The European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is an important game species in its native range, where rabbit populations have dramatically declined during the past decades. The initial impact caused by rabbit haemorrhagic disease in the 1990s motivated hunters to introduce the non-native cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus), as our study demonstrates. However, our molecular analysis shows that Sylvilagus rabbits failed to become established in Spanish ecosystems. Efforts must be made to prevent future introductions. In addition, we recommend the establishment of long-term game-species monitoring networks that help detect the introduction of non-native game species before they become established and spread to neighbouring areas.

The use of camera traps as a wildlife survey tool has increased rapidly, and understanding the limitations of different camera models is necessary to ensure research objectives are met. We compared the performance of three Reconyx camera models and found that the model modified for high-sensitivity increased the detection of a known event and the detection probability of the smallest mammal species. Our findings demonstrate that there are large differences in performance between camera models and this must be accounted for in study design and analysis to avoid potentially erroneous results.

Developments in the use of remote aircraft, or unmanned aerial systems (UAS), for ecological study have been rapid. Helicopter surveys are a reliable method for broad-scale monitoring of harvested kangaroo populations in Australia’s rangelands, but the recent availability of long-range UAS may offer an alternative. The present study tested a long-range UAS and validated the results against those from the helicopter surveys. Recent advances are encouraging for aerial survey of wildlife using UAS, but further improvements are needed to survey for kangaroos.

Many species of corvid have, through resource subsidisation, benefitted from the expansion of human-dominated habitats; however, their impacts on co-occurring prey fauna are generally poorly understood. Our clay model lizards and camera traps on Rottnest Island, WA, suggest that the high population of subsidised Australian ravens was a significant predator of Rottnest Island bobtails, regardless of proximity to human settlement. Furthermore, models in closed vegetation had significantly more attacks than those in open vegetation, suggesting that current revegetation efforts on the island are increasing the availability of preferred hunting habitat for the raven.

The distributions of brown bears in the north-west of Iran are mainly found in protected areas, but they also extend beyond protected-area boundaries. Developing an understanding of brown bear distribution, habitat quality, and its connectedness will help in the long-term conservation of its populations in the north-west of Iran’s landscape, in the face of increasing resource extraction and human activities.

Tree cavities suitable to rear young are an essential resource to sustain viable tree cavity-roosting bat populations, yet knowledge about the selection of cavity characteristic is lacking. We investigated characteristics of maternity cavities of two species (little forest bat and Gould’s wattled bat) and found interspecific differences in cavity characteristics and roost fidelity. Poor land management practices have the potential to impact on the availability of maternity roosts.

Monitoring the survival of translocated individuals can provide valuable information for wildlife management programs but many taxa are challenging to monitor. This work uses environmental DNA (eDNA), a genetic based method, to monitor a recently released population of the endangered Northern Corroboree Frog, Pseudophryne pengilleyi. It demonstrates the utility of eDNA detection to indicate post-release survival, providing valuable information for conservation and wildlife management programs.

Predator-free islands and fenced exclosures have helped prevent extinction in Australian mammal species that are preyed upon by introduced cats and European red foxes. In a ‘stocktake’ of these ‘havens’, we identified 118 islands and fenced areas, covering 2490 km², that protect 188 populations of 38 predator-susceptible mammal taxa. Some predator-susceptible taxa are in multiple havens, but many (43%) are not represented anywhere within the existing haven network, and future investment in havens should favour taxa with no (or low) existing representation.

We assessed the degree to which all 246 Australian terrestrial mammal species (excluding bats) are susceptible to predation by the introduced red fox and feral cat. We concluded that 37 species are (or were) extremely predator susceptible; 52 species are highly predator susceptible; 112 species are of low susceptibility; and 42 species are not susceptible to introduced predators. This information will assist natural resource management agencies and conservation organisations to make strategic, cost-effective and targeted interventions to control the impact of feral predators on native mammal species.