Wildlife Conservation & Ecology

Borneo, third-largest island in the world formed frontiers between three countries included Indonesia, eastern Malaysia, and Brunei mount up a total area 743, 330km2. Tropical rain forests in Borneo are known as one of the oldest forests in the world which reservoir numerous flora and fauna as one of the biodiversity hotspot (J. F. Brodie, Giordano, Zipkin, et al., 2015; Koh & Wilcove, 2008; Taylor, Saksena, Sanderson, & Kucera, 1999). Large woody plants in tropical rainforest survived more than a hundred years and achieved wide diameter with outstanding height; created canopy layers, provided shelter for animals, shadowed seeds dispersal and species propagations (Bryan et al., 2013). There were around 25 areas constituted 1.4% of earth surface had been identified as biodiversity hotspot since the year 2000 (Cincotta, Wisnewski, & Engelman, 2000; Myers, Mittermeier, Mittermeier, da Fonseca, & Kent, 2000); biodiversity hotspot is area nurture extraordinary number of species richness, sustain high endemism with large amount of rarity and threatened species (Kerley, Pressey, Cowling, Boshoff, & Sims-Castley, 2003; Koh & Wilcove, 2008; Reid, 1998) yet losing habitats exceptionally (Myers et al., 2000). Southeast Asia intersect with four biodiversity hot spots (Sodhi, Koh, Brook, & Ng, 2004) and Borneo is biodiversity hotspot located on Sundaland whereas Sundaland originally comprised 1, 600, 000 km2 of primary vegetation and remained 7.8% of its original vegetation with 2,500 species of vascular plants and 1,800 species of vertebrate (Myers et al., 2000). Borneo itself recorded numerous vertebrae comprised of 247 species of mammals (Phillipps & Phillipps, 2016), 673 species of birds (MacKinnon & Phillipps, 1993), 180 species of frogs (Haas, Hertwig, & Das, 2013) and at least 200 species of vascular plants. Natural resources are vulnerable, fragile and irreplaceable while vanishing by anthropogenic activities that triggering another mass extinction (Kinnaird, Sanderson, O'brien, Wibisono, & Woolmer, 2003; Mittermeier, Turner, Larsen, Brooks, & Gascon, 2011; Nakagawa, Miguchi, & Nakashizuka, 2006). Through the identification of biodiversity hotspots aided in conservation planning in order to maximize the usage of the limited funds (Myers et al., 2000).

 

Sarawak, a state of Malaysia which situated on the island of Borneo covers an area of 12, 445 million hectares; nearly 80% of its landscape covered by various types of forest (Gaveau et al., 2014). Forests cover in Sarawak can be categorized as intact forest [20%], degraded forest [37%], agriculture land or plantations [21%] and mangrove forest [1%] (Bryan et al., 2013). Sarawak has complex assemblage of diverse vegetation types; forest architecture able to trade-off up to 200 tree species with high foliage density (Gaveau et al., 2014; Kohyama, Suzuki, Partomihardjo, Yamada, & Kubo, 2003). Forest topography in Sarawak majorly built up by mixed dipterocarp forests;  followed by peat swamp forest and marginal size of kangas forest, mangrove forest, montane forest, beach forest, riverine forest and limestone forest (Gaveau et al., 2014; Hazebroek & bin Abang Morshidi, 2000). These forest are well known as the most biodiverse forest that harbors diverse species that shall be conserve and preserved (Gaveau et al., 2014; Kumagai et al., 2004). Tropical rain forests covered 12% of global land topography provides multiple ecology functions.

 

Evergreen mixed dipterocarp forests formed in Sarawak, experienced minor climate fluctuation along year with seasonal rainfall (Ichie et al., 2004; Kato, 1996). Disparate tropical tree stature shaped various strata in tropical rain forest; emergent, canopy and understorey layers with height range from 1 to 70 cm (King, Davies, & Noor, 2006). Emergent and canopy layer vitally harbor buds, flowers, and fruits since received higher concentration of light intensity persistently than understorey layer; understorey layer built up by shrubs, dense of leaf litter, high humidity, sedentary air, shadowing seeds and safeguarding saplings (Kato, 1996; King et al., 2006). A better growth rate can be observed on large and taller trees that constructed emergent and canopy layers with larger photosynthesis capacity (King et al., 2006).