Wildlife in production forests

Forests designated for timber production cover vast areas, much larger areas that national parks or wildlife sanctuaries. With proper management, these forests can support critical wildlife populations, especially for those animals which need large areas to remain viable.

The conservation of wildlife is included in most timber certification schemes, and the spread of certification should be good news for forest animals.

A big question remains: do animals survive and thrive in well managed forests? And how can logging methods, forestry practices and certification schemes be improved?

To try to answer these questions, WCS is monitoring wildlife populations in a production forest in the Upper Baram area in the interior of Borneo. This area of 56,000 ha is now certified by the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) as being well managed. Our surveys cover logged and unlogged areas, the Protection Zones where no logging will take place, and forest regenerating after farming.

To survey large birds and mammals, we walk along pre-determined lines in the forest and record those we see or hear. We also look out for and record animal tracks and other signs such as feeding or wallowing sites. Analysis of these records gives us an indication of where each species occurs, and if their range is expanding or contracting.

Animals are quite rare in these forests; we may see only two or three animals in the course of a day's survey. That means that many days' work are needed before we can draw any conclusions from the data. Moreover, many species move around following seasonal changes in food availability, so we need surveys spread over a year or more before we can identify changes due to forest management.

We also place automatic cameras at strategic points in the forest, such as water sources and salt licks, which photograph any animals which come past. These are particularly useful for recording the presence of shy, nocturnal animals such as civets.

From April 2008, our work has expanded to include surveys of birds and bats, using mist nets and harp traps as well as counts of birds seen and heard. The aim is to list the species which occur in the area, including any endangered species. Animals that are trapped are weighed and measured, and marked with a numbered ring before release. Checking their breeding condition tells us when the breeding months are for different species.

This work is supported by the GEF through their small grants programme. Samling Corporation is footing the bill for one survey team in the field and providing transport and accommodation in the actively managed area.

More information:
Details of the Upper Baram study site
Project posters for nearby villages