758 Briefly ASIA & OCEANIA


First extinction of a marine fish in modern times.. . In the summer of 2020, a group of Australian scientists confirmed that the smooth handfish Sympterichthys unipennis is now extinct. The researchers drew the conclusion after failing to find any indivi- duals over the course of 2 decades of ex- tensive underwater surveys in the species’ limited range off south-eastern Australia. The distinctive species, a slow-moving fish that walked along the benthos using modi- fied pectoral fins, is only known from a specimen collected in an early scientific ex- pedition in the 1800s. Thirteen species of handfish, all endemic to Australian waters, now remain. Unusually for marine fish, their larvae do not have a midwater stage; instead adults give birth to fully formed juveniles directly onto the seabed. This life cycle makes them highly vulnerable to fish- ing gear that disturbs their sea-floor habitat, and the fate of the smooth handfish has been highlighted in calls to address the impacts of destructive fishing practices. Source: Fauna & Flora International (2020) fauna-flora.org/news/farewell- smooth-handfish-can-learn-worlds-first- marine-fish-extinction


.. . and dire outlook for Australian freshwater fishes Around 22 native Australian freshwater fish have a 50% or higher chance of becoming extinct within 2 decades unless targeted action is taken to save them, according to a new study carried out through the Australian federal government’s national environmental science programme. The most threatened species is Victoria’s tiger- striped shaw galaxias, with an 80% chance of being gone in 20 years’ time. Nineteen of the 22 fish species identified in the study are not listed nationally as threatened. Circa half of the species on the list have only been officially described in the scientif- ic literature in the past 10 years; seven have not yet been formally described. The list emerged from workshops during which 15 experts were asked to estimate the threats to species across all of Australia’s 315 differ- ent groups of freshwater fish. The partici- pants also ranked the chances of those fish surviving, given the present knowledge about threats, and the current management regimes. Source: The Guardian (2020) theguardian. com/environment/2020/aug/14/dire-outlook- for-native-freshwater-fish-with-22-species- given-less-than-50-chance-of-survival


New Guinea has greatest plant diversity of any island in the world New Guinea is home to more than 13,500 species of plants, two-thirds of which are endemic, according to a new study that suggests it has the greatest plant diversity of any island in the world—19%more than Madagascar, which previously held the record. Ninety-nine botanists from 56 institutions in 19 countries trawled through samples, the earliest of which were collected by European travellers in the 1700s. Large swathes of the island remain unexplored and some historical collections have yet to be looked at. Re- searchers estimate that a further 4,000 plant species could be found in the next 50 years, with discoveries showing no sign of levelling off. Botanical exploration is nowurgently needed to ensure unknown species can be collected. New Guinea is the most mountainous and largest tropical is- land in the world, with snow-capped peaks up to an altitude of 5,000 m.One of themost surprising discoveries was how many plants are exclusively found on the island. For ex- ample, 98%of the island’s heather species are endemic, as are 96% of African violets and 95% of ginger species. Source: The World News (2020) twnews. co.uk/gb-news/new-guinea-has-greatest- plant-diversity-of-any-island-in-the- world-study-reveals


Drones driving community conservation of the dugong Dugongs, or sea cows, are found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans, where they graze on seagrass meadows. In doing so, they are keeping crucial ocean ecosys- tems in balance: healthy seagrass meadows provide habitat for numerous animals and play an important role in sustaining clean seawater and safeguarding coasts from ero- sion. Dugongs can be difficult to find and research by boat, which is why researchers are using unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, to survey them and their habitats. The vast amount of data generated by these aerial surveys is having a significant impact on dugong conservation and man- agement.A3-week research trip can involve 90 survey flights and generate c. 25,000 images; a level of detail that is difficult to achieve by other means. Location data col- lected by drones are also more accurate. The aerial surveys are complemented by GPS and accelerometry tags that enable the re- searchers to develop a broader understand- ing of the animals’ use of space and be- haviour. Source: Phys.org (2020) phys.org/news/ 2020-08-drones-sea-cow.html


New tiger sightings in Thailand raise conservation hopes... Camera traps in a forest inwestern Thailand have captured footage of tigers in an area for the first time in 4 years, raising hopes to preserve the species in the South-east Asian country. The video and photographs showed threemale tigers roaming at night. There are estimated to be c. 160 Indochinese tigers left in the wild in Thailand. They are also found in Myanmar, Lao, Viet Nam, Cambodia and south-western China. The total popula- tion may only be c. 350, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Globally there are estimated to be only c. 3,900 tigers left in the wild, including the larger Bengal and Siberian tigers. The sightings mean Thai- land is on the right track trying to preserve tigers and their prey. Source: Channel News Asia (2020) channel newsasia.com/news/asia/new-tiger-sight- ings-in-thailand-raise-conservation-hopes- 12971266


.. . and newborn gazelle a milestone for conservation in Saudi Arabia The first steps of a baby gazelle, taken earlier this year under the watchful eyes of rangers from Al Ula’s Sharaan Nature Reserve, were a milestone for the region in Saudi Arabia. They represented the first success in efforts to rewild Al Ula, after decades of overgrazing and other human activity destabilized the fragile natural en- vironment. The baby gazelle’s new home, Sharaan, was designated as a nature reserve because of its extensive geological, topo- graphical and environmental features. The aim is to restore a fully functioning ecosys- tem, with a view to eventually reintroducing the Critically Endangered Arabian leopard in the area. Over the next 2 years, researchers will place up to 80 cameras in each of 10 study sites. A baseline of wild Arabian leopard po- pulations across Saudi Arabia will provide in- formation needed to fine-tune the vision for a reintroduction of Arabian leopards inAlUla. Source: The National (2020) thenational. ae/lifestyle/travel/newborn-gazelle- represents-a-milestone-for-conservation- efforts-in-saudi-s-al-ula-1.1029221


All internet addresses were up to date at the time of writing. The Briefly section in this issue was written and compiled by Emma Muench, Julia Hochbach and Martin Fisher, with additional contributions from Amy Duthie, Anthony Rylands and Annkathrin Sharp. Contributions from authoritative published sources (including websites) are always welcome. Please send contributions by e-mail to oryx@fauna- flora.org.


Oryx, 2020, 54(6), 753–758 © Fauna & Flora International 2020 doi:10.1017/S0030605320000897


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164