A major conservation issue, particularly in the tropics, is habitat loss and fragmentation due to developmental activities and increasing human populations. Ecologists today recognise that much of the once pristine forests that are now secondary forests, as well as large areas outside existing conservation resources, harbouring significant levels of biological diversity need to be targeted for long-term conservation. Government agencies such as the Forest Department and the conservation community have come to accept that the conventional patrol-and-protect method has its limitations in addressing the increasing threats to such conservation areas.