Predicted distribution of the otter civet Cynogale bennettii (Mammalia: Carnivora: Viverridae) on Borneo

The otter civet Cynogale bennettii is a small carnivore of the family Viverridae, native to Indonesia (Kalimantan and Sumatra), Malaysia (Sabah, Sarawak and mainland), Brunei Darussalam and southern Thailand. Across its range, its distribution is patchy and the species has been assumed to be a wetland specialist favouring peat-swamp and fresh-water swamp forests and primary forest, although also infrequently recorded in logged and secondary forests. The otter civet is listed as CITES Appendix II and listed as Endangered on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species because of substantial habitat loss and inferred population decline from habitat loss across its range. The destruction, degradation and drying of wetlands is likely to be the greatest threat to it. Much remains to be discovered about the life history and ecology of this species. We compiled 132 occurrence records and used a subset of these (64 Spatial Filtering Model and 23 Balanced Model) together with the land-cover assessment of 11 respondents to predict habitat suitability on Borneo. The resulting model predicted a high proportion of Borneo to contain suitable habitat for the otter civet with most coastal areas, swamp forests and lowland forest areas predicted to be highly suitable. Of particular importance for the persistence of otter civet populations are the central forest block in Sabah, much of the production forest in Sarawak, and the lowland peat-swamp forests of Central Kalimantan. Greater survey effort is required in Brunei and throughout the remaining four Kalimantan provinces because most records from these areas were historical

Predicted distribution of the otter civet Cynogale bennettii (Mammalia: Carnivora: Viverridae) on Borneo

The otter civet Cynogale bennettii is a small carnivore of the family Viverridae, native to Indonesia (Kalimantan and Sumatra), Malaysia (Sabah, Sarawak and mainland), Brunei Darussalam and southern Thailand. Across its range, its distribution is patchy and the species has been assumed to be a wetland specialist favouring peat-swamp and fresh-water swamp forests and primary forest, although also infrequently recorded in logged and secondary forests. The otter civet is listed as CITES Appendix II and listed as Endangered on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species because of substantial habitat loss and inferred population decline from habitat loss across its range. The destruction, degradation and drying of wetlands is likely to be the greatest threat to it. Much remains to be discovered about the life history and ecology of this species. We compiled 132 occurrence records and used a subset of these (64 Spatial Filtering Model and 23 Balanced Model) together with the land-cover assessment of 11 respondents to predict habitat suitability on Borneo. The resulting model predicted a high proportion of Borneo to contain suitable habitat for the otter civet with most coastal areas, swamp forests and lowland forest areas predicted to be highly suitable. Of particular importance for the persistence of otter civet populations are the central forest block in Sabah, much of the production forest in Sarawak, and the lowland peat-swamp forests of Central Kalimantan. Greater survey effort is required in Brunei and throughout the remaining four Kalimantan provinces because most records from these areas were historical

Predicted distribution of the bay cat Catopuma badia (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) on Borneo

The bay cat Catopuma badia is a small cat endemic to the tropical forests of Borneo. One of only seven cats to be listed as Endangered by The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the bay cat is seldom seen, rarely photographed and is widely held to be one of the least known of the world’s wild cats. Consequently its distribution is known only poorly, hindering efforts for its conservation. Here we use MaxEnt niche distribution modelling to make predictions regarding its current distribution on Borneo. We collected a total of 71 occurrence records for the bay cat, stemming from all Bornean regions apart from Brunei and South Kalimantan, of which 40 were used in our modelling. Our habitat suitability modelling predicts that an extensive, contiguous area of interior Borneo, much of it hill forest, but also containing lowland and submontane forest, is suitable for the bay cat, supporting an earlier hypothesis that this cat is widespread across the island. Extreme lowlands, supporting mangrove and swamp forest habitats, were typically predicted as low suitability, as were the considerable areas of Borneo now converted to oil palm plantations. Based on the current predicted distribution we provide a list of priority areas for the conservation of the bay cat across Borneo

Predicted distribution of the masked palm civet Paguma larvata (Mammalia: Carnivora: Viverridae) on Borneo

The masked palm civet Paguma larvata is a small carnivore within the civet family Viverridae, currently listed as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Across its global range the masked palm civet uses a range of habitats in tropical and subtropical regions, from lowlands to highlands, but its exact ecological requirements and the use of modified habitat remains unclear. We analysed 49 (Balanced Model) and 72 (Spatial Filtering Model) location records of the masked palm civet from Borneo to predict habitat suitability. The resulting model predicted the interior and high elevation areas of Borneo to be suitable habitat, while the coastal and other low-lying areas, such as the extensive peat swamp forests in Central Kalimantan, were predicted to be unsuitable. Greater survey effort in South, Central and West Kalimantan and in Brunei is necessary to obtain more records to improve current models and understanding. The species is probably widespread in Borneo and its likely stronghold is in the higher-elevation forests which are currently less threatened and for a large part protected. Thus, speciesspecific conservation efforts are not considered warranted at this time

Predicted distribution of the Sunda clouded leopard Neofelis diardi (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) on Borneo

The Sunda clouded leopard Neofelis diardi is a medium sized (15–25 kg) cat, found only on the Sundaic islands of Borneo and Sumatra. In recent years intensive camera-trapping surveys in Borneo have begun to shed light on the habitat associations and basic ecology of this elusive wild cat, but its distribution on an island-wide scale remains very poorly known. Such information is an essential element in the assessment of the Sunda clouded leopard’s conservation status and in the development of conservation action. In this paper we use MaxEnt niche distribution modelling to make predictions regarding the current distribution of this cat on Borneo. We collected a total of 259 occurrence records for the Sunda clouded leopard, stemming from all Bornean regions apart from Brunei and South Kalimantan, of which 48 (Balanced Model) or 94 (Spatial Filtering Model) were used in our modelling. Our habitat suitability model suggests that this species has a widespread distribution over a large contiguous portion of Borneo. The only exception is South Kalimantan, which is predicted largely to comprise unsuitable habitat. The predicted distribution closely follows the current distribution of little-encroached forest on Borneo (including selectively logged and unlogged areas). The species is notably predicted to be absent from the extensive areas of oil palm plantation, particularly in much of the low-lying coastal land. The predicted range encompasses a large proportion of the existing and proposed protected area network on Borneo. We highlight the priority areas for the conservation of the Sunda clouded leopard in Borneo based on our predicted distribution

Predicted distribution of the Sunda clouded leopard Neofelis diardi (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) on Borneo

The Sunda clouded leopard Neofelis diardi is a medium sized (15–25 kg) cat, found only on the Sundaic islands of Borneo and Sumatra. In recent years intensive camera-trapping surveys in Borneo have begun to shed light on the habitat associations and basic ecology of this elusive wild cat, but its distribution on an island-wide scale remains very poorly known. Such information is an essential element in the assessment of the Sunda clouded leopard’s conservation status and in the development of conservation action. In this paper we use MaxEnt niche distribution modelling to make predictions regarding the current distribution of this cat on Borneo. We collected a total of 259 occurrence records for the Sunda clouded leopard, stemming from all Bornean regions apart from Brunei and South Kalimantan, of which 48 (Balanced Model) or 94 (Spatial Filtering Model) were used in our modelling. Our habitat suitability model suggests that this species has a widespread distribution over a large contiguous portion of Borneo. The only exception is South Kalimantan, which is predicted largely to comprise unsuitable habitat. The predicted distribution closely follows the current distribution of little-encroached forest on Borneo (including selectively logged and unlogged areas). The species is notably predicted to be absent from the extensive areas of oil palm plantation, particularly in much of the low-lying coastal land. The predicted range encompasses a large proportion of the existing and proposed protected area network on Borneo. We highlight the priority areas for the conservation of the Sunda clouded leopard in Borneo based on our predicted distribution