By Cecilia Derrick, 13th February 2026
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. Today, its rich mosaic of rainforests, mangroves, rocky outcrops and grasslands faces mounting threats from land-use change, invasive species and overexploitation. This issue features research on rediscovered endemic Brazilian species, hybridization threatening primate conservation, and the first record of the elusive bush dog in Minas Gerais.
The lead article by Grittz et al. assesses the extinction risk of tree species in the subtropical Atlantic Forest using multiple IUCN criteria, providing critical insights that will inform the prioritization of conservation actions.
In the editorial, the Mariane Kaizer and co-authors highlight the urgency of scaling up conservation efforts in the Atlantic Forest across taxa, landscapes and ecosystems. They call for integrated strategies that combine habitat restoration, species reintroductions and management of invasive species to secure the future of this extraordinary biome.
Beyond the Atlantic Forest, the issue features a section with studies on pangolin conservation in China, India and Vietnam.
Hybrid marmoset with phenotypic characters between Callithrix aurita and Callithrix penicillata observed in in Rio Doce State Park, Brazil. Photo: Vanessa Guimarães.
Explore the full contents and our Editor’s picks below:
Editor’s picks
- An Endangered species is being replaced by hybrids: the new normal for primate conservation in one of the last large Brazilian Atlantic Forest fragments — Guimarães-Lopes et al.
- New data on globally threatened pear species (Pyrus spp.) in Armenia — Asatryan
- Indigenous ecological knowledge improves camera-trap detection rates for the Chinese pangolin in Arunachal Pradesh, India — Pilia et al.
- The emerging movement against wild animal suffering and its potential implications for conservation — Sandler et al.
The wild pear Pyrus hajastana in the Yeghegis area, Armenia (see Asatryan).
Conservation in the Atlantic Forest
- Assessing the extinction risk of tree species in the subtropical Atlantic Forest using multiple IUCN criteria — Grittz et al.
- A comprehensive assessment of endemic Brazilian Stachytarpheta (Verbenaceae): the need for conservation efforts in campos rupestres and savannahs — Cardoso et al.
- From the brink of extinction: rediscovery of two endemic tree species of Myrcia (Myrtaceae) in urban Brazilian Atlantic Forest — Fernandes et al.
- An Endangered species is being replaced by hybrids: the new normal for primate conservation in one of the last large Brazilian Atlantic Forest fragments — Guimarães-Lopes et al.
- Rediscovery and conservation of Begonia larorum (Begoniaceae): a Critically Endangered, insular, narrow endemic species of Brazil — Sabino et al.
- The species that was missing: first record of the bush dog Speothos venaticus in the largest protected patch of Atlantic Forest in Minas Gerais, Brazil — de Azevedo et al.
Begonia larorum (see Sabino et al.).
Behind the cover
Moisture-laden air moving inland across South America from the Atlantic Ocean nourishes one of the continent’s most diverse biomes, the Atlantic Forest, known as Mata Atlântica in Portuguese. Formerly extending c. 1.3 million km² across Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, this biodiversity hotspot encompasses rainforests, mixed montane forests, mangroves, coastal woodlands, montane grasslands and rocky outcrops. It is home to more than 16,000 plant and 2,400 vertebrate species, of which c. 10 and 25% are threatened, respectively. The high proportion of threatened species is a result of centuries of exploitation, a large human population, and high rates of deforestation. Almost 90% of the original vegetation has been lost, posing a challenge for researchers, conservationists and policymakers alike. This issue of Oryx addresses the challenge through three of the main global threats to biodiversity—land-use change, biological invasions and overexploitation—focusing in particular on endemic and threatened species. The cover illustrates the largest continuous remnant of Atlantic Forest in the state of Minas Gerais in southern Brazil. (Photograph © Vanessa Guimarães)
Editorial
From forests to fields, from knowledge to action: the challenge of conserving the Atlantic Forest — Lasmar et al.
The editorial highlights the urgent need to conserve the Atlantic Forest, a biodiversity hotspot that has lost nearly 90% of its original vegetation. It explores the complex interplay of threats—land-use change, biological invasions, overexploitation and climate change—while highlighting recent research on extinction risk, species rediscovery and innovative conservation strategies such as reintroductions and habitat restoration. The authors call for scaling up integrated actions across landscapes and taxa, emphasizing that safeguarding the Atlantic Forest requires not only robust scientific knowledge but its translation into coordinated, long-term conservation efforts.
Photo: Gabriel Pavan Sabino.
Pangolin conservation
- Linking Chinese pangolin burrow occurrence with forest types in China’s subtropical ecosystems — Liu et al.
- Indigenous ecological knowledge improves camera-trap detection rates for the Chinese pangolin in Arunachal Pradesh, India — Pilia et al.
- Southernmost record of the Chinese pangolin Manis pentadactyla in Gia Lai province, Central Highlands of Vietnam — Nguyen et al.
Other content
- Socio-economic drivers of bushmeat consumption in the northern Angolan province of Uíge — de Orth et al.
- Camera trap-based estimates reveal spatial variability in African clawless otter population densities and behaviour — Lewis et al.
- Research trends and outlook for Indonesia’s most threatened land vertebrates — Kusrini et al.
- Bengal tiger Panthera tigris tigris diet landscape: implications for conservation and management — Bhandari et al.
- New data on globally threatened pear species (Pyrus spp.) in Armenia — Asatryan
- Conservation status of Salix blinii, an endemic plant of Jeju Island, South Korea — Kim et al.
- The emerging movement against wild animal suffering and its potential implications for conservation — Sandler et al.
Photo: Gabriel Pavan Sabino.
Conservation news
- Mainstreaming behaviour change in biodiversity conservation—a new Global Needs Assessment Report — Veríssimo et al.
- The wild François’s langur population in China now exceeds 2,000 — Deng
- Camera-trap survey confirms the melanistic leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis in the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve — Jakher et al.
- Confirmed presence of a population of the Critically Endangered shrub Scalesia retroflexa after 29 years — Jaramillo Díaz et al.
- New record of Catasetum arietinum reveals humid forest refuges in Brazilian semi-arid region — Silva Pinto et al.
- Emerging mauve stinger bloom in the Pagasetic Gulf, central Greece — Taklis
- Large-scale seizure offers glimpse into the hidden hornbill trade in West Africa — Groot et al.
- Trend or coincidence? The removal of pangolin tongues threatens rehabilitation efforts — Harvey-Carroll et al.
- Transboundary elephant poaching along the Bangladesh–Myanmar border — Chakma et al.
Book review
- Wildlife Stewardship on Tribal Lands: Our Place Is in Our Soul — H. Newing
Photo: Gabriel Pavan Sabino.
