Predicting the Distribution of Sunda Pangolin (Manis javanica Desmarest, 1822) in Way Canguk Research Station, Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Lampung

The distribution of a species can help guide the protection activities in their natural habitat. Conversely, the lack of information on this distribution makes the protection strategy of this species difficult. The research was conducted in Way Canguk Research Station, Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park from January until March 2018. The purposes of this research were to create a distribution prediction map of Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) and estimating the environment variables that most influenced the probability of the distribution. Fourteen points of camera trap coordinates were used for presence data with nine types of environment variables such as elevation, slope, understorey, canopy cover, distance from roads, distance from rivers, distance from villages, food source, and distance from the threat. The result of maxent showed an Area Under the Curve (AUC) value of 0.909 categorized as very good. The highest probability of Sunda pangolin distributions was in the Pemerihan Resort and Way Haru Resort area, while the dominant environmental variables included the distance from the village, the canopy cover, and the distance from threat with the value 47.7; 25.85; and 15.8%, respectively. Prediction maps and environment variables can help to identify the population of Sunda pangolin in the wild and can provide input for the national parks to prioritize protection areas for Sunda pangolin from the increased poaching

Development of DNA Extraction Method for Forensics Studies of Preserved Hair and Skin Samples from Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae, Pocock 1929)

Poaching and illegal wildlife trade present severe threats to the Sumatran tiger. The high demand for tiger body parts leads to a high number of imitations in illegal markets, complicating the morphological identification of any confiscation cases. Accurate identification is essential in legal due process, given that the national protection law only regulates Indonesia's native species. Identification using molecular approaches may overcome the problem. However, most illegally traded tiger body parts have been preserved for an extended period of time, reducing the quantity and quality of the recovered DNA. This study aimed to develop a fast and effective method to recover DNA from preserved forensic samples. The methods had been tested with several museum samples of arsenic-treated hairs and a tiger skin piece obtained from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN, formerly LIPI), tiger hairs obtained from Conservation of Natural Resources Agency (BKSDA) of Bengkulu Province, and a confiscated tiger skin sample from BKSDA Aceh. The DNA was extracted using ion-exchange, salting out, and protease-based methods. The results showed that the protease-based extraction outperformed the others to yield applicable DNA isolates for PCR-based species identification by Cyt b and ND2 mtDNA partial genes from preserved samples. However, further works are still needed to recover sufficient DNA yields for sex identification

IDENTIFIKASI DAN DISTRIBUSI JENIS LABI-LABI (FAMILI: TRIONYCHIDAE) DI SUMATERA SELATAN

Labi-labi (Testudines; Trionychidae) merupakan kelompok kura-kura air tawar. Sumatera Selatan sebagai salah satu daerah yang mempunyai potensi sumber daya ikan yang secara nyata berkontribusi dalam mengeksploitasi labi-labi di Indonesia. Penelitian ini dilakukan secara intensif dan regular pada periode bulan Pebruari 2006 sampai dengan Pebruari 2007 yang berlokasi di Sumatera Selatan. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengidentifikasi jenis Trionychidae dan menggambarkan distribusi di Sumatera Selatan. Metode yang digunakan adalah survei lapang dan wawancara dengan penampung lokal di Palembang, Sumatera Selatan. Hasil penelitian mengindikasikan bahwa terdapat 3 jenis Trionychidae yang ada di Sumatera Selatan, yaitu Amyda cartilaginea Boddaert 1770, Dogania subplana Geoffroy 1809, dan Pelochelys cantorii Gray 1864. Jenis yang mendominasi dalam hal jumlah adalah A. cartilaginea (84,28%) serta sekaligus sebagai jenis yang distribusi paling luas. Softshell turtles (Testudines; Trionychidae), known locally as labi-labi is the group of freshwater turtles. As one of the potential area of inland water fishery resources, South Sumatera plays an significant role in terms of their abundance and contribution as well to softshell turtles exploitation in Indonesia. To support the long term management technique for one of the threathened species, a one year intensive and regular observations were made during the period between February 2006 to February 2007. The study was carried out through field measurement survey and interview with the local collectors at Palembang. The aim of the study was to describe the Trionychidae species and its geographical distribution in South Sumatera. The results indicated that there were 3 species of Trionychidae occured at South Sumatera consist of Amyda cartilaginea Boddaert 1770, Dogania subplana Geoffroy 1809, and Pelochelys cantorii Gray 1864. The predominant species in volume was A. cartilaginea (84.28%) and so was its distribution

Planning for megafauna recovery in the tropical rainforests of Sumatra

Human-induced forest loss has had devastating impacts on biodiversity. Mammal populations in the tropics have been hit particularly hard by the resulting habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, as well as by overhunting which often goes hand-in-hand. While declines in these populations are generally well documented, few studies offer a pathway for their recovery. Here, we test the association between changes in forest habitat and occupancy trends of Sumatran megafauna (elephant and tiger) and key tiger prey species (wild boar and sambar) in the Leuser Ecosystem: a large forest landscape on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. For elephant and tiger, we develop additional occupancy models to predict their respective spatial distribution under different scenarios of forest loss and gain (through restoration and increased connectivity) to provide a blueprint for avoiding future species loss and assisting with their population recovery. From 2000 to 2019, 254,722 ha (6.7%) of natural forest was converted, primarily to plantations and shrubs. The species-specific responses over the study period revealed that the occurrence of elephant declined along the west, with a range shift to the northeast of Leuser, whereas wild boar underwent a dramatic widespread decline and although sambar experienced losses around the forest edge, it remained widespread in the interior forest, while tiger occupancy remained stable. Modelling habitat loss and fragmentation led to an unsurprising demise of Sumatran megafauna, whereas strategic investments that reconnected several forest patches provided disproportionately large benefits for their recovery through the recolonization of former parts of their range. Indonesia has achieved six consecutive years of declining forest loss rates, and our study’s findings can build off this conservation success by supporting improved provincial spatial planning and field-based restoration efforts that avoid declines of threatened megafauna species and act as a catalyst for rewilding a landscape of global importance

Quantifying Killing of Orangutans and Human-Orangutan Conflict in Kalimantan, Indonesia

Human-orangutan conflict and hunting are thought to pose a serious threat to orangutan existence in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo. No data existed prior to the present study to substantiate these threats. We investigated the rates, spatial distribution and causes of conflict and hunting through an interview-based survey in the orangutan's range in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Between April 2008 and September 2009, we interviewed 6983 respondents in 687 villages to obtain socio-economic information, assess knowledge of local wildlife in general and orangutan encounters specifically, and to query respondents about their knowledge on orangutan conflicts and killing, and relevant laws. This survey revealed estimated killing rates of between 750 and 1800 animals killed in the last year, and between 1950 and 3100 animals killed per year on average within the lifetime of the survey respondents. These killing rates are higher than previously thought and are high enough to pose a serious threat to the continued existence of orangutans in Kalimantan. Importantly, the study contributes to our understanding of the spatial variation in threats, and the underlying causes of those threats, which can be used to facilitate the development of targeted conservation management

VARIASI MORFOLOGI Calamus javensis Blume DI TAMAN NASIONAL GUNUNG HALIMUN-SALAK (TNGHS)

Calamus javensis Blume adalah spesies rotan yang berdiameter kecil yang bersifat sangat polimorfik denganbanyak variasi morfologi sehingga sering mengalami salah identifikasi sebagai spesies yang lain. Namun diJawa, variasi morfologi C. javensis kurang bervariasi sehingga tidak banyak penelitian yang mengkaji variasimorfologi populasi C. javensis di Pulau Jawa. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis variasi morfologi danmenentukan karakter morfologi yang berperan penting dalam menentukan variasi dari organ vegetatif populasiC. javensis di TNGHS, Jawa Barat. Metode yang digunakan adalah Cluster Analysis untuk menganalisis variasimorfologi C. javensis, dan PCA untuk menentukan karakter organ vegetatif yang menentukan variasi morfologiC. javensis. Dendrogram hasil CA menunjukkan bahwa C. javensis dikelompokkan ke dalam 3 klaster, yaituklaster “dense”, “moderate”, dan “sparse”. Hasil PCA menunjukkan bahwa karakter yang berperan pentingdalam pengelompokan klaster tersebut adalah karakter ukuran (panjang dan lebar) anak daun bagian basal,tengah, dan terminal, diameter batang dengan upih, panjang petiolus, serta jumlah dan panjang duri pada upihyang menyelubungi batang. Berdasarkan hasil PCA, ternyata distribusi variasi tersebut tidak menunjukanketerkaitan dengan faktor ketinggian. Faktor lain seperti terjadinya hibrid antar spesies yang berkerabat dekatjuga diduga melatarbelakangi variasi morfologi C. javensis sehingga dibutuhkan penelitian lebih lanjut denganmenggunakan pendekatan molekuler untuk mengetahui variasi genetik dari C. javensi

Abrupt Decline in a Protected Population of Siamangs (Symphalangus syndactylus) in Southern Sumatra

Between 2011 and 2016, approximately 50% of siamangs in the Way Canguk Research Area disappeared, including members of 7 of 12 habituated groups. Demographic data from 1998 to 2015 confirm that the population decline in the habituated groups reflects a larger trend in the local population. There was no evidence of hunting of primates in the area, and ecological data do not suggest substantial changes in food availability or predation pressure during this period. From 2011 to 2014, we monitored the habituated groups only intermittently, and most deaths or disappearances were not observed. However, in 2014-2016, we monitored some groups more intensively, and observed 2 individuals with symptoms including whitened skin on the face, hands, and abdomen, hair loss, swelling of the face, frequent scratching, and lethargy. One affected individual disappeared days after this observation, while the other survived. The spatiotemporal pattern of disappearances in the habituated groups was consistent with that expected if the deaths resulted from disease transmission among neighbouring groups. Thus, the available evidence, while preliminary, suggests that a local disease epizootic may have been a factor driving the population decline. We recommend that researchers establish monitoring protocols to better understand primate disease epidemiology and to guide conservation management

Distribusi Kambing Hutan Sumatera[CapricornrS Sumatraensis Sumatraensis (Bechstein, 1799)] Di Sipurak, Taman Nasional Kerinci Seblat, Sumatera

Sumatran Serow Capricornis sumatraensis sumatraensis (Bechstein, 1799))Distribution at Sipurak-Kerinci Seblat National Park. Sumatran serow [Capricornissumatraensis sumatraensis (Bechstein, 1799)J is one of endangered species in KerinciSeblat National Park (KSNP). Few data are available about Sumatran serow in KSNP.The research was designed to analize the distribution of Sumatran serow in Sipurak.Fieldstudy was conducted from September 2005 to February 2006 in Sipurak, KSNP.The detection-non detection survey method was applied for observation. There were 44cells sampling,' the number of cells determined by purposive sampling base on habitattypes and accessibility to reach the location of cell (easy or hard). The data were analyzedby Arcview 3.2 PC. The sumatran serow just indirectly detected. Sign of its existencemainly detected at ramp. Distribution of sumatran serow mainly was invented on the lowland forest type (8 1,82%) which are characterized by caves, rock-cliff, and rugged hills

Genetic connectivity of the scalloped hammerhead shark Sphyrna lewini across Indonesia and the Western Indian Ocean.

Scalloped Hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) is an endangered species which its populations have been declining globally including in Indonesia, the world's top shark fishing country. However, there is a lack of information on the recent population structure of this species to promote proper management and its conservation status. This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity, population structure, and connectivity of the S. lewini population, in three major shark landing sites: Aceh (n = 41), Balikpapan (n = 30), and Lombok (n = 29). Meanwhile, additional sequences were retrieved from West Papua (n = 14) and the Western Indian Ocean (n = 65) populations. From the analyses of the mitochondrial CO1 gene, a total of 179 sequences of S. lewini, with an average size of 594 bp, and 40 polymorphic loci in four and eight haplotypes for the Indonesian population and the Western Indian Ocean population were identified. The overall values of genetic diversity were high (h = 0.717; π = 0.013), with the highest values recorded in Aceh (h = 0.668; π = 0.002) and the lowest in Papua (h = 0.143; π = 0.000). On the contrary, the overall value was fairly low in the Western Indian Ocean (h = 0.232; π = 0.001). Furthermore, AMOVA and FST showed three significant subdivisions in Indonesia (FST = 0.442; P < 0.001), with separated populations for Aceh and West Papua, and mixed between Balikpapan and Lombok (FST = 0.044; P = 0.091). In contrast, genetic homogeneity was observed within the population of the Western Indian Ocean (FST = -0.013; P = 0.612). The establishment of a haplotype network provided evidence of a significantly different population and a limited genetic distribution between the Indonesian and the Western Indian Ocean populations (FST = 0.740; P < 0.001). This study showed the presence of a complex population of S. lewini with limited connectivity only in Indonesia separated from the Western Indian Ocean and requiring specific management measures based on the population structure at the regional level