Forest fragments surprising havens for wildlife

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on August 08, 2019 / comment : 0 Biodiversity, Ecosystems, Natural Heritage, Sumatra, Wildlife

Destruction of tropical rainforests reduces many unprotected habitats to small fragments of remnant forests within agricultural lands, and to date, these remnant forest fragments have been largely disregarded as wildlife habitat.

Researchers found that forest fragments outside of Sumatra's Bukit Barisan National Park were surprisingly rich in wildlife -- including critically endangered species such as Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) [Credit: WCS]

Researchers conducted camera trap surveys within Sumatra's Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park and five surrounding remnant forest fragments, finding 28 mammal species in the protected forest and 21 in the fragments--including critically endangered species such as Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) and Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae), along with species of conservation concern such as marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata) and Asiatic golden cat (Pardofelis temminckii).

The biodiversity found within the fragments suggests that these small patches of remnant forest may have conservation value to certain mammal species and indicates the importance of further research into the role these habitats may play in landscape-level, multispecies conservation planning.

The study is published in Environmental Conservation.

Source: Wildlife Conservation Socity [August 08, 2019]

Re-inventing the hook: Orangutans spontaneously bend straight wires into hooks to fish for food

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on November 09, 2018 / comment : 0 Borneo, Endangered Species, Indonesia, Natural Heritage, Psychology, Sumatra, Wildlife

The bending of a hook into wire to fish for the handle of a basket is surprisingly challenging for young children under eight years of age. Now cognitive biologists and comparative psychologists from the University of Vienna, the University of St Andrews and the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna around Isabelle Laumer and Alice Auersperg studied hook tool making for the first time in a non-human primate species - the orangutan. To the researchers' surprise the apes spontaneously manufactured hook tools out of straight wire within the very first trial and in a second task unbent curved wire to make a straight tool.

Wild male orangutan [Credit: © Graham L. Banes]

Human children are already proficient tool-users and tool-makers from an early age on. Nevertheless, when confronted with a task, which required them to innovate a hooked tool out of a straight piece of wire in order to retrieve a basket from the bottom of a vertical tube, the job proved more challenging for children than one might think: Three to five-year-old children rarely succeed and even at the age of seven less than half of them were able to solve the task. Only at the age of eight the majority of children was able to innovate a hook-tool. Interestingly children of all tested age classes succeeded when given demonstrations on how to bend a hook and use it. Thus, although young children apparently understand what kind of tool is required and are skilled enough to make a functional tool, there seems to be a cognitive obstacle in innovating one.

Cognitive biologists and comparative psychologists from the University of Vienna, the University of St Andrews and the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna around Isabelle Laumer now tested for the first time a primate species in the hook-bending task. "We confronted the orangutans with a vertical tube containing a reward basket with a handle and a straight piece of wire. In a second task with a horizontal tube containing a reward at its centre and a piece of wire that was bent at 90°", explains Isabelle Laumer who conducted the study at the Zoo Leipzig in Germany. "Retrieving the reward from the vertical tube thus required the orangutans to bent a hook into the wire to fish the basket out of the tube. The horizontal tube in turn required the apes to unbent the bent piece of wire in order to make it long enough to push the food out of the tube."

Male orangutan using a stick tool [Credit: © Alice Auersperg]

Several orangutans mastered the hook bending task and the unbending task. Two orangutans even solved both tasks within the first minutes of the very first trial. "The orangutans mostly bent the hooks directly with their teeth and mouth while keeping the rest of the tool straight. Thereafter they immediately inserted it in correct orientation, hooked the handle and pulled the basket up", she further explains.

Orangutans share 97% of their DNA with us and are among the most intelligent primates. They have human-like long-term memory, routinely use a variety of sophisticated tools in the wild and construct elaborate sleeping nests each night from foliage and branches. Today orangutans can only be found in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo. Like all four great ape species, orangutans are listed as critically endangered (IUCN, Red List). "Habitat loss due to extensive palm-oil production, illegal wildlife trade and poaching are the major threats. Palm oil is the most widely used vegetable oil in the world. As long as there is a demand for palm oil and consumers keep buying products that contain palm oil, the palm industry thrives. According to a 2007 survey by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) orangutans will be extinct in the wild within two decades if current deforestation trends continue", says Isabelle Laumer.

Orangutans in the wild [Credit: © Graham L. Banes]

"The hook-bending task has become a benchmark paradim to test tool innovation abilities in comparative psychology", says Alice Auersperg from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna. "Considering the speed of their hook innovation, it seems that they actively invented a solution to this problem rather than applying routined behaviours."

"Finding this capacity in one of our closest relatives is astonishing. In human evolution hook tools appear relatively late. Fish hooks and harpoon-like, curved objects date back only approximately 16.000- 60.000 years. Although New Caledonian crows use hooks with regularity, there are a few observations of wild apes, such as chimpanzees and orangutans, that use previously detached branches to catch and retrieve out-of-reach branches for locomotion in the canopy. This branch-hauling tools might represents one of the earliest and simplest raking tools used and made by great apes and our ancestors", says Josep Call of the University of St Andrews.

So why struggle younger children with this task? "Follow-up studies showed that childrens difficulty with independently finding the solution cannot be explained by fixedness on unmodified tools, impulsivity nor by not being able to change the strategy. The hook bending task represents a complex problem, for which several unrewarded steps must be performed while keeping the final goal in mind", explains Isabelle Laumer. "Interestingly, complex problem solving has been associated to certain areas of the medial prefrontal cortex, which mature later in the child development. This explanation, besides children´s strong reliance on social learning might explain their success at a later age."

The study is published in Scientific Reports.

Source: University of Vienna [November 09, 2018]

Land-based bird populations are at risk of local extinction

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on September 21, 2018 / comment : 0 Bali, Biodiversity, Borneo, Endangered Species, Java, Natural Heritage, South East Asia, Sumatra, Thailand, Wildlife

Land-based bird populations are becoming confined to nature reserves in some parts of the world -- raising the risk of global extinction -- due to the loss of suitable habitat, according to a report led by UCL.

Credit: University College London

Researchers analysed biodiversity in the area known as Sundaland, which covers the peninsula of Thailand, Borneo, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java and Bali, one of the world's most biologically degraded regions.

The study, published in Conservation Letters, focuses on galliformes -- heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds such as pheasants, grouse and quail -- as their numbers are well-recorded and they are amongst the most threatened species in some parts of the world.

Scientists found that up to 13 populations (25 per cent of galliform populations in the area) have been extirpated (made locally extinct) in the region and no longer exist outside nature reserves (protected areas). The island of Sumatra has suffered the highest proportion of extirpations among the areas studied, having lost 50 percent of its galliform species in unprotected land.

As a result, certain species are only found in protected areas -- raising questions about the ultimate goal of conservation. The researchers argue that these areas were never intended to be a last resort for the existence of species and are also coming under increasing threat from human activity.

Professor Elizabeth Boakes (UCL Life Sciences) said: "Land outside of protected areas is increasingly being lost to agriculture and infrastructure, leading to species becoming confined to Sundaland's protected areas. Biodiversity in the unprotected landscape is required to maintain connectivity and ecosystem function.

"It is also critical that protected areas are managed effectively. However, nearly 20 per cent of Malaysia's and over 40 per cent of Indonesia's protected land is subject to intense human pressure.

"As one of the most biologically degraded areas, Sundaland offers a stark warning to the rest of the world should global rates of land conversion continue unabated. Conservation's end goal is not islands of biodiversity, marooned in a sea of destruction. More land must be managed in a way that accommodates biodiversity for the long term."

Sundaland is a biological hotspot, meaning it is rich in biodiversity but at risk of destruction. Despite the existence of protected areas, forest cover in Sumatra declined by five per cent between 1990 and 2000, while Kalimantan's protected lowland forests declined by more than 56 per cent between 1985 and 2001.

In addition to this, protected areas are not necessarily permanent, with downgrading over the last few years equating to a loss of 8360km² of protected land. As they become more isolated in agricultural landscapes or by the spread of roads and other infrastructure, species lose the opportunity to track and adapt to climate change.

An example of this is that just 12 per cent of Borneo's protected areas are topographically diverse enough to allow species to survive a high warming scenario.

Dr Philip McGowan, Newcastle University School of Natural and Environmental Sciences and Chair of IUCN Species Survival Commission Task Force on post 2020 biodiversity targets said: "These findings present new insights into how we should view protected areas and their ability to conserve species across landscapes.

"At a time when there is debate about how much land should be given over to protected areas, it is how they are integrated into global biodiversity targets that is perhaps critical. These targets are currently being reviewed by the Convention on Biological Diversity, which is also discussing what should follow them when they expire in 2020."

Southeast Asia's deforestation rate is the highest among tropical regions, above five per cent annually in parts of Sumatra and Sarawak. Sundaland's lowland forests are rapidly disappearing, giving us an insight into the future global conservation status of the remainder of the world if land outside of protected areas continues to be lost, putting the reserves at increased risk from climate change and human activity.

Source: University College London [September 21, 2018]

Rethinking the orangutan: How 70,000 years of human interaction have shaped an icon of wild nature

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on June 27, 2018 / comment : 0 Borneo, Endangered Species, Fossils, Indonesia, Natural Heritage, Sumatra, Wildlife

The evolution of the orangutan has been more heavily influenced by humans than was previously thought, new research reveals.

Orangutan are living in heavily disturbed landscape dominated by oil palm plantations in the Lower Kinabatangan floodplain, Malaysian Borneo [Credit: HUTAN/KOCP (Kinabatangan Orang-utan Conservation Programme)]

Professor Mike Bruford, of Cardiff University, was part of the team of scientists shedding light on the development of the critically endangered species. Their findings offer new possibilities for orangutan conservation.

One of humans' closet living relatives, the orangutan has become a symbol of nature's vulnerability in the face of human actions and an icon of rainforest conservation.

But in the research paper published in the journal Science Advances, the team argues this view overlooks how humans, over thousands of years, have shaped the orangutan known today.

Professor Bruford, of the Sustainable Places Research Institute and the School of Biosciences who is a co-author of the paper, said: "This research offers new hope for how we can save the orangutan from extinction.

"Our studies show that orangutans actually have a long history of adapting their behaviour to survive in different areas, even those that have been heavily impacted by humans. This means they can live in much more varied habitats than previously thought.

"There needs to be a multifaceted approach to conservation efforts that incorporates human-dominated landscapes, reduces hunting and increases habitat quality."

This is an orangutan fossil tooth from the Pleistocene in Sumatra [Credit: Gilbert Price]

It was often assumed that environmental factors like fruit availability were primarily responsible for most features of modern-day orangutans, such as the fact that they usually live at low densities and have a restricted geographic distribution.

But the study indicates the orangutan that existed before modern humans and arrived in Southeast Asia 70,000 years ago may have been quite different.

Lead author Stephanie Spehar, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, said: "Our synthesis of fossil, archeological, genetic and behavioral evidence indicates that long-term interactions with humans shaped orangutans in some pretty profound ways."

These creatures were once far more widespread and abundant, with orangutan teeth among the most common animal remains in deposits in China, Thailand and Vietnam. They weathered many environmental changes and may even have lived in a wider range of environments than their modern counterparts.

Today, the orangutan is only found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.

Studies of the species living in heavily human-impacted habitats, such as oil palm and forestry plantations, highlight that the apes can adapt to survive in such areas, at least in the short term.

It had always been assumed that orangutans were mostly arboreal, but camera traps in the forest showed they also walk extensively on the ground in some areas. The team is calling for these findings to be applied to conservation efforts immediately.

Professor Bruford added: "Although much effort has already been made to understand the endangered orangutan, this latest study shows that much work still needs to be done to ensure conservation strategies are as robust and wide-ranging as possible. Only then will we stand a fighting chance of preventing this incredibly important animal from being wiped out."

Source: Cardiff University [June 27, 2018]

World's rarest ape on the edge of extinction

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on May 03, 2018 / comment : 0 Endangered Species, Natural Heritage, Sumatra, Wildlife

In a new research article, a team of international researchers argue that the Tapanuli Orangutan—a species discovered last year in Sumatra, Indonesia, and one of the rarest animals on the planet—could lose its battle for survival, unless decisive steps are taken to rescue it.

A Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) in northern Sumatra, Indonesia [Credit: Maxime Aliaga]

“In forty years of research, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything this dramatic,” said Professor William Laurance from James Cook University in Australia, leader of the research team.

“This is just the seventh species of Great Ape ever discovered, and it could go extinct right before our eyes,” said Professor Jatna Supriatna from the University of Indonesia, a co-author of the study.

“Fewer than 800 of the apes survive, and they’re under assault from mega-projects, deforestation, road building, and poaching,” said Dr Sean Sloan, lead author of the article in Current Biology.

A Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) in northern Sumatra, Indonesia [Credit: Maxime Aliaga]

“Their entire remaining habitat is unbelievably small—less than a tenth the size of Sydney, Australia,” said Sloan.

The authors say the most imminent threat is a planned U.S.$1.6 billion mega-dam—the Batang Toru project—that would be constructed by a Chinese state-owned corporation, Sinohydro, and funded by Chinese financiers.

“If it proceeds, the dam will flood crucial parts of the ape’s habitat, while chopping up its remaining habitat with new roads and powerlines,” said Supriatna.

A Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) in northern Sumatra, Indonesia [Credit: Maxime Aliaga]

The team discovered the ape survives only in areas with virtually no roads, which promote illegal logging, clearing, and poaching.

“This is a critical test for China and Indonesia. They say they want sustainable development—but words are cheap,” said Laurance.

“Without urgent action, this could be ecological Armageddon for one of our closest living relatives.”

Source: James Cook University [May 03, 2018]

Humans are Sumatran rhinoceros' biggest threat - and last hope

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on April 30, 2018 / comment : 0 Endangered Species, Genetics, Natural Heritage, Sumatra, Wildlife

The little-known and smallest member of the rhinoceros family, the Sumatran rhinoceros, is critically endangered. Today between 30 and 100 are isolated on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo in Southeast Asia. In a new study, researchers urge conservationists to translocate the two island groups--representing two subspecies of the Sumatran rhino--and to create a cell bank to preserve the genetic diversity uncovered by this work.

To save the Sumatran rhino, researchers urge conservationists to translocate the remaining rhinos and create a cell bank to preserve the species' remaining genetic diversity [Credit: Barney Long/GWC]

"It is heartbreaking as a geneticist to recommend that two subspecies, which are probably as different as humans were from the Neanderthals, should be combined into a single conservation unit," said Al Roca, a professor of animal sciences in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois.

Published in the Journal of Heredity, the study analyzed 13 samples taken from zoos and the wild as well as 26 museum specimens to reveal differences in the species' mitochondrial DNA, the small proportion of the genome that is passed down only from mothers to their offspring.

The study exposed 17 distinct mitochondrial haplotypes, a group of genes inherited from one parent, that can be used to trace a species' migrations and distribution across thousands of years. The mitochondrial DNA also confirmed the classification of three subspecies of Sumatran rhinos: D. s. lasiotis (likely extinct), D. s. harrissoni, and D. s. sumatrensis.

The Sumatran rhino is the smallest of the remaining rhino species, but it is critically endangered - with 100 or fewer  left in the wild today [Credit: Terri Roth]

In the wild, Sumatran Rhinos are solitary creatures, only coming together to breed. In such few numbers, it is increasingly difficult for them to find each other in their mountainous habitat. What's more, if they are not able to mate, females develop reproductive diseases that prevent them from successfully breeding.

"My strongest recommendation is that they are brought into breeding centers as soon as possible because they aren't going to survive in the wild in such low numbers," Roca said. "A population of 10 individuals loses 5 percent of their genetic diversity each generation, which they cannot spare."

"Unfortunately, at this point, we have to act quickly and risk losing unique genetic lineages in order to save a whole species," said first author Jessica Brandt, now a professor of biology at Marian University.

This genetic erosion can be prevented, or slowed, by combining the remaining rhinos to create a larger population. A century of captive breeding efforts have yielded few babies, but recent successes suggest ex situ breeding facilities could help save this species from the brink of extinction--the result of poaching and habitat loss due to legal and illegal logging for desirable hardwoods.

To ensure the long-term genetic health of the species, the authors implore conservationists to preserve the genomes of every living Sumatran rhino. In the future, preserved cell lines could be used to create artificial gametes, to reverse the effects of inbreeding and harmful mutations.

"We may one day be able to use stored cells to bring back what was once lost, reversing the effects of inbreeding, drift, and our own folly," Roca said. "Because they are at such low numbers, every single living Sumatran rhino is genetically very valuable, and preserving cells with genetic material from each surviving individual is of paramount importance."

Source: Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois [April 30, 2018]