The global demand for rubber tyres is threatening protected forests in Southeast Asia, according to a study. Tropical forests are being cleared for rubber plantations, putting endangered birds, bats and primates at risk, say UK researchers. By 2024, up to 8.5 million hectares of new rubber plantations will be needed to meet demand, they report in Conservation Letters. This could have a "catastrophic" impact on wildlife, they warn. Species such as the endangered white-shouldered ibis, yellow-cheeked crested gibbon and clouded leopard could lose precious habitat, said the team led by Eleanor Warren-Thomas, from the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia. Also, the banteng, which is found in the forests of Cambodia. There's a lot we can do as scientists and the public to make rubber production more wildlife-friendly. "The tyre industry consumes 70% of all natural rubber grown, and rising demand for vehicle and aeroplane tyres is behind the recent expansion of plantations. But the impact of this is a loss of tropical biodiversity," she said. "We predict that between 4.3 and 8.5 million hectares of new plantations will be required to meet projected demand by 2024. This will threaten significant areas of Asian forest, including many protected areas." Eight-point-five million hectares is about the size of the land area of Austria. Biodiversity concern Rubber is the most rapidly expanding tree crop within mainland Southeast Asia.

Rhino poaching in South Africa reaches record levels

Figures from the South African government indicate that poaching for rhinoceros has increased substantially in the last year.

A record 668 rhinos were killed for their horns in 2012, up almost 50% on the number for 2011. The majority of the animals were killed in the Kruger national park, the country's biggest wildlife reserve.

Experts say that growing demand for rhino horn in Asia is driving the slaughter.