ISSUE 4: JAN 2016 | ISSN No: PP 18680/08/2014(033983)
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Respected readers, this is the fourth Research Briefs the Foundation is publishing to highlight the Research Activities and other scientific information of interest relating to the Belum Temengor Rain forest Complex. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
DATE OF PUBLICATION 1 JAN 2016 EDITORS • Dr. Daniel Baskaran Krishnapillay • Dato’ Dr. Abdul Rashid Ab. Malik • Zainon Kasim CONTRIBUTORS • Dato’ Dr. Abdul Rashid Ab. Malik • Zulfadhlan Ahmad Khushairi • Ahmad Najmi Nik Hassan • Mohd Syaiful Mohammad • Hamiazrim Baharim • Dato Dr. Dionysius Sharma • Amirah Hurzaid • Dr. Rahmad Zakaria • Dr. Rusea Goh DESIGN & COMPILATION DESIGN218 www.design218.asia COLOUR SEPARATION & PRINTING Percetakan Skyline Sdn. Bhd. No 35 & 37, Jalan 12/32B, TSI Business Industrial Park, Kepong, 52000 Kuala Lumpur. PUBLISHED BY
PULAU BANDING FOUNDATION Unit 3A-3, Level 4, Perdana The Place, Jalan PJU 8/5G, Bandar Damansara Perdana, 47820 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. T: (603) 7710 7066 F: (603) 7710 5066 E: info@pbf.org.my W: www.pbf.org.my
In this issue, we highlight the upcoming Forestry Summit 2016 to be held at Belum Rainforest Resort from 17th to 26th October, 2016. This fourth issue contains four interesting articles. One in general on the state of the Sumatran Rhinoceros population in Malaysia, one on the lianas found in our Belum Temengor forest while the two other articles sheds information on the Anuras (frogs and toads) and the wild orchids found in Belum Temengor. We take this opportunity, once again, to offer our sincere thanks to Setia Haruman Sdn. Bhd. for their continued financial support towards the day to day running of the Foundation. In addition, we wish to thank our valued sponsors, Sime Darby Foundation and the Prime Minister’s Department, for the one off grants that was provided by them to construct the Interpretative Centre and the Dormitory respectively. We hope you will enjoy reading these interesting articles and should you have any comments or wish to share your thoughts, please feel free to write to us or e-mail us on the address as shown on this cover page. The next issue of this Research Briefs will be published in July, 2016.
ANNOUNCEMENT
BELUM RAINFOREST SUMMIT 2016 International Conference on Conservation and Sustainable Use of Tropical Rainforest 2016 17-22 October 2016 Belum Rainforest Resort, Pulau Banding, Gerik, Perak, Malaysia “Towards A Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Through Research, Cooperation and Networking”
Forests play a vital role for rural as well as urban populations all over the world. They are an essential natural resource providing multiple benefits to people. Their conservation and sustainable management are closely linked with global issues such as food supply and environmental protection. Scientific knowledge is needed all over the world to effectively address these issues globally and regionally and provide the basis for political decisions.
Online registration is now open www.belumrainforestsummit2016.com
FAUNA
territories as large as 50 km2, while the females’ ranges are 10-15 km2. The female range while spaced apart generally overlaps with individual male rhinos. The male marks its territories by scraping soil with their feet, bending saplings into distinctive patterns, and leaving excrement. The Sumatran rhino is most active when feeding at dawn and just after dusk. Their diet consists of young saplings, leaves, fruits, twigs, and shoots. They usually consume up to 50 kg of food a day.
RHINO THE FADING GIANT OF
THE BELUM TEMENGOR
Contributors: Dato’ Dr. Abdul Rashid and Dato’ Dr. Dionysius Sharma
The Sumatran rhinoceros is also known as the Asian two-horned rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis). The scientific name Dicerorhinus sumatrensis comes from the Greek terms ‘di’ meaning “two”, ‘cero’ meaning “horn” and ‘rhinos’ meaning “nose”). The Sumatran rhinoceros is a member of the family Rhinocerotidae and the only surviving species of the genus Dicerorhinus. While it may be the smallest rhinoceros in the family, it however is still a large mammal. The species name ‘sumatrensis’ means “of Sumatra”, the Indonesian island where the rhinos were first discovered. A mature Sumatran rhino stands about 120-145cm high at the shoulder, has a body length of around 250 cm. and weighs 500-800kg. Like the African species, it has two horns. The larger is the nasal horn, measuring on an average 15-25cm long. The posterior horn is much smaller, usually less than 10 cm long, and often resembles like a door knob. The larger nasal horn is also known as the anterior horn while the smaller posterior horn as the frontal horn. The horns are dark grey or black in color and are larger in the males as compared to the females. In the wild, the Sumatran rhino lives on the average for 30-45 years. Despite their bulky size, these mammals are fast and agile. They can climb mountains easily and can also comfortably traverses steep slopes and riverbanks. Their habitats are generally rainforest and swamps and with the loss of these habitats to development, the species is now critically endangered. Their numbers in the wild are difficult to determine because they are solitary animals that are widely scattered across their range in Sumatra, Borneo and in the Malay Peninsula. It is estimated that the number remaining in the wild is fewer than 80. Over the last 8-9 years the Rhino population in the Malay Peninsular has not been seen and it is suspected that this population may already be extinct here. Sumatran rhinoceroses are solitary creatures except for pairing before mating and during offspring rearing. Each male has
During the day, they wallow in mud baths to cool down and rest. The Sumatran rhinos have fixed trails across its range. The trails fall into two categories. The main trails will be used by generations of rhinos to travel between important areas in the rhino’s range, such as between salt licks, or in corridors through inhospitable terrain that separates ranges. In feeding areas in the range, the rhinos make smaller trails, to areas containing food that the rhino eats which forms the second category of trails. Since the rhino is vegetal, its diet is rich in fibre and only moderate in protein. Salt licks are very important to the nutrition of the rhino. Apart from providing the necessary minerals, these salt licks also serve an important social purpose for the rhino-males. During such visits, the male picks up the scent of females in ‘heat’ and ready to raise a family. The females become sexually mature at the age of six to seven years, while males become sexually mature at about 10 years old. The gestation period is around 15-16 months. The calf, which typically weighs 40-60 kg, is weaned by the mother for about 15 months and continues to stay with its mother for the first two to three years of its life. In the wild, the birth interval for this species is estimated to be four to five years. If this very majestic species, that is very critically endangered, is to be protected, two things need to be seriously legislated and enforced. The rainforests has to be protected from both illegal and also heavy legal logging which has proven unsustainable in the long term and that will ensure the habitat continue to remain sustainable for the mammal. The second aspect is to have strong enforcement against poaching of this animal for its horns and the other iconic species of the forest. These may be some ways that will provide some hope to ensure the survival of this species for the future generation. References: 1. Alexander Wexler (2015). Could selling Rhino Horns save Rhinos. Wall Street Journal 23rd November, 2015 2. Groves, C. P.; Kurt, F. (1972). “Dicerorhinus sumatrenis” . Mammalian Species 21: 1–6. doi:10.2307/3503818. 3. Julia Ng, S.C.; Z. Zainal-Zahari; Adam Nordin (2001). “Wallows and Wallow Utilization of the Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) in a Natural Enclosure in Sungai Dusun Wildlife Reserve, Selangor, Malaysia”. Journal of Wildlife and Parks 19: 7–12 4. Patrick Lee (August 21, 2015), Jakarta Post. “Sumatran Rhino vanishes from M’sian jungles 5. Squatters ( 2013). “Sumatran Rhino Caught on Camera in East Kalimantan”. The Jakarta Globe. Retrieved 2 August 2014 6. Van Strien, N. J. (1974). “Dicerorhinus sumatrensis (Fischer), the Sumatran or two-horned rhinoceros: a study of literature”. Mededelingen Landbouwhogeschool Wageningen 74 (16): 1–82
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Indian Tree Frog Rhacophorus maculatus
Asian Red Giant Toad Bufo asper
ANURAS
Malayan Horned Frog Megophrys nasuta
THE GENTLE CREATURE
Contributors: Zulfadhlan Ahmad Khushairi and Amirah Hurzaid
IMPORTANCE OF ANURANS IN OUR ECOSYTEM
IMPORTANCE OF ANURANS TO THE ENVIRONMENT AS BIO-INDICATORS
While Malaysia prides and is well known for its iconic animals such as the Malayan tiger, Asian elephant and many other wildlife, it is easy to overlook some of the other animal groups that are equally diverse throughout the country. One such group are the anurans, or more commonly known as frogs and toads. The distinction between the two is that the frogs have smooth, slimy skin while the toads have dry, bumpy skin. Descending from the Class Amphibia, there are over 200 species of anurans in Malaysia that are unevenly spread throughout Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. In Peninsular Malaysia, 107 species of anurans are known to occur, while Sabah has recorded 111 species, 18 of which are endemic to that region, and Sarawak has a total of 130 species of anurans. Anurans are divided into six families, each family having its own unique assemblage of frogs and toads. The Bufonidae family consists of the true toads, while the Megophyridae family consist of frogs that mostly live on the forest floor and tend to hide during the day under leaf litter or in small burrows like in the case of the Horned Frogs. The Microhylidae family feature narrow-mouthed frogs, with some unique species that secrete a thick, sticky mucus from the glands in the skin, while the family Ranidae is one of the more familiar group of frogs that feature common species that are usually found in streams as well as in urban areas. Species from the family Rhacophoridae are mainly aboreal frogs which spend most of their time among the tree canopies in the forest. They include popular frogs that are able to “fly� from tree to tree through the forest canopy.
Most frogs and toads require suitable habitat in both the terrestrial and aquatic environments, and have permeable skin that can easily absorb toxic chemicals. These traits make anurans especially susceptible to environmental disturbances, and thus anurans are considered accurate indicators of environmental stress: the health of anurans is thought to be indicative of the health of the biosphere as a whole. Frogs have thrived in more or less their current form for over 250 million years, having survived countless environmental disturbances. Now, however, over the last half a century, one-third of the amphibian species have come to the verge of extinction. This should serve as an alarm call to humans that something is drastically wrong in the environment. There is a need to sit up and take note of the deterioration in the environment and we need to change our practices and to help protect our mother earth through minimization of our unsustainable practices and pollution of the environment.
In 2010 the smallest frog in South-east Asia, Microhyla borneensis, was discovered in the forests of Kubah National Park, Sarawak. This frog comes from the family Microhylidae and measures a mere 10-12 mm, which is roughly the tip of a pencil. This tiny frog species is most abundant where pitcher plants (Nepenthes sp.) occur and are active day and night in areas where pitcher plants grow.
References: 1. Amirah Hurzaid, Mohd Azmeer Abu Bakar, Dionysius Sharma. Nurolhuda Nasir, Reuben Sharma, Ahmad Ridzuan Yeop Aznan and Ibrahim Jaafar (2013). An Updated Checklist of the Herpetofauna of the Belum Temengor Forest Reserve, Hulu Perak, Peninsular Malaysia: In Proceeding of the 2nd Temengor Scientific Expedition 2012. 22nd-25th August, 2013, Pulau Banding Foundation. Pp 365-388 2. Alina Bradford (2015). Facts about Frogs and Toads. Life Science Contributor. http://www.livescience. com/50692-frog-facts.html
FLORA
lianas
THE CLIMBING TREES AND VINES Contributors: Mohd Saifyul Mohammad and Dr. Rahmad Zakaria Lianas is a common name given to the various species of climbing vine found throughout all tropical rainforests. Lianas have thick, woody stems and come in various lengths (up to 3,000 ft.) and varying shapes. They are defined as any of various long-stemmed, woody vines that are rooted in the soil at ground level and use trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy to get access to well-lit areas of the forest. Lianas can form bridges amidst the forest canopy, providing arboreal animals with paths across the forest. These bridges can protect weaker trees from strong winds. Lianas in a way compete with forest trees for sunlight, water and nutrients from the soil. Lianas begin their life on the forest floor but depend on trees for support as they climb upwards towards the sunlight they need for survival. They do this by attaching themselves to trees with sucker roots or tendrils and growing with the young sapling, or they climb by winding themselves round the tree’s trunk. When they reach the top of the canopy they often spread to other trees or wrap themselves around other lianas. This network of vines gives support against strong winds to the shallow-
Lianas in the forest
American Beautyberry Callicarpa americana
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Akar Saga Molek Argyreia rubicunda rooted, top-heavy trees. However, when one tree falls several others may be pulled down also. It is interesting to note that species of lianas contribute up to 38 % of the diversity of the tree flora in a tropical forest and yet this group of lianas have been poorly researched and little is known about how they contributes to the ecology and the proper functioning of the forest in total. During a scientific expedition in Belum Temengor in 2014, studies were initiated to identify the different species of lianas growing in Belum Temengor. The study revealed that a total of 118 species of Liana from 32 families were present on the trails in which the study was carried out. While this list is not exhaustive, and if more detailed studies are to be conducted, it is most probable that more species belonging to the lianas group will be discovered. In this article we illustrate some of the species that were found and identified by the researchers. References: 1. Rahmad Zakaria, Asyraf Mansor, Shaodah Juperi, Abu Husin Harun, Mohd Syaiful Mohammad & Syed Mohd Edhzan Syed Hamzah (2013). Kepelbagaian Liana Di Lembah Sungei Enam. Hutan Temengor Perak Darul Ridzuan: In Proceeding of the 2nd Temengor Scientific Expedition 2012. 22nd-25th August, 2013, Pulau Banding Foundation. Pp 157-169 2. B.E. Mohd Ridzuan, W.A. Wan Juliana, M.I. Shaharuddun, A.R. Abd. Rahman and A. Latiff (2014). Taxonomic Diversity, Abundance and Distribution of Lianas in Berembun Virgin Jungle Reserve, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. The Malaysian Forester 77(1): 49-64
Hodgsonia Hodgsonia macrophylla
FLORA
Orchids
THE PANDA OF OUR FOREST IN BELUM TEMENGOR Contributors: Ahmad Najmi Nik Hassan & Rusea Goh
DID YOU KNOW? The culinary sweet-scented vanilla essence is derived from the Vanilla orchid? (above)
Confucius in his writings called ORCHIDS “the king of fragrant plants� and over the centuries, orchids have captivated us with their elaborate beauty, exoticism, their powerful perfumes and their sublime seductiveness through their hue of enchanting colours. In the kingdom of flowering plants, orchids rule the emerald Earth. Of the over 25,000 species found worldwide, Malaysia is home to some 850 species that can be found in the Peninsula and another 2,500 in Sabah and Sarawak. To attain such abundance, orchids are opportunists that grow in high altitudes and high in the forest canopy, along the coastal plain and among rocky ravines, with most either creeping or climbing on sturdy tree trunks and intertwined among long branches. A few even survive on limestone rocks and in the moist shade of the jungle floor. The greatest varieties of wild orchids are found in the hills and mountains. Taman Negara, Cameron Highlands in Pahang and upper most Belum Temengor in Perak are three of the better-known localities for observing orchids but real orchid admirers should visit Mount Kinabalu in Sabah. Orchids account for a quarter of all flowering plants on the mountain in Malaysia and totalling a staggering 1,200 species. Wild orchid plants are usually much smaller than their commercially-grown hybrid counterparts. To appreciate the full beauty and not just the blooms of these jungle ornaments, it will be good to understand a little ecology and evolution of orchids. In general Malaysian orchids are of two types; namely, they are either epiphytes or terrestrials. Epiphytes mean that they grow on others trees or plants for their physical support but without harming the host. The terrestrial orchids on the other hand are those that grow on the forest floor thriving on decaying plant matter. Wild orchids have evolved over very long periods of time and they have evolved to be attractive to small insect pollinators and have become well adapted to niche habitats. The flower structure of wild orchids gives them their character. Some are tiny and singular; others are elongated with numerous blossoms. Orchid blooms in general can last for a week or more. Orchid flowers are also noted for their sweet fragrances. Wild orchids also showcase a spectrum of leaf designs. One of the most prized species is the jewel orchid, a plant with broad flamboyant leaves. The elephant ear orchid has thick leaves, others have pleated palm-like leaves or narrow, leathery leaves, while some species have no leaves at all.
Jewel Orchid Ludisia discolor
The Giant Plocoglottis Plocoglottis plicata
White Cinnamon Orchid Corymborkis veratrifolia
During a scientific expedition conducted into Belum Temengor, a number of wild orchids were identified. Some of these are illustrated here.
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The Java Plocoglottis Plocoglottis javanica
Medusa’s Bulbophyllum Bulbophyllum medusae
Threats and Conservation Strategies Plundering of these resources over many years have contributed to many of these wild species teetering on the brink of extinction. Many are endangered, and a good number may have already been wiped off the planet. Some rare species still exist, but only in the closely guarded sanctuaries of private collections or public botanic gardens. In Malaysia, the law controls the collection of orchids (and other flora and fauna) from protected areas such as national parks, state parks or wildlife and forest reserves. Exports must comply with CITES, which states no wild-collected species listed under Appendix I, dead or alive, is allowed. For species listed under Appendix II, trade controls, including import and export permits, are required for the protection of potentially threatened species. Like in most arts, private collectors seek fervently to collect wild orchids for their personal collections. Many species, once abundant, are now infrequently found in the rainforest due to over-collecting and habitat destruction. Rarity fetches high prices in world markets, leading to the plunder of these valued species. Many rare orchids are restricted only to certain locations. Wild populations have thus been reduced to remnants. Several hundred orchid species are rare or are endangered in East Malaysia alone. To protect these remaining species conservation centres have been established in lowland and mountain areas. Strict control on collection of wild orchids has also been instituted in Malaysia as a control measure.
The Pointed Dendrobium Dendrobium acerosum References: 1. Ricky Gregory (2003). Orchids-Wild Beauties. The Star Paper. 24th June, 2003 2. Natalie Heng (2011). The World of Orchids. The Star Online. 20th December, 2011. 3. Natalie Heng (2011). Illegal Orchid Trade a Plague/ The Star Online. 20th December, 2011 4. Rusea Go, Wong Wee Nee, Mohd Akmal Mohd Raffi, Nor Izzati Shaipudin, Farah Kamaludin, Muskhazli Mustafa and Janna Ong Abdullah (2013). In Proceeding of the 2nd Temengor Scientific Expedition 2012. 22nd-25th August, 2013, Pulau Banding Foundation. Pp 137-147
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PBF extends its sincere thanks to the followings for their generous financial support.
PRIME MINISTER’S DEPARTMENT
CONTACT US Headquarters
Pulau Banding Foundation Unit 3A-3, Level 4, Perdana The Place, Jalan PJU 8/5G, Bandar Damansara Perdana, 47820 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. T: (603) 7710 7066 F: (603) 7710 5066 E: info@pbf.org.my W: www.pbf.org.my
Research Centre Pulau Banding Rainforest Research Center Pulau Banding, 33300 Gerik, Perak T: 05-7915843 F: 05-7912763 E: info@pbf.org.my W: www.pbf.org.my