🥳 Happy 100th birthday to Sir David Attenborough! 🎂 Thank you for all your support over the years, From the team at Oryx 𓃲 🌿 David was introduced to our journal in 1959 whilst filming his series Zoo Quest and has been a supportive advocate for Oryx, and Fauna & Flora, ever since 💚

📣 We are seeking a full-time Editor of Oryx to lead and manage the Journal. Find out more and apply here: www.fauna-flora.org/about/career...

In Anna Asatryan’s blog, she describes her search for elusive wild pear trees across the rugged Armenian mountains🌄 From rediscovering Pyrus hajastana after 52 years to documenting new individuals and localities for other endemic pears 🍐

🦠'The value of conserving soil biodiversity is becoming increasingly recognized by landholders, government agencies and NGOs. However, there is a clear need to address the huge knowledge gaps that are limiting the scientifically planned management of soil ecosystems...

🪽 The latest issue of Oryx features a selection of articles on bird conservation, bringing together studies that span multiple continents, species and conservation challenges. In the lead article, Risi et al. highlight the importance of Aldabra in the Seychelles for the red-footed booby🪶

📣 We are seeking a full-time Editor of Oryx to lead and manage the Journal. Find out more and apply here: www.fauna-flora.org/about/career...

📖 Simon Pooley’s 'Discovering the Okapi' is a fascinating deep dive into one of the world’s most elusive mammals—and the complex human histories that shaped its Western “discovery.” Chloe Hodgkinson has reviewed 'Discovering the Okapi' in Oryx 🖊️

A new discovery in the western Indian Ocean has reshaped our understanding of whale shark movements 🌊 Researchers from the Madagascar Whale Shark Project and the Marine Conservation Society Seychelles have confirmed the same individual whale shark travelling between Madagascar and Seychelles🐋

📢 Oryx blog! A Chinese pangolin has been recorded for the first time in Kon Ka Kinh National Park, Vietnam—an exciting discovery that extends the species’ known range and highlights the Park’s incredible biodiversity ⛰️

🔴 New research in Oryx assesses Astragalus centralis as Critically Endangered under the IUCN Red List criteria. With only a single known declining population, the species urgently requires habitat protection, ex situ propagation, conservation translocation and regulated grazing.

🌳The latest issue of Oryx focuses on one of the world’s most diverse yet vulnerable biomes—the Atlantic Forest. Once spanning 1.3 million km² across Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, this biodiversity hotspot has lost nearly 90% of its original vegetation.

A global study combining data with insights from Indigenous and local communities across three continents has revealed that commonly observed bird species today are smaller-bodied than those remembered from past decades, highlighting the avian biodiversity crisis and the importance of collaboration.

🐌Justin Gerlach's blog post traces the remarkable journey of Partula conservation from the near‑total collapse of wild populations in the 1970s, following the introduction of the predatory rosy wolf snail, to successful reintroduction efforts.

📣 We are seeking a full-time Editor to lead and manage the Journal. Apply here: www.fauna-flora.org/about/career...

Jo et al. have produced the first comprehensive distribution map for South Korea’s endangered long‑tailed goral. For this elusive, cliff‑dwelling species, they combined species distribution modelling with three years of rigorous field surveys across the Baekdudaegan Mountains ⛰️

🐸 Oryx Conservation News 📣 Borzée et al. report that the IUCN World Conservation Congress adopted a resolution on 9 October 2025 to guide global amphibian conservation. Read the article in full, Open Access, in Oryx here: doi.org/qkgq Photo by Diego Rastelli on Unsplash.

📣 Oryx Conservation News: Henriques et al. report on the rapid rise of an international ant pet trade and call on CITES Parties to act 🐜 Read about it in their Oryx piece here: doi.org/qkgp Photo by Tao Yuan on Unsplash.

🪼 Taklis' Conservation News piece in Oryx reports a significant aggregation of mauve stinger jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca) in the Pagasetic Gulf, central Greece, observed in May 2025.

🦆 Poland has strengthened legal protection for five bird species—the common pochard, tufted duck, Eurasian coot, Eurasian woodcock and hazel grouse—by removing them from the game list! Full protection takes effect today, January 2026 🎉 📖 Read about it in Marchowski & Chara's piece: doi.org/qkgn

🐈 Jakher et al.'s Conservation News piece in Oryx shows the first photographic confirmation of the melanistic leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) in the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve. Read the Conservation News piece, Open Access, in Oryx here: doi.org/qkgg

Fankem et al.'s article, recently published in Oryx, places an estimated ≈11,787 great apes across the ~11,000 km² Dja‑Ngoyla Complex in south‑eastern Cameroon, where western lowland gorillas and central chimpanzees live in sympatry. doi.org/qkgm Photo by William Warby on Unsplash.

🌿Read about the first confirmed records of Catasetum arietinum in Paraíba, extending this rare Brazilian orchid’s known range. The findings highlight the fragility of these forest remnants and the need for expanded botanical surveys and conservation efforts in under‑studied areas. doi.org/qkgc

🗞️ The IUCN SSC has launched a Woodlouse Specialist Group. Woodlice are a group of 4,100+ species that drive litter decomposition, nutrient cycling and soil water retention, and yet have been largely overlooked in conservation planning🪵

The the Indian mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus, has been declared successfully eradicated from the World Heritage Site, Amami Oshima, after 31 years of sustained efforts. Read about this conservation milestone in Oryx: doi.org/qjc9 Photo by Arya Tulsyan on Unsplash.

Marliana & Nugraha's blog discusses their research on the bear cuscus in South Sulawesi. Over 92% of the landscape is unsuitable habitat, with remaining areas fragmented and threatened by mining, deforestation, and poaching. Legal protection and reassessment of its IUCN status are urgently needed🌿

🌱 365 individuals of Jeju endemic Salix blinii were recorded in a survey on Mt Halla, with 34 flowering. The authors confirm S blinii's Vulnerable status and recommend targeted micro‑reserves and ongoing monitoring⛰️ You can read the full Short Communication Open Access in Oryx: doi.org/qjcj

🌿 Cycas orixensis, a rare cycad from Odisha, is Critically Endangered. In 2024, seeds & saplings were collected and nurtured at CSIR‑NBRI, Lucknow. By 2025, healthy growth emerged, a breakthrough in ex situ conservation. Hope is alive for reintroduction of this ancient species. doi.org/qjcd

More than 520 chemicals found in English soil, including long-banned medical substances - Fertilising arable land with human waste leaves array of toxins that could re-enter food chain, study finds #pollution www.theguardian.com/environment/...

👀 The authors of our recently published article on Red-footed boobies have written about their experience surveying the birds in the mangroves of Aldabra Atoll for the Oryx blog! 🖋️😍 📖 Read their wonderful blog here: www.oryxthejournal.org/blog/when-pr...

The new issue of Oryx explores bear conservation across North America and Asia—from black bears in Hainan to brown bears in Nepal. With insights on habitat loss, local knowledge and policy reform, it highlights the urgent need for action in fragmented landscapes🐻

A landmark camera-trap study in Guyana’s Rupununi—led by Indigenous researchers—recorded 143 species across 40,000 km². A model for community-led conservation✊ 🔗 Read the full story on the Oryx blog: www.oryxthejournal.org/blog/buildin... #Conservation #Rupununi #OryxJournal

📣 New in Oryx: Aldabra Atoll hosts the largest known red-footed booby colony in the Indian Ocean — over 45,800 breeding pairs. Aerial and boat surveys reveal the global importance of this site for seabird conservation 🌊 doi.org/qd3t @sifseychelles.bsky.social #Aldabra #Seychelles #RedFootedBooby

CLP has opened its 2026 Team Awards! Deadline: January 9, 2026. Early career conservationists can apply for the chance to gain up to US$15,000 in project funding, leadership training, and ongoing professional development support. www.conservationleadershipprogramme.org/awards-oppor... #WeAreCLP

🦈 Claassens et al. recorded the first-ever live footage of the painted swellshark. Filmed off Timor-Leste, the painted swellshark is a rare deep-sea species, now seen in the wild thanks to low-cost cameras! #paintedswellshark #CephaloscylliumPictum Read about this discovery in Oryx: doi.org/p952

🐐The Walia ibex, Ethiopia’s mountain icon, has dropped from 865 to just 306 in 9 years. Poaching is driving its decline. A new action plan and IUCN status change to Critically Endangered could help save it. Read the Oryx Short Communication article by Scholte et al.: doi.org/p95x #WaliaIbex

🌳 A new population of Critically Endangered grey-shanked douc langurs was found in Khe Lim Forest, Vietnam. With habitat loss & road construction threatening their survival, urgent surveys & community outreach are needed 🐒 ⚠️ #DoucLangur #PrimateProtection doi.org/p9pf

🥳 Last week we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Conservation Leadership Programme: doi.org/p9n3 From the first team to be given an award in 1985 to the 40th anniversary cohort, we'd like to congratulate the CLP team on four decades of supporting the next generation of conservation leaders!🌍

🧸 The Teddy Bear’s Doom: A Cautionary Tale in Conservation Policy In his blog, renowned biologist Ronald Nowak revisits the complex and often controversial history of the Louisiana black bear — the real-life inspiration behind the beloved Teddy Bear. www.oryxthejournal.org/blog/the-ted...

New blog! 🌿The Hawaiian Islands are home to some of the most unique ecosystems on Earth, yet nearly half of their native plant species are threatened 🌼Laukahi: The Hawai‘i Plant Conservation Network is an alliance working to protect Hawaiʻi’s botanical heritage www.oryxthejournal.org/blog/laukahi...

New issue!🏝 The unique challenges and rewards of island conservation🦎 This theme highlights the importance of protecting island biodiversity, which is particularly vulnerable to extinction🦇🌋 You can read our new Island Conservation issue (🔓fully Open Access) here: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

🪂Species reintroductions have a radical history; in the UK, where official rewilding remains tightly regulated, a covert counterculture has emerged🐗 🦅Glentworth et al. explore guerilla rewilding: unlicensed releases reshaping landscapes and challenging norms🦫 📰 lnkd.in/dw7EVA5n 🖥️ lnkd.in/dxJK4Wy6

Professor Andrew Balmford FRS is awarded the Royal Society Environment Medal 2025 for groundbreaking contributions to conservation science, having built transformative partnerships and redefining the landscape of conservation education. https://royalsociety.org/medals-and-prizes/environment-lecture/

We're excited to share that Professor Andrew Balmford, a Senior Editor of Oryx, has been awarded the inaugural 'Royal Society Environment Medal and Lecture' for outstanding & sustained work in environmental science 🎉🌱 Congratulations from the Oryx team, Andrew!👏 royalsociety.org/medals-and-p...

Guilherme Grittz's new study in Oryx reveals that 98% of tree species in Santa Catarina’s Atlantic Forest are under threat! Using IUCN Red List criteria, they assessed over 500 species. Their results highlight the need for urgent regional conservation efforts🌳 #AtlanticForest #IUCN #SantaCatarina

Aditya Pal's first sight of a Bengal florican in Nepal left a big impression; one that would lead him to starting the Bengal Florican Project: lnkd.in/eNjQV3Hw 🐦‍⬛ We'd like to thank Aditya for his Conservation News piece and blog, and his continued support of the Bengal florican🪶 lnkd.in/eEx-MZVj 📰

The latest issue of @oryxthejournal.bsky.social features a special section on community participation in #conservation. 🦈 Find out more below:

The next decade will be difficult for #nature #conservation. In a new editorial in @oryxthejournal.bsky.social, we suggest a range of things we can do to rebuild support and challenge #post-truth politics. Led by Nigel Dudley, the piece reminds us that we must not abandon hope. go.shr.lc/3YM3J8I

Times are getting harder, but there is still everything to play for in conservation. Our new editorial in Oryx journal suggests some responses to right-wing populism, funding cuts and anti-environmental backlash... www.cambridge.org/core/journal... Please let us know what you think!

The latest issue of Oryx features a special section on community participation in conservation. In the lead article, Shidqi et al. describe an encouraging alternative livelihood intervention to protect thresher sharks in Indonesia.🦈 Find out more: www.oryxthejournal.org/blog/new-iss...

Menzies et al. surveyed Namdapha Tiger Reserve, India, for the white-bellied heron, detecting no individuals in their 2023–2024 surveys despite recording 7 herons in 2017. The area was once a stronghold for the Critically Endangered species but its population appears to be declining 🚨 doi.org/pj5d