On the Hose’s civet trail in Malaysia

Jack Wong The Star 19 Aug 10;

THE Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is trying to track down the extremely rare Hose’s civet, which was photographed by camera traps in the Selaan-Linau Forest Management Unit (FMU) in upper Baram in the northern region.
“We are trying to find out where they are. Hose’s civets (Diplogale hosei) are found only in certain parts of Borneo and there are only two or three recordings of the species, including one in Brunei,’’ said WCS Malaysia Programme director Dr Melvin T. Gumal after the opening of a carbon offsets and forest conversation workshop at Wisma STA here yesterday.

The event was organised jointly by Sarawak Forestry Corporation and WCS Malaysia Programme.

Dr Gumal said that 10 images of Hose’s civets were recorded on cameras set in the Selaan-Linau FMU during a comprehensive wildlife survey which started six years ago.

He said that WCS could not determine the Hose’s civet population in the Selaan-Linau FMU, a logging concession managed by Samling Strategic Corporation.

A WCS publication said the Hose’s civet, which is endemic to the interior of Borneo, was one of the world’s least-known carnivores.

No protected area in Sarawak was known to hold a population of the rare species, which might be adapted to living in montane forests, it added.

“Its highly localised distribution implies it is a habitat specialist which may be under great threat. The basic factors likely to determine its long-term future are entirely unknown, making specific conservation measures impossible,’’ added the publication.

Also photographed in Selaan-Linau FMU are other small carnivores – marbled cat, binturong, banded civet and collared mongoose – all of which are threatened species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Large carnivores caught by camera traps include the Sunda clouded leopard and Malayan sun bear, both listed as vulnerable under the ICUN Red List.

Dr Gumal said the wildlife survey was still on-going, adding that WCS’s collaboration with Samling was into the second five-year plan.

He said that WCS was helping to draw up a wildlife conservation plan for the Selaan-Linau FMU.

Results from its project have indicated that sustainably-logged forests could support wildlife as long as sound management policies, intervention measures and constant monitoring are in place.

The WCS Malaysia programme includes conservation of orang utans in the Batang Ai National Park and Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary as well as tigers and elephants in the peninsula.