Elephant surveys in West Malaysia

WCS is involved in a major survey of elephant populations in West Malaysia, using recently-developed techniques for estimating population size based on elephant dung counts.

The overall goal of this project is to help the Malaysian authorities meet their obligations to the CITES Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programme and, more generally, to help develop a holistic elephant plan for West Malaysia that will help balance development and conservation, and which will help conserve wild elephant populations in Taman Negara and elsewhere in West Malaysia.

Taman Negara

From June 2006 to May 2007, WCS and the Government of Malaysia (GoM) conducted elephant surveys in Taman Negara.

Nurul Huda training on MIKE “S” Dung Classification System. Photo: Aris Oziar.

The specific objectives of this phase were:

1. Estimate the size and distribution of the elephant population in Taman Negara and determine the threats to the elephants and their habitat, and the spatial and temporal distribution of these threats.
2. Training and capacity building for protected area staff and other Malaysian conservationists and wildlife managers, focusing on current sampling-based survey methods and data analysis.

These goals directly address two of the most pressing needs in Asian elephant conservation⁽¹⁾, namely: (1) up to date and accurate baseline data on the status of major elephant populations; and (2) increased capacity of wildlife departments in those countries with wild elephant populations.

Endau Rompin

Covering an area of approximately 891 sq km, the Endau Rompin area is the second largest national park in West Malaysia. It straddles the border between Pahang and Johor in the south of the Peninsula. Due to its size and importance, WCS Malaysia is replicating the work done in Taman Negara, working closely and with generous support from the Johor State though Johor National Parks Corporation (JNPC).

Our progress to date includes :

1. Dung decay survey training with JNPC officers and staff, conducted by Dr Jephte Sompud with assistance from Cynthia Boon and Nurul Huda at Nature Education and Resource Centre (NERC), Peta (26-28 August 2007).
2. Monthly dung decay surveys starting from September 2007 at three study sites - Peta and Selai in Johor, and Rompin in Pahang.
3. CITES MIKE statistical training with PERHILITAN and JNPC officers and rangers, conducted by Mike Meredith and Jason Hon at Institute of Biodiversity, Lanchang, Pahang (24-28 September 2007).
4. Recce Survey Transect training with JNPC officers and staff, conducted by Dr Jephte Sompud at Lubuk Tapah, Selai (31 October to 2 November 2007).
5. Recce Survey Transects at three sites within the park to assess dung encounter rates with which to plan the actual survey (November 2007).
6. Line Transect Survey training with JNPC officers and staff, conducted by Nurul Huda & Aris Oziar with assistance from Jessica Tay at NERC, Peta (18-19 April 2008).
7. Line Transect Surveys starting in April 2008, due to end in June / July 2008.

Our field survey teams, headed by a WCS staff member with the assistance from JNPC officers and staff, are currently conducting Line Transect Surveys in Endau Rompin. The team leaders are Nurul Huda Zakaria, Jessica Tay, Aris Oziar & Melissa Bilong.

Acknowledgements

WCS Malaysia acknowledges the in-kind contribution of staff, field accommodation and equipment by JNPC, PERHILITAN and CITES MIKE towards this project. Additional financial support were also provided by CITES MIKE , Denver Zoo and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

1: Blake, S; S Hedges. 2004. Sinking the flagship: the case of forest elephants in Asia and Africa. Conservation Biology 18:1191–1202