Malaysia: RM1.46m for clouded leopards

New Straits Times 6 Dec 12;

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Wildlife Department and Danau Girang Field Centre recently received RM1.46 million from the Sime Darby Foundation to fund a conservation project on endangered Sunda clouded leopards in the state.

The grant is part of the foundation's Big9 programme that also conserves other animals, including sun bear, orang utan, elephant, hornbill, Malayan tiger, proboscis monkey, Sumatran rhinoceros and banteng.

Department director Datuk Dr Laurentius Ambu said the project aimed to increase the conservation efforts and public awareness of the wild cat species in Borneo and Sumatra.

"It is also to build local capacity for carnivore field research in Malaysia and to gather essential ecological data.

"The information will enable the development of effective conservation measures to ensure the survival of the Sunda clouded leopards in the fragmented landscape of contemporary Borneo," he said in a statement.

The three-year project will culminate in an international workshop and its result will assist the department to develop a state plan for conservation of the species.

Centre director Dr Benoit Goossens said during the period, they would study the species interactions and habitats, especially in the fragmented landscape of the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary in east of Sabah.

"We will use state of the art satellite telemetry to see how the species respond to a highly degraded and fragmented areas.

"Our centre will also carry out intensive camera trap surveys tailored to estimate and investigate seasonal and annual variation in density of Sunda clouded leopards."

In addition to that, they will also come up with detailed mapping of habitat corridors through and around oil palm plantations for clouded leopards and their prey.

Dr Benoit said the project would see the development of an education programme primarily for schoolchildren from oil palm plantation areas.

"Education and capacity building have always been a priority for the Sime Darby Foundation, and as such, the project will also include the training of two Malaysian master's students," Goossens said.

The project is also a collaboration with several partners, including Oxford University and Cardiff University of United Kingdom, British Columbia University of Canada and Universiti Malaysia Sabah.