Biodiversity conservation strategy in Malaysia: from an Islamic perspective

The rapid decline of world’s biodiversity and increasing need of natural resources to accommodate the growing population suggest that the current western philosophy of conservation biology is not achieving its mission and objective as expected in Southeast Asia. The existing religious tools and channels for conservation should be seriously considered. There is a high potential in achieving high standards of conservation biology if management of natural resources adheres to the fundamental principles of Islam in Malaysia. However religious approaches are mainly limited to Islamic norms and treated independently in many parts of Southeast Asia, including Malaysia. Therefore there is an urgent need to synergize Islamic concepts in conservation biology with the existing governance system. It is believed if Islamic concepts are genuinely practised and amalgamated into the existing implementation and governance structure in conservation biology, the future for biodiversity in this region will be bright

Diversity of birds captured by mist-netting in the understorey of Gunung Gading National Park, Sarawak, Borneo

The diversity of understorey birds at Gunung Gading National Park was examined from November 2011 to April 2012 using mist nets with total effort of 177 nets days, revealed 114 individuals representing 13 families and 38 species. Including previous studies, a total of 62 bird species have been netted in Gunung Gading National Park. The most diverse families were Pycnonotidae and Timaliidae, both with 9 species captured, followed by Muscicapidae represented by 4 species. The bird diversity (H’= 3.18) was higher than that reported in previous studies. Cumulative results suggest that previous netting studies has been insufficient to reveal the total understorey bird diversity and the number of species netted and added shows little sign of tailing off suggests that additional effort is required

Can secondary information inform about population trends of carnivores in Borneo?

Effective methods for estimating occurrence and abundance of carnivores are limited and often expensive in labour or equipment. Conducting interviews about wildlife species, including carnivores, is a common tool used in Borneo and throughout Southeast Asia to investigate species distribution and understand their conservation status. Such surveys are appealing because of perceived savings in time and equipment; however, biases in amount of available information, miscommunications about species of interest, and species misidentifi cation can result in errors of unknown magnitude, rendering results of at least some surveys suspect. Hence, it becomes diffi cult to disentangle accurate from inaccurate information. Studies are needed to investigate the variation in effectiveness of interview surveys. Also better guidance is needed to clarify under which conditions secondary surveys can be used with confi dence, and for which particular audience. Until the factors that bias results are identifi ed and, where possible, accounted for, the main use of secondary surveys for carnivores and other diffi cult to identify or rarely encountered species will be to help develop a dialogue between people that reside or work in conservation project areas and the investigators working on such projects. Secondary surveys may also serve as a tool to help identify hypotheses to be addressed in studies with strong experimental designs

The Role of Habitat Heterogeneity in Structuring Mangrove Bird Assemblages

Mangrove habitats are under severe land use pressure throughout the world and Australia is no exception. Here we describe the heterogeneity of mangrove habitat and its relationship with mangrove bird diversity. We examined the role of mangrove habitat complexity in determining the richness of avian mangrove dependent species (MDS) and interior species, overall bird species richness and density. High species richness (overall and MDS) and density in the mangroves was associated with plant species richness, the density of the understory and food resource distribution. Furthermore, habitat heterogeneity rather than patch area per se was a more important predictor of species richness in the mangroves. These findings stress the importance of habitat diversity and quality to the diversity and density of birds in mangroves. Thus, habitat heterogeneity within mangroves is a crucial patch characteristic, independent of mangrove patch size, for maintaining diverse avian species assemblages

Diversity Of Chiropterans In Limestone Forest Area, Bau, Sarawak

A study on understory chiropteran diversity and relative abundance was examined using harp traps and mist nets around Bau Limestone area, Sarawak. A total of 23 species from four families were captured during 20 sampling nights. This represents approximately 24% of the total species recorded in Borneo. A total of 107 and 43 individuals of bats were captured using harp traps and mist nets respectively. The most frequently captured species was Penthetor lucasi followed by Hipposiderous galeritus, which comprised 25% and 14% of the total capture respectively. Even though the species accumulation curve showed signs of levelling out, additional effort at the sub-canopy and canopy level may yield in higher diversity record

Resource Partitioning by Mangrove Bird Communities in North Australia

Mangrove bird communities in north Australia comprise relatively few passerine species compared with other arboreal habitats in the region. Mangroves are dominated by a few tree species and there are potentially few resource axes available for partitioning by terrestrial birds. Competition for limited resources is predicted to cause strong niche differentiation and a highly structured, but low diversity, bird assemblage. Using multivariate and bipartite network analyses based on 1771 foraging observations (33% of 5320 behavioral observations), we examined resource partitioning by 20 terrestrial bird species in mangroves of north Australia. The mangrove bird community largely comprised generalist insectivores that partitioned insects by size with moderate-to-high interspecific overlap in diet. Gleaning for insects was the most common foraging mode. Few species specialized on nectar. Flowers of one or more mangrove species were available in every month of the year and insect abundance was correlated with flowering peaks. Niche differentiation by birds was determined by food type and foraging mode more than by broad spatial (mangrove zones) or temporal (seasonal) segregation of the use of resources. There was little evidence of bird species saturation or species sorting, suggesting loose species packing and a lesser role than expected for species interactions and interference competition in structuring the bird assemblage in mangroves

The Role of Habitat Heterogeneity in Structuring Mangrove Bird Assemblages

Mangrove habitats are under severe land use pressure throughout the world and Australia is no exception. Here we describe the heterogeneity of mangrove habitat and its relationship with mangrove bird diversity. We examined the role of mangrove habitat complexity in determining the richness of avian mangrove dependent species (MDS) and interior species, overall bird species richness and density. High species richness (overall and MDS) and density in the mangroves was associated with plant species richness, the density of the understory and food resource distribution. Furthermore, habitat heterogeneity rather than patch area per se was a more important predictor of species richness in the mangroves. These findings stress the importance of habitat diversity and quality to the diversity and density of birds in mangroves. Thus, habitat heterogeneity within mangroves is a crucial patch characteristic, independent of mangrove patch size, for maintaining diverse avian species assemblages

Bird Diets in Urban Environments: The Case of the Asian Glossy Starling, Aplonis panayensis

The Asian Glossy Starling, Aplonis panayensis, is one of the most abundant birds in Kuching City, occupying nooks and cavities of buildings and soiling the walls and fl oors with their droppings. To determine why they are so abundant, we focused on their dietary habits in a study conducted in Dewan Suarah area of Kuching in 2013. A total of 51 fecal samples were collected from the fl oor of Dewan Suarah and examined for dietary fragments. The results showed the diet comprises insects as well as plant parts. The insects are solely from the Order Hymenoptera (70 individuals), whereas the plant parts comprised fi gs (86 %), Vitex sp. (2 %) and unidentifi ed plant materials (12 %). The Hymenopteran identifi ed in fecal samples belong to the family Agaonidae (45 individuals), Formicidae (18 individuals), and Ormyridae (7 individuals). There is a signifi cant difference in frequency occurrence of insects and fruits in the diet of starlings. From the fecal analysis, the insects in the diet of the starlings are mainly from the fi gs they have eaten. The diet of the bird is discussed in relation to the availability of food items in the surrounding areas

Can Secondary Information Inform About Population Trends of Carnivores In Borneo?

Effective methods for estimating occurrence and abundance of carnivores are limited and often expensive in labour or equipment. Conducting interviews about wildlife species, including carnivores,is a common tool used in Borneo and throughout Southeast Asia to investigate species distribution and understand their conservation status. Such surveys are appealing because of perceived savings in time and equipment; however, biases in amount of available information, miscommunications about species of interest, and species misidentifi cation can result in errors of unknown magnitude, rendering results of at least some surveys suspect. Hence, it becomes diffi cult to disentangle accurate from inaccurate information. Studies are needed to investigate the variation in effectiveness of interview surveys. Also better guidance is needed to clarify under which conditions secondary surveys can be used with confi dence, and for which particular audience. Until the factors that bias results are identifi ed and, where possible, accounted for, the main use of secondary surveys for carnivores and other diffi cult to identify or rarely encountered species will be to help develop a dialogue between people that reside or work in conservation project areas and the investigators working on such projects. Secondary surveys may also serve as a tool to help identify hypotheses to be addressed in studies with strong experimental designs