Status of sun bear in LKSW and adjacent areas in Sabah

Roshan Guharajan, . and Siew Te Wong, . and Goossens Benoit, . and Ancrenaz Marc, . (2017) Status of sun bear in LKSW and adjacent areas in Sabah. [Proceedings Paper]

Malayan sun bear Helarctos malayanus is listed as a Totally Protected Species in Sabahs Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997. They are once believed to be wide spread across the state including Lower Kinabatangan Segama Wetlands LKSW and adjacent forested areas when the forests were still intact. Human activities and land developments especially logging that followed by the establishment of oil palm plantations in recent years have destroyed and fragmented vast area of sun bear habitats in this landscape. We examine the status of sun bear systematically and opportunistically in this area using camera traps bear signs survey live trapping interviews with local people and other anecdotal information. We found low number of sun bears present in this landscape but their exact population size remains unknown. We found incidents of sun bear poaching in this area that we believe representing a small fraction of the actual poaching activities. Sun bear is a typical K-selected species with slow reproduction rate. They cannot withstand any level of human cause mortality. Habitat destruction and fragmentation in LKSW and adjacent areas have adversely impacted large prime sun bear habitats. The remnant individuals or population of sun bear are extremely vulnerable to local extinction due to poaching. Therefore poaching activities have to be stopped and control at all cost if we were to safeguard sun bears in LKSW and adjacent areas.

Full text available from: Official URL: http://www.forest.sabah.gov.my/docs/frc/Other.Conf...

Abstract

Malayan sun bear Helarctos malayanus is listed as a Totally Protected Species in Sabahs Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997. They are once believed to be wide spread across the state including Lower Kinabatangan Segama Wetlands LKSW and adjacent forested areas when the forests were still intact. Human activities and land developments especially logging that followed by the establishment of oil palm plantations in recent years have destroyed and fragmented vast area of sun bear habitats in this landscape. We examine the status of sun bear systematically and opportunistically in this area using camera traps bear signs survey live trapping interviews with local people and other anecdotal information. We found low number of sun bears present in this landscape but their exact population size remains unknown. We found incidents of sun bear poaching in this area that we believe representing a small fraction of the actual poaching activities. Sun bear is a typical K-selected species with slow reproduction rate. They cannot withstand any level of human cause mortality. Habitat destruction and fragmentation in LKSW and adjacent areas have adversely impacted large prime sun bear habitats. The remnant individuals or population of sun bear are extremely vulnerable to local extinction due to poaching. Therefore poaching activities have to be stopped and control at all cost if we were to safeguard sun bears in LKSW and adjacent areas.

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Item Type:	Proceedings Paper
AGROVOC Term:	Ursidae
AGROVOC Term:	Bears
AGROVOC Term:	Protected species
AGROVOC Term:	Surveys
AGROVOC Term:	Trapping
AGROVOC Term:	Mangrove forests
AGROVOC Term:	Animal population
AGROVOC Term:	Habitats
AGROVOC Term:	Hunting
AGROVOC Term:	Illegal practices
Geographical Term:	MALAYSIA
Depositing User:	Ms. Suzila Mohamad Kasim
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 05:16
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/13790

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