Large size mammal species of North Selangor peat swamp forest and their response to habitat quality and anthropogenic disturbances
Malaysia’s peat swamp forest is now disappearing at alarming rate due to deforestation. Tropical peat swamp forests of Peninsular Malaysia are one of the unique ecosystems that are currently being threatened primarily for agricultural expansion. Oil palm is the most demanding commercial crop in S...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2017
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| Online Access: | http://ethesis.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/13896/1/FH%202017%2027%20T.pdf |
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| Summary: | Malaysia’s peat swamp forest is now disappearing at alarming rate due to
deforestation. Tropical peat swamp forests of Peninsular Malaysia are one of the
unique ecosystems that are currently being threatened primarily for agricultural
expansion. Oil palm is the most demanding commercial crop in Southeast Asia
especially in developing countries such as Malaysia. To determine the mammal
species richness and the response toward its richness, a camera trap survey was
conducted in the North Selangor Peat Swamp Forest (NSPSF), the last remaining
peat swamp ecosystem on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The
research was initiated in May 2013 and ended in October 2014. I measured a
total of 13 attributes of local level factors and landscape level factors to
investigate the relationships between these factors and mammal species
recorded by camera traps. Eight local level factors were accounted for the habitat
quality measurement. These were number of saplings, number of trees (DBH:
less than 45cm and more than 45cm), number of palmae species, number of
fallen trees (DBH: less than 45cm and more than 45cm), canopy cover and
canopy height. Meanwhile, five landscape level factors were the distances to
river, road, oil palm land area, forest area and compositional heterogeneity.
Throughout 45 camera traps deployed randomly in the forest area, 16 species of
mammal were recorded in the NSPSF. The species obtained were classified
according to feeding guilds and then analyzed in response to local and
landscape level factors using Generalize Linear Models (GLMs). From 2565 trap
nights, a total of 5046 photos were recorded excluding the blurry and out of
focus photos. Asian Tapir (Tapirus indicus) recorded in this study was listed as Endangered species under IUCN Red List. This study also documented the
discovery of the Bearded Pig (Sus Barbatus) in the west coast region of Peninsular
Malaysia in contrast to prior distribution studies of them. Result obtained for
richness model explained the overall species richness increased significantly
with areas located to the main road, palm oil plantation and areas with trees
exceeding 45cm in diameter at breast height (DBH). These models also
demonstrated a negative relationship with variables such as canopy height,
number of sapling and distance to the river. The results also showed that the
richness model according to the feeding guild has responded contrarily to local
and landscape level factors. The current pressure on the NSPSF compelled the
wildlife to survive on shrinking habitat that is already on the brink of extinction.
The finding of the research also concludes that the existing wildlife may have
adapted to the existing anthropogenic elements. However, it is crucial to
monitor forest clearance and devise a mitigation plan such as forest gazettement
or creating an environment-friendly area for adjacent lands. It is vital to
consistently monitor the forest biodiversity through long-term researches. |
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