Sabah crocs being tracked by satellite

There is now increased reforestation activities in a wildlife corridor between Tabin in Sabah – Malaysia's largest wildlife reserve – and adjacent conservation areas.

SANDAKAN: Tracking Sabah’s wildlife from space has become crucial for ensuring the survival of several unique species and the saltwater crocodile of the Kinabatangan has joined the growing list.

Another of the reptiles, an almost 12-foot (3.6 metre) male, was fitted with a satellite tag by the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) and Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) recently to study and ensure the survival of the species.

The reptile named Lais (Small Fish in Bahasa Sungai), the name of the tributary near where it was caught, is the second male crocodile which has been tagged in Kinabatangan, said SWD director Dr Laurentius Ambu yesterday.

Dr Benoit Goossens, director of DGFC and leader of the Kinabatangan Crocodile Programme, said that most human-crocodile conflicts involved large males and the tagging would help monitor the species to better understand their movement.

“By satellite-tagging these individuals, long-term seasonal movements can be established and it is then possible to determine how lack of food may be forcing individuals to consider humans as a source of protein,” he said.

Goossens said they planned to focus on 10 main rivers in Sabah and set up satellite collars on males in each of those rivers, namely Klias, Padas, Paitan, Sugud, Labuk, Kinabatangan, Segama, Kalumpang, Kalabakan and Serudong, with an emphasis on two rivers with different
degrees of human pressure – Kinabatangan and Paitan.

“We will also carry out surveys and collect genetic samples to identify patterns of gene flow between Sabah rivers, as well as semen from the captured males to get an overall picture of fertility in the population,” he added.

In another development, the state government, represented by SWD and the Rhino and Forest Fund (RFF), signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU)during the just-concluded Sabah Wildlife Conservation Colloquium here.

This agreement lays the foundation to improve a wildlife corridor between Tabin – Malaysia’s largest wildlife reserve – and adjacent conservation areas.

The Tabin Wildlife Reserve is one of the last areas on Borneo where large wildlife still co-exist. This includes the Bornean Rhinoceros, Bornean Elephant, Orang Utan, Banteng and Sun Bear.

Increase in reforestation work

But Tabin is almost completely isolated from other forests and surrounded by oil palm plantations.

“Connecting forest fragments is an integral part of our strategy to secure wildlife habitat in the long term,” said Ambu.

He said the department has to be active in promoting reforestation throughout areas with wildlife as corridors and forest patches which are needed for connectivity.

“At present, there is an increase in reforestation work within wildlife landscapes in Sabah and we want them to be successful not only for the benefit of wildlife but also local communities who are close to these areas,” he said.

The wildlife corridor will facilitate the migration of critically endangered wildlife through the newly established Segama Corridor Conservation Area.

Wildlife authorities hope that eventually this will lead to a narrow but continuous corridor from Tabin up to Kulamba Wildlife Reserve, another important refuge for endangered species.

Robert Risch, one of the directors of the RFF, meanwhile, reckoned that to save endangered wildlife suffering from habitat fragmentation, the state needs to establish a network of protected areas of a sufficient size and quality.

He said that this would prevent inbreeding of currently separated sub-populations and help to maintain healthy populations.

“Tabin is absolutely crucial for the long-term survival of many threatened species and needs to be reconnected with adjacent forest land.

“The outcome of our efforts will be a connected conservation area of more than 200,000 hectares, nearly twice as big as Tabin is today,” he added.

In the MoU, the state government assured that the restored area would remain protected from logging in the future.

This emphasis on the commitment of the government to wildlife conservation in Sabah would hopefully convince donors to become involved.