Predicted distribution of the Sunda Stink-badger Mydaus javanensis (Mammalia: Carnivora: Mephitidae) on Borneo

The Sunda stink-badger Mydaus javanensis is a small carnivore inhabiting the South-east Asian islands of Java, Sumatra, Borneo and Natuna Islands. It occurs in a wide variety of vegetation types and is presently listed by The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Least Concern. We analysed 15 (Balanced Model) or 77 (Spatial Filtering Model) location records to predict habitat suitability across Borneo. The analysis suggests that most of the suitable habitat is located in Sabah, northeast Sarawak and North Kalimantan. In addition, this species is also recorded, mostly historically, patchily in west Sarawak, and West, Central, South and East Kalimantan. Although this species appears to be disturbance-tolerant and is frequently observed in village areas, some conservation action – such as limiting large-scale forest conversion to oil palm plantations – is warranted because most lowland habitat is unprotected. Further research in central and southern Borneo needs to focus on showing if there are any further sizable populations. Also, hunting of Sunda stink-badger has been reported in some parts of Borneo and might be a possible driver for the species’s patchy distribution. More research is warranted to understand what determines the species’s distribution and density, based on which proper conservation strategies, if needed, can be developed to preserve the species

Predicted distribution of the yellow-throated marten Martes flavigula (Mammalia: Carnivora: Mustelidae) on Borneo

The yellow-throated marten Martes flavigula is a wide-ranging species across much of Asia. It is active mainly during the day, is semi-arboreal and has an omnivorous diet. On Borneo, it has a wide elevation range, from coastal lowland to lower montane habitat of 1700 m a.s.l. Records from camera-trapping and other wildlife surveys imply a widespread distribution, but the species is encountered less frequently than in many other parts of its global range. We collected a total of 195 occurrence records from all political units of Borneo except South Kalimantan. To reduce possibly confounding effects of sampling bias on habitat suitability we used 56 records in a Balanced Model and 94 records in a Spatial Filtering Model. Respondents’ opinions on habitat preference showed large variation, except for lowland and upland dipterocarp forests, which were consistently perceived as highly suitable; disturbed areas such as burnt forests and bare areas were perceived to be less favourable. The habitat suitability model predicted that the yellow-throated marten is widespread within Borneo, likely to occur in mosaics of lowland and upland forests, including old plantations and active logging areas; but unlikely to use young plantations and crops, perhaps including oil palm plantations. The effects of logging on yellow-throated marten are not well understood, yet the species’s population size on Borneo will depend on how tree plantations and logging concessions are managed and harvested. More surveys above about 1200 m a.s.l., where information is still limited, would enable more confident habitat assessments. Further research could determine if the Bornean subspecies, M. f. saba, could be a cryptic species