The bii4africa dataset of faunal and floral population intactness estimates across Africa's major land uses.

Sub-Saharan Africa is under-represented in global biodiversity datasets, particularly regarding the impact of land use on species' population abundances. Drawing on recent advances in expert elicitation to ensure data consistency, 200 experts were convened using a modified-Delphi process to estimate 'intactness scores': the remaining proportion of an 'intact' reference population of a species group in a particular land use, on a scale from 0 (no remaining individuals) to 1 (same abundance as the reference) and, in rare cases, to 2 (populations that thrive in human-modified landscapes). The resulting bii4africa dataset contains intactness scores representing terrestrial vertebrates (tetrapods: ±5,400 amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals) and vascular plants (±45,000 forbs, graminoids, trees, shrubs) in sub-Saharan Africa across the region's major land uses (urban, cropland, rangeland, plantation, protected, etc.

Avian species functional diversity and habitat use: The role of forest structural attributes and tree diversity in the Midlands Mistbelt Forests of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Forest transformation has major impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Identifying the influence of forest habitat structure and composition on avian functional communities is important for conserving and managing forest systems. This study investigated the effect of forest structure and composition characteristics on bird species community structure, habitat use and functional diversity in 14 Mistbelt Forest patches of the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.

The impacts of a global pandemic on the efficacy and stability of contemporary wildlife conservation: South Africa as a case study.

Conservationists speculated on potential benefits to wildlife of lockdown restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic but voiced concern that restrictions impeded nature conservation. We assessed the effects of lockdown restrictions on biodiversity conservation in South Africa, a biodiverse country with economic inequality and reliance on wildlife resources. We solicited expert opinion using the IUCN's Threats Classification Scheme to structure a questionnaire and illustrated responses with individual case studies from government parastatal and non-governmental conservation organisations.

Modification of the third phase in the framework for vertebrate species persistence in urban mosaic environments.

Urbanisation is rapidly transforming natural landscapes with consequences for biodiversity. Little is documented on the response of African wildlife to urbanisation. We reviewed case studies of vertebrate species' responses to urbanisation in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa to determine trends.

Indigenous knowledge of South African bird and rangeland ecology is effective for informing conservation science.

South Africa's communal rangelands constitute ~25% of the country's land cover and are largely managed for livestock grazing. These habitats play an important role in rural livelihoods and cultural practices. Using semi-structured interviews, we documented indigenous local ecological knowledge (LEK) held by rural dwellers linked to natural resource utilisation, environmental health and cultural keystone indicator species (CKIS) in the grassland communities of southern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Horizon scanning for South African biodiversity: A need for social engagement as well as science.

A horizon scan was conducted to identify emerging and intensifying issues for biodiversity conservation in South Africa over the next 5-10 years. South African biodiversity experts submitted 63 issues of which ten were identified as priorities using the Delphi method. These priority issues were then plotted along axes of social agreement and scientific certainty, to ascertain whether issues might be "simple" (amenable to solutions from science alone), "complicated" (socially agreed upon but technically complicated), "complex" (scientifically challenging and significant levels of social disagreement) or "chaotic" (high social disagreement and highly scientifically challenging).

A Short Cut to Mushrooms - Red Langur (Presbytis rubicunda) Consumption of Terrestrial Fungus.

We report the first in-depth evidence of targeted mushroom foraging in an Asian colobine. Using direct observations (2010-2018) and camera traps (2008-2018) in the Sebangau Forest, Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo, we show how adult female red langurs (Presbytis rubicunda) are regularly descending to the ground to consume mushrooms. We recorded 82 counts (0.

Novel predators and anthropogenic disturbance influence spatio-temporal distribution of forest antelope species.

Understanding the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on species' behaviour is crucial for conservation planning, considering the extent of habitat loss. We investigated the influence of anthropogenic disturbances including agriculture, urbanisation, protected areas, and the presence of novel predators, on the temporal and spatial behaviour of sympatric forest antelope (Tragelaphus scriptus, Philantomba monticola, Sylvicapra grimmia, and Cephalophus natalensis) in an anthropogenic matrix containing forest fragments in the Indian Ocean Coastal Belt of South Africa. We integrated land-use types with camera-trap data and compared activity patterns using circular statistics and occupancy modelling.

Correction to: Down from the treetops: red langur (Presbytis rubicunda) terrestrial behavior.

In the original publication of this article, the Table 2 was published incorrectly. The revised Table 2 is given on the following page.

Down from the treetops: red langur (Presbytis rubicunda) terrestrial behavior.

Using direct observations and camera traps at eight sites across Indonesian Borneo we show how red langurs (Presbytis rubicunda) are more terrestrial than previously believed, regularly coming to the ground. This unusual behavior has been found at six of the eight sites surveyed. We find that red langurs come to the ground more frequently in disturbed forests, specifically ones which have been impacted by logging, fire, and hunting, though more data are needed to confirm this as a direct correlation.

Apparent mortality as a result of an elevated parasite infection in Presbytis rubicunda.

We provide the first parasite assessment of wild red langurs (Presbytis rubicunda). Seven helminth taxa and 4 protozoa were recovered from faecal samples. We report the details of the death of an adult female red langur with potential association of an elevated parasite infection.

Feeding ecology of red langurs in Sabangau tropical peat-swamp forest, Indonesian Borneo: extreme granivory in a non-masting forest.

Southeast Asia's lowland dipterocarp forests experience supra-annual "mast" fruiting and flowering events, in which the majority of trees reproduce simultaneously at irregular intervals, with extensive intervening periods of very low primate food availability. This scarcity of food results in a negative energy balance and a reliance on "fallback foods" in some primate species. By contrast, ombrogenous tropical peat-swamp forests are non-masting, and show lower variability of food availability.

Population density of red langurs in Sabangau tropical peat-swamp forest, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Because of the large-scale destruction of Borneo's rainforests on mineral soils, tropical peat-swamp forests (TPSFs) are increasingly essential for conserving remnant biodiversity, particularly in the lowlands where the majority of habitat conversion has occurred. Consequently, effective strategies for biodiversity conservation are required, which rely on accurate population density and distribution estimates as a baseline. We sought to establish the first population density estimates of the endemic red langur (Presbytis rubicunda) in Sabangau TPSF, the largest remaining contiguous lowland forest-block on Borneo.