institutional mapping at national levels to clarify human resource needs, command structures, reporting systems and training requirements.

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