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Consequences of different forest management strategies for clouded leopards and other felids and viverrids in Sabah, Malaysia
Investigators: Andreas Wilting, Leibniz Institute for Zoo & Wildlife Research (IZW),
Azlan bin Mohamed, University Malaysia Sabah (UMS)
Download the article: Azlan Mohamed, Hiromitsu Samejima and Andreas Wilting. “Records of five Bornean cat
species from Deramakot Forest Reserve in Sabah, Malaysia,” CatNews 51, pp. 12-15.
This project will evaluate the impact of different forest management techniques on populations
of wild cats and civets in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, with a special focus on the Sundaland clouded
leopard. The study is taking place in three neighbouring commercial forest reserves that have been
logged using a spectrum of practices.
One site is in the Deramakot Forest Reserve, managed by the Sabah Forestry Department and considered a
 
flagship for sustainable forest management in Sabah.
This reserve is the first forest in Asia to receive certification by the Forest Stewardship
Council for sustainable harvesting practices. The Deramakot site is an area of recent logging
using a reduced-impact strategy including limited road building, helicopter and skyline timber
extraction, and post-harvest forest restoration. The second site is Tangkulap Forest Reserve,
also managed by the Sabah Forestry Department and previously logged using conventional practices.
The third site is Segaliud Lokan Forest Reserve, privately managed by the Kuching Timber Store and
containing selectively logged areas and rubber plantations.
By assessing the impact of different forestry management practices and the resulting forest composition,
the researcher will determine if reduced impact logging methods provide greater conservation benefits to
felids and civet populations as compared to more traditional methods that cause greater environmental
disturbance. This result would likely encourage the continuation and expansion of sustainable forestry
practices that can provide both economic benefits as well as protect large enough intact tracts of forest
to maintain carnivore populations over the long term.
Research will be conducted by Andreas and his team of Malaysian research assistants, including Azlan bin
Mohamed, a graduate student at University of Malaysia, Sabah. It is planned that other undergraduate students
from UMS will also participate in the study. These assistants and students will receive training in field
study methods that they will be able to apply to future field work opportunities.
Four felid species found in Borneo are included in the study are: Sundaland clouded leopard, Bornean
subspecies (Neofelis diardi borneensis), marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata), leopard cat
(Prionailurus bengalensis), and flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps). It is currently
unknown whether the fifth Bornean felid, the bay cat (Pardofelis badia), is found within the study area.
Project Methods
Four study sites of approximately 150 km² each will be sampled for at least 6 months consecutively.
Within these sites, key vegetation and habitat structure will be recorded. This information will be
used in later efforts to model suitable habitat for the study species in other areas of Sabah, in an
effort to evaluate the potential distribution of these carnivores region-wide.
Study sites will contain a network of 50 camera traps (25 camera trap stations). Each station will consist
of two cameras facing each other to capture images of both flanks of animals photographed. A network of
transects will also be established to survey for animal tracks, droppings, and other signs of activity
or presence. Transect surveys will be conducted along trails, former roads, and existing logging roads.
 
Previous studies suggest that roads are more useful than forested areas for finding tracks and fecal
samples because within the forest, dense vegetation and leaves on the ground inhibits the discovery of
these signs and samples. Fecal samples will be preserved for molecular and parasite analysis.
In addition to daytime surveys, night surveys will also be conducted along the transects to observe the
nocturnal activity of the target species to provide additional information on their presence and abundance.
Night surveys will be performed using a bright spotlight from the back of a pick-up truck.
Field work began in June 2008. The field work in all four study sites should be completed by the end of 2010.
Camera trap photos obtained so far reveal a rich variety of mammal species inhabiting the study site.
Here are a few highlights:
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|  | | Clouded leopard | | Clouded leopard
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|  | | Leopard cat | | Leopard cat |  |
|  | | Flat-headed cat | | Malay civet |  |
|  | | Banded Palm Civet | | Borneo Pygmy Elephant |
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