Fundraising

In order to make the AWF Borneo & Sumatra Project possible we need to fundraise…a lot!
If you would like to help us or have any ideas we would love to hear from you!:)

The first fundrasising project which we are working on is ‘The Plastic Marathon’. Ruby Tobin and Emma Gardner,here at The Borneo Team, are working with members of other projects here at AWF to build a kayak made entirely out of recycled plastic bottles. We plan to kayak the 44km stretch between the Canarian islands of Tenerife and La Gomera.

The event will tie in with Climate Week (12th – 18th March 2012) and is registered as an official Climate Week event. Climate Week is Britain’s biggest climate change campaign, inspiring a new wave of action to create a sustainable future. Culminating in a week of activities, it showcases practical solutions from every sector of society.

For more information, have a look on our blog www.theplasticmarathon.wordpress.com

Our Blogs!

Ruby Tobin – Borneo Project Coordinator

 

Emma Gardner – Mammalian Researcher

 

Samuel Morton – Mammalian Researcher

Meet the team!

This gallery contains 6 photos.

Ruby Tobin – Borneo Project Coordinator I have been passionate about conservation from a very young age. I furthered my interests through studying Conservation Biology & Ecology at Exeter University’s campus in Falmouth. I since spent several months in Asia, … Continue reading →

Borneo & Sumatra

Borneo

Borneo is the third largest island in the world, with an area of 743,330 square kilometers, once covered with dense rainforests.

Ecology

Borneo is of great ecological importance as it has the oldest rainforest in the world (130 million years old) and is one of the main biodiversity hotspots. Borneo’s climate favours dense tropical vegetation and biodiversity unparalleled by most of the world’s forests. At present there are 221 species of terrestrial mammals, 420 species of resident birds, about 15,000 species of flowering plants and 3,000 species of trees.  Thousands of these are endemic to Borneo such as the Bornean Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus), the Sunda Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi), the Pygmy Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) and the Sumatran and Javan Rhinoceros. Subject to deforestation the remaining Borneo rainforest is also one of the only remaining natural habitats for the endangered Bornean Orangutan.

However biodiversity in Borneo has decreased at an alarming rate in the last 20 years, due to mass deforestation.  According to WWF-Worldwide Fund for Nature, today only half of Borneo’s original rainforest remains.

Threats

Since the 1980s there has been a steep increase in deforestation for the export of timbers to industrialized countries like Japan and the United States. This was followed by the fast emerging biofuels market, resulting in a sudden rise in oil palm plantations in the 1990’s. The deforestation of is illustrated below.

Large-scale conversion of tropical forests to oil palm plantations has had a devastating impact on a huge number of plant and animal species. Not only is it resulting in the destruction of habitats containing rare and endangered species but it has also resulted in the elimination of wildlife corridors between areas of genetic diversity.

The fragmentation of the remaining forest has become so severe that the loss of many more species of plants and animals has become inevitable. Moreover as species such as the Bornean Orangutan become squeezed into isolated fragments of natural habitat an increase in human- wildlife conflict arises (Buckland 2005).  In addition to Borneo’s habitat loss, its wildlife is also suffering at the hands of the illegal wildlife trade. Threatened species including orang-utans, sun bears, and clouded leopards are sold for pets, meat, and traditional medicines.

Concerns have been heightened especially since the loss of species like the Orangutan has never been greater than in the last 10 years. Nevertheless, due to demand, oil palm plantations are predicted to increase by 43% over the next decade (Buckland 2005).

Therefore there is an increasing need to regulate the palm-oil industry in Borneo, to minimise impacts on the rich biodiversity of the remaining rainforest. Moreover we must do everything we can to conserve the areas of rainforest that remain untouched and are home to some of the world’s most magnificent creatures.

Conservation Actions

Our efforts must go into protecting the remains of the Borneo rainforest, as it is facing the highest rates of deforestation and habitat degradation; putting some of the rarest endemic species at risk of extinction. To aid endangered species like orangutans and pygmy elephants who cross vast expanses of oil palm estates without danger, these landscapes need to be connected. Conservationist from the Borneo Conservation Trust have suggested step-stone forests can be created by rehabilitating existing forest patches; creating a network of natural forest within oil palm estates. Fast growing trees will provide a decent cover within three years and grow into semi-matured forests by 10 years.  Therefore we must work together with other conservation organizations and the local communities concerned to conserve the rainforest of Borneo and the species within it.

Moreover it is of great importance that we raise awareness of what is happening to the rainforests of Borneo, both locally and worldwide. So we can work together NOW to save the fast loss of Borneo’s biodiversity.

We have newly opened projects in Sabah, in the north of the Island, where we are working hard towards conserving the rainforest through exploration, research, community projects and education.  Our main conservation projects focus on the highly endangered Orangutan, the endemic Bornean Sunbear, the Sumatran and Javan Rhino, Pygmy Elephant and the Clouded Leopard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Species

Sunda Clouded Leopard
Neofelis diardi

The Sunda clouded leopard is a separate species from the Asian clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) and the two species separated more than 1.4million years ago making them no more related than leopards and lions. The Sunda clouded leopard was categorised in 2006 into two separate subspecies based on genetic analysis, one species on the island of Borneo and the other on Sumatra (Buckley-Beason et al. 2006).

The Sunda leopard is a stocky medium sized felid which weighs around 12-25kg with a body length of 62-95cm. It differs from the Clouded leopard in both size, as the Sunda leopard is shorter and more heavily built and also in its dentition. The Sunda clouded leopard has the largest canine teeth in relation to size of any felid which may be an adaptation to holding prey in trees. Being strongly arboreal, the Sunda Leopard has a tail which can grow to the length of its body for balance.

Conservation Status: (From IUCN red list) Endangered

Subspecies:

N.d. ssp.diardi- Sumatran Sunda Clouded Leopard

N.d. ssp. borneensis- Bornean Sunda Clouded Leopard

Physical Description

Like all clouded leopards, the Sunda clouded leopard has irregular black ovals across their coats which have given rise to its common name. These dark markings contrast on a golden base to give camouflage in dense forest and jungle. The Sunda clouded leopard has more spotted ovals than the Asian clouded leopard.

Like nearly all cats, the Sunda clouded leopard has soft pads and retractable claws. These help in catching prey and climbing trees. They also have forward facing eyes and binocular vision typical of a predatory species and large rounded ears for hearing prey and potential threats in the dense jungle. The Sunda Clouded leopard has hind legs which are longer than its forelimbs. This helps with agility in the trees and for pouncing. They also have flexible ankle joints which allow them to climb down trees head first.

A young male Sunda Clouded leopard caught by camera trap in Borneo

Range and Distribution

There is no population estimate of Sunda leopards yet known. Camera trap sampling is being conducted to estimate the population as this is the most effective means of recording this elusive species.  What is now known is that the Sumatran Sunda leopard is found in lower densities and higher altitudes than the Borneo subspecies, which can be found in lowland forests. This is probably because the Borneo Sunda clouded leopard is the largest felid carnivore on the island, whereas than in other areas tigers and cloud leopards are sympatric.

Estimated range of both the subspecies of the Sunda Clouded Leopard

Ecology

Very little in known about the Sunda clouded leopard. Like their Asian cousins they are very elusive and wary of people. It is assumed that their ecology differs little from clouded leopards however studies are currently underway.
Diet- Sunda cloud leopards will depredate a variety of prey including various ungulates such as Sambar deer, Muntjac deer and mouse deer as well as bearded pigs, civets, fish and monkeys (Rabinowitz et al. 1987).
Life history-As yet not fully documented, although likely to follow similar patterns to the clouded leopard.
Habitat- the Sunda Clouded leopard has been found in most forest habitat sufficiently dense enough for them to stalk their prey with sufficient camouflage. They are arboreal cats and will drag kills into trees. The Borneo Sunda leopard however, has been found to spend more time on the ground than its Sumatran subspecies which is probably due to the lack of other large felid competition for prey.

Threats

The Sunda leopard is dependent on the presence of forest and jungle as they are partially arboreal. Unfortunately, Borneo and Sumatra are undergoing the world’s highest deforestation rates (over 10% of lowland forest was lost in the past ten years) (Rautner et al. 2005). Logging and clearing for agriculture is pushing the Sunda leopard deeper into its range and fragmenting its habitat. Palm oil is also a massively expanding industry in Borneo which is negatively affecting leopard numbers by deforesting huge areas of land for plantations. Indonesia and Malaysia are now the biggest suppliers of palm oil in the world, and this industry is still growing (Koh & Wilcove, 2007).
Snare traps have also been a huge problem for the Sunda Leopard population. Snare traps are used indiscriminately for hunting other species but the leopards are caught by accident. Due to the high commercial value of their pelts and body parts they are then sold on (Holden, 2001).
Conservation
The subspecies of Sunda clouded leopard from Borneo is listed as endangered (CITES Appendix I as Neofelis nebulosa as yet it has not been reclassified in conservation initiatives) and is fully protected in Kalimantan (Indonesia), Sabah and Sarawak (Malaysia) and Brunei (IUCN Cats Red List workshop, 2007). However, in many parts of Borneo, the Sunda leopard has been caught by camera traps well outside of protected area.

As so little is known about the Borneo Sunda leopard as a distinct species, there are few conservation strategies in place. A camera trapping programme is currently underway to assess the distribution and population estimates of this elusive cat. This is being conducted by the Bornean clouded leopard programme which was created from collaboration between the Sabah Wildlife Department and the WildCRU.

Until more is known about the Bornean Clouded leopard subspecies, little can be put in to place to fully protect it. The main issue faced by the Sunda leopard is of habitat destruction which is a factor for all endangered cat species and can only be resolved by legislation to control deforestation in poor countries.

Conservation

The subspecies of Sunda clouded leopard from Borneo is listed as endangered (CITES Appendix I as Neofelis nebulosa as yet it has not been reclassified in conservation initiatives) and is fully protected in Kalimantan (Indonesia), Sabah and Sarawak (Malaysia) and Brunei (IUCN Cats Red List workshop, 2007). However, in many parts of Borneo, the Sunda leopard has been caught by camera traps well outside of protected area.

Emma Gardner, AWF Feline Researcher