Wildlife flee humans as they would predators. Many studies used multiple observers to estimate alert (vigilance) and flight-initiation (escape) distances of wildlife to understand escape behaviour and management of wildlife disturbance. The present study shows that observers estimate flight-initiation distances in a comparable fashion, but that estimates of alert distance differ between observers. Photograph by Mike Weston.

Conflicts with urban and suburban wildlife have spurred research to develop and administer contraceptives to free-roaming wildlife. Because darting deer for capture or contraceptive treatment becomes progressively more difficult with each attempt, we tested several contraceptive vaccines for deer that proved to be effective for 2 years or more following a single treatment. Reducing the need to repeat treatments improves prospects for managing urban and suburban deer with contraceptives. Photograph by Allen Rutberg.

There is currently no available published data on the foraging ecology of Australian sea lions at their northern (warm) range extent in Western Australia. We use stable isotope analysis to show fine-scale trophic structure within and between three of these colonies. In all cases trophic levels were lower than at colonies of similar latitude in South Australia. These data highlight a need for further investigation of the factors driving local variability in the diet of Australian sea lions. Photograph by Heidi Ahonen.

Toxins in cane toads are capable of killing predators such as freshwater crocodiles, but the impact of toads on wild crocodile populations has been variable. We wanted to test the impact of cane toads on naturally stunted freshwater crocodiles living in an upstream escarpment habitat, populations that survive on limited natural resources. We found that toads caused large declines in these escarpment crocodile populations, suggesting that unique populations that adapted to suboptimal conditions may be highly susceptible to cane toad disturbance. Photograph by Adam R. C. Britton.

Achieving adequate sample sizes of marked animals in a cost-effective manner is critically important to the success and longevity of long-term studies. The efficacy of capture–mark–release studies for seasonal breeding birds could be improved by accurately predicting the window of opportunity for successful banding. We demonstrate that the use of VID bands and a method of accurately predicting nesting dates provide significant efficiency improvements in establishing long-term monitoring of seasonal breeding birds. Photograph by Victor G. Hurley.

The multibillion dollar, illegal annual trade of endangered wildlife continues, in part, because poachers are not caught and convicted. We evaluated the health of confiscated tortoises in a manner that met important forensic criteria and provided a convincing body of evidence to convict the poachers. This conviction illustrates how even basic biological information, when collected and analysed under forensic standards, can provide powerful evidence to help eradicate poaching. Photograph by Margaretha D. Hofmeyr.

Rodents play an important role in plant regeneration by scatter-hoarding seeds at safe sites of plants. Here, we tracked rodent cached seeds of Himalayan hazelnut (Corylus ferox) in a primary forest and found rodent-preferred cache sites facilitate seed survival, which may translate into a higher tendency for seeds to germinate and establish. Thus, in some areas, careful management and conservation of rodent-preferred hoarding habitats may benefit seed dispersal and establishment of plants. Photograph by Sun Shoujia.

An increasing number of methods are available to help inform decisions on how best to allocate scarce conservation resources, but their use has been relatively limited. One reason suggested for this is a lack of research interest, especially in interdisciplinary approaches that integrate the natural and social sciences. Our research suggests that biodiversity project evaluation may be developing along at least three, relatively distinct, pathways, and that greater integration and learning between the disciplines is needed to develop robust evaluation methods that are used more widely by decision-makers. Photograph by Ross Cullen.

Conservation of vulnerable and endangered species requires a comprehensive understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements to implement effective management strategies. Visual scat surveys are a common method for monitoring populations. We developed a simple and reliable DNA-based method to identify morphologically similar macropod scats from eight sympatric species in north-eastern Australia. The method allows for rapid and non-invasive assessment of macropod species and is particularly useful for surveying populations across multiple sites. Photograph from http://pixabay.com/en/kangaroo-australia-61196/.

Predation and land use changes have been identified as important factors in woodland caribou declines in North America. Wolves contribute to low survival of adult females, whereas wolves and alternative predators like coyotes contribute to low calf survival through complex indirect interactions that result in limited secondary predation on caribou. Increasing modification of the boreal forest by industry is likely to further alter predator-prey relationships and escalate caribou declines. Photograph by Dave Latham.

Animals should respond to food shortages by spending more effort seeking what remains. Findings showed that locally threatened antelope moved further between one day and the next during periods when food was most deficient. Hence, movement responses can serve as early warnings of stressful conditions, enabling managers to respond before the population suffers. Photograph by Norman Owen-Smith.

Many biodiversity objectives have been proposed for the Noah’s Ark problem – the problem of allocating limited funds to conservation projects – yet little consensus has emerged. The economic objective of biodiversity value, which attempts to gather all aspects of biodiversity into a single measure, is incomplete due to the uncertainty inherent in complex ecological systems. Instead, applying a version of the precautionary principle and minimising the regret of conservation decisions requires a conservation objective of ecosystem resilience. Photograph by Steven Smith.

The dingo is currently at risk of extinction, with hybridisation with domestic dogs seen as a key threat. Here, we determine if human-provided resources facilitate hybridisation in the Tanami Desert of central Australia. Our results demonstrate that dingo sociality and pack structures can be altered where human-provided food and water are constantly available and suggest that this could accelerate rates of hybridisation. The development of appropriate domestic-waste management strategies to reduce opportunities for genetic mixing should therefore be a high priority in remote Australian communities. Photograph by Newmont.

Knowledge of the habitat selection of reintroduced species is crucial to successful re-establishment of viable populations and effective conservation decision-making. We monitored reintroduced Eld’s deer in a human-dominated landscape and found that human disturbance had a strong influence on their habitat selection, but they showed certain adaptive ability and tolerance to the disturbed environment. The regions at a relatively high elevation with low human disturbance and essential food resources can be considered as potential sites of Eld’s deer reintroduction. Photograph by Zhi-Gao Zeng.

The release of cane toads to Australia has resulted in a massive increase in mortality of northern quolls. However, few populations still persist in toad-infested areas of Queensland. The aim of the present study was to determine whether Queensland quolls have evolved resistance to toad toxins. Our results show that Queensland quolls are not resistant and their persistence in Queensland is most likely due to optimal habitat quality as well as an innate and/or learned aversion to feeding on toads. Photograph by Jonathan Webb.

A reliable measure of population size is fundamental to ecology and conservation but is often difficult to obtain. A revision of population estimates for the woylie or brush-tailed bettong, a small macropod, using a more objective and rigorous approach, reveals that the species recently declined by around 90% and 180 000 individuals in 7 years, making it eligible for Critically Endangered. The application of a decline diagnosis framework to identify the causes is relevant to the woylie and other declining species and emphasises the importance of adequate long-term monitoring, even of abundant and seemingly secure species. Photograph by Sabrina Trocini.

Conserving large carnivores can be challenging because of conflicts with human land use, particularly livestock production. Canids use scent marking (i.e. faeces and urine) to establish territories and avoid intraspecific conflict and we suspect that human-deployed scent marks (i.e. biofence) could be used to manipulate the movements of grey wolves. We effectively manipulated the movements of wolves in the first year of our study, but not the second, and suggest that biofencing may be limited by the apparent necessity to maintain a continuous presence once established. Photograph by David Ausband.

Fox control in Australia is heavily reliant on ground baiting, yet it is unclear where baits should be placed to maximise bait uptake. We show that bait removal by foxes is influenced by bait placement in relation to landscape position and ground cover characteristics. Our results demonstrate the importance of bait-site selection during fox-baiting programs and will help land managers refine bait placement to improve uptake by foxes. Photograph by Andrew Carter.

For biodiversity conservation and management of invasive species, the study of the effects that management actions have on their biology is essential for their future success. This work assesses the effects of removal control on the abundance and biology of the top invasive fish eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) and points to compensatory density-dependent adaptations of mosquitofish. Such adaptations should be considered for more effective management programmes. The methodology and factors that successfully controlled the population are also described. Photograph by Carlos González-Revelles.

Prescribed fire is often used as a way to manage much of Australia’s bushland, although there is some debate over whether such practices are beneficial to many species of Australian animals. Numerous scientific studies have looked at how different species respond to fire in their environment and despite the fact that bats make up over 30% of Australia’s mammals they have rarely been included in such studies. This study found that bat activity increased following a fire suggesting that prescribed fire may be beneficial to bats, at least in the short term, as it increases habitat suitability for a wider range of species. Photograph by Tamara Inkster-Draper.

The alligator snapping turtle, Macrochelys temminckii, is a long-lived aquatic turtle experiencing population declines range-wide. Here we report results from a survey of this aquatic turtle that led to conclusions that differ from those of a baseline survey conducted a decade earlier at the same site. Identifying population trends and assessing the status of long-lived species requires consistent longer-term monitoring efforts. Photograph by J. Daren Riedle.

Hunters can respond to changing resource and managerial conditions in ways that may surprise wildlife managers. Here, northern Ontario hunters were more successful in harvesting adult moose in areas where the licences required to hunt these moose were scarcer. This surprising result illustrates that hunters can and do respond to changing managerial conditions, and that understanding hunters and their actions are critical for successful wildlife management. Photograph by Len Hunt.

The Hudson Bay marine ecosystem experiences high seasonal variability in environmental conditions and recent warming trends have raised concerns for many species of marine mammals. Ringed seals are highly adapted to seasonal patterns of sea ice and, as our results indicate, experience seasonal changes in foraging ecology and body condition. Understanding the current seasonal patterns of ringed seal foraging ecology will have important applications for future management efforts as well as long-term conservation and monitoring programs as environmental conditions continue to change. Photograph by Brent Young.

Environmental managers face difficult decisions regarding the design and prioritisation of potential projects. Based on practical experience and sound theory, a tool has been developed to assist managers in this task: the Investment Framework for Environmental Resources (INFFER). Key lessons include that managers need a tool that is relatively simple and well supported, and that use of a theoretically sound metric to rank projects can dramatically improve the environmental values achieved. The tool is being widely applied. Photograph by Geoff Park.

Wild cats are difficult to monitor because of their cryptic lifestyle and usually low numbers. We trialled hair-snares in combination with different lures in arid environments and found that cat hair was significantly more often left on snares sprayed with cat urine or tuna oil. Our results broadly support previous research and extend the utility of the method to different wild cat species in arid environments. Photograph by Desert Ecology Research Group.