Wildlife conservation legislations in Malaysia: Sustainable Livelihood · Prudent Utilization · Management of Natural Resources 13 Wildlife Conservation Legislations in Malaysia: Evolution and Future Needs

Malaysia is considered a leader among Southeast Asian countries with regard to conservation legislation and programs; it was among the first ASEAN country to develop national conservation legislation, sign CITES, and develop a national conservation strategy. Malaysia has a protected area system covering over 12% of its land area, and many target species occur in parks and reserves. As many species are being included in the endangered species list, there are also some causes of concern, including staff shortages, financial constraints, and inconsistencies within wildlife protection legislations between Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. This paper looks into selected threats to wildlife in Sarawak and compare legislations relating to wildlife protections in Malaysia. Primary needs include a comprehensive review of these legislations and a nationalized strategy to ameliorate the shortcomings

The Urban Avifauna of Kuching, Borneo, and the possible impact of cats on its structure

Urban landscapes have depauperate avifaunas, but there have been few studies of urban bird communities in Southeast Asia. Domestic cats can attain very high densities in urban environments, and are known to have detrimental effects on local avian assemblages. The aim of this study was to describe the urban bird assemblage of Kuching, an equatorial city in Borneo, and to investigate its potential relationship with the abundance of cats. The density of birds and domestic cats was examined in ten discrete urban areas from November 2014 to April 2015 using line transects. A total of 1,844 bird observations were made, involving 27 species. Bird species richness and diversity were negatively related to cat density (R2 = 0.41 and 0.43, respectively), but cat density did not significantly affect bird density (R2 = 0.032). Bird species richness was strongly correlated with the size of urban areas (R2 = 0.76, P = 0.001) suggesting that larger areas offer additional habitat or niches (e.g. street trees, parks, waterways), which in turn support more species. Reduction of habitat heterogeneity and type of surrounding matrix, as well as the presence of abundant introduced predators may play important roles in structuring the composition and population dynamics of this urban bird community. Urban areas do have some biodiversity conservation value, but the challenge is to enhance this value through better planning

IS THERE A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR WILDLIFE IN OIL PALM PLANTATIONS IN MALAYSIA?

The oil palm scene is often highly debated and has been at the centre of controversy in the past decade. Dubbed the ‘cash crop’, many Third World tropical countries have seized the opportunity to mobilise oil palm at landscape levels to fuel the economy. However, many of these tropical countries are also rich in biodiversity and are home to many endemics and species of conservation importance. While it tackles economic issues like poverty alleviation, it comes at the cost of environmental destruction. Here we take a look at the potential values of forest fragments and wildlife-friendly practices in oil palm landscapes and their roles in conservation in Malaysia. As the demand for oil palm and its products are most likely to continue to grow, there is a need to look at how the relevant stakeholders will sustainably manage the increasing demand while improving biodiversity management

The Efficacy of Protected Areas and Future Challenges for Wildlife Conservation in Sarawak

The protected areas of Sarawak now contain the best examples of what were once some of the most diverse and continuous mature rainforest in the world. Excluding proposed sites and marine reserves, Sarawak boasts 26 protected areas comprising nature reserves, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. These are the only line of defence in efforts to protect Sarawak’s biodiversity and prevent local extinction. The protected areas cover about 0.5 million hectares of forest, or 4% of Sarawak’s total area. Accelerated land conversion to agriculture, agro-forestry and urban development has confined the residual biodiversity to protected areas and human-modified or secondary habitat. With protected areas being fragmented and isolated, even minor threats to these areas could potentially have large impacts on their biodiversity. The ability of species to persist within such remnants is an issue of concern. With the rapid pace of anthropogenic land use change, Sarawak is running out of potential sites for new high quality protected areas. In light of this, and based on past and present experience, a decisive approach to conserving the remaining diverse mature rainforest is urgently needed. New criteria for reserve selection based on basic principles of ecology are critically needed to maximize conservation gains and priorities

Hornbills in Sarawak

Hornbills are large birds in the family bucerotidae and are well thought-out as important ecological indicators on the success of forest regeneration. As they are relatively large in size, the hornbills require habitats that consist of large forest patch. This has made them become useful indicators of forest condition and human disturbance. There are eight species of hornbills in Sarawak that include the rhinoceros hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros), helmeted hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil), black hornbill (Anthracoceros malayanus), bushy-crested hornbill (Anorrhinus galeritus), white-crowned hornbill (Berenicornis comatus), wrinkled hornbill (Rhabdotorrhinus corrugatus), wreathed hornbill (Rhyticeros undulatus), and the oriental pied hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris). All the hornbill species in Sarawak are totally protected under the Sarawak Wild Life Protection Ordinance (SWLPO) 1998. The conservation status of these hornbills by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) ranges from least concerned to critically endangered, expressing concerns on these large birds. The helmeted hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil) ranks as critically endangered. The next species of concern are the recently uplisted species wrinkled hornbill (Rhabdotorrhinus corrugatus) and white-crowned hornbill (Berenicornis comatus) that are now both listed as endangered. The rhinoceros hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros) and wreathed hornbill (Rhyticeros undulatus) are under the category vulnerable. Black hornbill (Anthracoceros malayanus) and bushy-crested hornbill (Anorrhinus galeritus) are listed as near threatened while only the oriental pied hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) are considered as least concerned. Sarawak is also well known as “Bumi Kenyalang” or Land of the Hornbills. For the people of Sarawak, especially the Dayak, hornbill is considered as a bird of importance and it holds strong cultural symbol. The most known and majestic species of hornbill is the rhinoceros hornbill. It is used as Sarawak’s state emblem and is also frequently incorporated into carvings, motives and ceremonial dresses. Doubtlessly, the hornbills are considered as a state-pride species for the people of Sarawak

The importance of salt licks in Sarawak

The Importance of Salt Licks in Sarawa

Eonycteris major, Greater Dawn Bat

Eonycteris major is assessed as Near Threatened under criterion A2cd as the species global population is suspected to have declined by a rate of 25–29% over the past 12.9 years (three generations; GL = 4.3 years; Pacifici et al. 2013). Although data are limited as the species is rarely captured, the species decline is thought to result from the extent of disturbance at their cave roosts, loss of karst habitats, and the overall extensive forest loss and degradation on Borneo

Free-roaming dog population in Suburban residential areas of Western Sarawak

Free-roaming dogs are common in urban landscapes. This recently have led to controversy regarding their potential impact on public health risk (zoonoses). Rabies, a zoonotic viral disease affecting central nervous system, transmitted to humans through saliva (bite and scratch) of infected mammals especially dogs, unfailingly fatal once symptoms appear. Rabies is widely distributed around the world, yet Malaysia was rabies free in the past 20 years. There are 62 areas have been declared as rabies-infected zones in Sarawak as in May 2019. As from July 2017, there were 25,907 cases of dog bites and 16 people were dead from rabies. There is a dearth of information in dog density in suburbs residential areas of western Sarawak. Free-roaming dog population control is crucial for the reduction of rabies, and dog population data can assist in management of rabies. Sarawak Disaster Information stated that there are 11 infected zones in Kuching (7) and Samarahan (4) districts. This study examines dog density in 13 selected suburbs residential areas of Kuching and Samarahan districts for a period of 13 months from Feb 2016 to Feb 2017 using distance sampling. Line transect was used to estimate the dog population. Distance 7.0 was used to estimate the density and detection probability of dogs in suburbs residential areas. Dogs observed in cages were excluded in this study. Dog censuses totaling 179.8 hours of observation along 290.2 km of transects yielded 1,193 records. One study site failed to estimate the density owing to insufficient data collection. Overall density of dog population was 1.66 individuals ha-1 (SE = 0.096, CV = 5.77%) and detection probability was 4.4 percent. The density of dogs in each sites ranged from 0.52 individuals ha-1to 9.69 individuals ha-1. Highest density of dogs was recorded in Taman Orchid (9.69 ind ha-1) followed by Midway Link (4.78 ind ha-1). However, the estimation of this study was based on preliminary data which potentially underestimated the true population of dogs