IMPORTANCE OF WILDLIFE

CONSERVATION FOR THE

MALAYSIAN SOCIETY

Mohd Tajuddin Abdullah, Faisal Ali Anwarali Khan, Reuben

Clement, Lee Kian Foh & Madinah Adrus

1st Forum on Health and Biodiversity &

2nd Symposium on Biodiversity and Health in Southeast Asia:
translating research to action
Mahidol University, Bangkok 11-13th July 2016
 CONTENTS
1.  Socio-Economy & Biodiversity Overview
2.  Issues & Gaps in Biodiversity Understanding
3.  Way Forward – Socio-Cultural, Bioeconomy &
Governance
MALAYSIA COUNTRY PROFILE
• Federation of 13 states + 3
FTs
• Area - 33.27 million
hectares
• Population – 29 million
• Multiracial >40 ethnic
groups
• Popn density – 91/km2
• Urban popn – 74%
ECONOMY
Economy – Industrial agriculture,
manufacturing, forestry (timber),
mining, petroleum & tourism

GDP per capita – USD10,548

Growth rate – 5-4%
 HISTORICAL STANDPOINTS ON SOCIO-
ECONOMY
1.  Colonist Hegemony Phase
•  4th-14th centuries – Srivijaya
•  505 years of stolen wealth & capital punishment
•  1511 –Portuguese; 1641 Dutch; 1824 British; 1942-1945
Japanese; 1945-1957 British.
2.  Pre independence Phase
•  Extremely poor, uneducated, landless population; deficient
basic infrastructure.
3.  Post independence Phase: 59 years
•  Reconstruction on socio-economy, education & wealth
•  1957 – 1980s: Rubber and timber were major economic
drivers
•  1990s-today: industrial agriculture, light manufacturing,
petroleum, tourism & services
 6

Biodiversity - Variability among living organisms from

all sources including terrestrial, marine and aquatic
ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which
they are part; this includes diversity within species,
between species, and of ecosystems.

17 May 2013
 BIODIVERSITY, ECO-SERVICES &
SOCIETY
•  Hunting and collecting for Orang Asli and forest dwelling communities
•  Subsistence for poor rural communities
•  Traditional medicine
•  Timber and wood products
•  Clean water
•  mineral water
•  power generation
•  Paddy Irrigation
•  Forest maintenance >Pollination
•  Revenue from timber for the state
 Buceros rhinoceros
Sandstone Hornfel

Panthera tigris jacksoni

Panthera pardus

Dendrobium terengganuensis
Rafflesia sp.

Species Diversity

Photographs by R. Clements
Pearsonia tembatensis Kenyirus sodhii
Continental sandstone

Falco peregrinus

Dryland
1.  Lowland Dipterocarp Forest
2.  Hill Dipterocarp Forest
3.  Mixed Dipterocarp Forest
4.  Upper Dipterocarp Forest
5.  Montane Oak Forest
6.  Montane Ericaceous Forest, -
including
7.  Sub-alpine Forest
8.  Heath Forest
9.  Forest on Limestone
10.  Forest on Ultra basic Soil
11.  Forest on Quartz Ridges
12.  White Meranti-Gerutu Seasonal
Forest
13.  Schima-Bamboo Forest
ECOSYSTEM DIVERSITY
Wetland Estuarine
1.  Riparian Forest 1.  Mangrove Swamp Forest
2.  Freshwater Swamp 2.  Nipah Swamp
3.  Gelam Swamp Forest
4.  Peat Swamp Forest
12th hyper species rich &
endemism for vertebrates &
vascular plants
Forested area – 17.98 million ha
444 protected areas land and sea
4,125,895.1 ha.
 HISTORICAL & RECENT EXTINCTION
Phase 1 – Catastrophic Supervolcano Mount Toba Explosion
•  75,000 years ago; 2,800 cu km of magma & ash
•  10 yrs volcanic winter & 19000 yrs ice age
•  Near extinction of Human; reduced to 10,000 in SEA
•  Genetic bottleneck & significant wildlife extinctions
Phase 2 - LGM
•  Last Glacial Maximum 20-10 kyr
Phase 3
•  Holocene
Phase 4
•  Modern anthropogenic driven
 Lack of
knowledge

Forest
Invasive conversion –
species Economic
Development

THREATS TO Poor Funding &

Enforcement
8 Population
growth
THREATS
BIODIVERSITY

Extreme Industrial
weather & fire Pollution

Poaching &
Encroachment
1970s – 1990s
ECOLOGY & DISTRIBUTION 12

•  Deforestation rate >250-480 km2/yr Mammal PM Sumatra Borneo Java

•  131,794km2 PM
Orang utan 0 X X 0
•  198,000 km2 in Sbh & Swk
Siamang X X 0 0
•  460 spp in Pasoh 11 ha plot
Tiger X X 0 X
•  495 spp in Bukit Lagong 2 ha plot
Bear X X X 0
Elephant X X X 0
•  Minimum Viable Population by
Soule & Wilcox (1980) failed. Tapir X X 0 0
Sumatran rhino X X X 0
Javan rhino X X 0 X
Banteng X 0 X X
8 8 5 3
(-3)
 ECOLOGY & DISTRIBUTION
13

Parameters 1970s 1990s 2010

•  Extinction of wildlife;
Forest area in 8,012,000 6,269,000 5,864,000
•  Habitat loss & Hunting Peninsular
•  Population growth
Oil palm 55,000 1,698,000 2,524,000
•  Industrial crops (oil palm &
Rubber 1,723,000 1,536,000 777,000
rubber)
•  Infrastructural development
Population 9,147,000 14,627,000 22,146,000
( roads, dams)
•  High income
Agric GDP (RM) 11.2 b 21.5 b 25.7 b
Mean household 245 1,195 3,930
income (RM)

Miyamoto et al (2014). Proximate and underlying causes

of forest cover change in Peninsular Malaysia
 14

IMPACT OF HABITAT LOSS & HUNTING

Taxa Pop (Year) 2016 Status

Sumatran rhinos, Peninsular 50-82 (1980) 0 Extinct

Tiger 3,500 (1954) 250?

Seladang 472 (1980) 200?

Elephant 671 (1982) 300?

Primates – 7 spp 2,023,000 (1957) 1,195,000 (1975) 59%

 EMERGING AND RE-EMERGING
DISEASES
•  The host wildlife live in stable habitat in
the primary forest (Natchatram, 2008).
•  The destruction of that ecosystems by
human for new settlement disturb the
normal behaviour of host animal which
carried the vector ectoparasite
•  Disturbed wildlife try to adapt the new
ecosystem and live closely with human
being.
•  Increased the potential of the
transmission of the diseases carried by
the host animal to human being
•  Capture & relocation; captivity
 16

EMERGING AND RE-EMERGING

DISEASES
•  Plasmodium knowlesi jumping from
primates to human – Prof Balbir Singh
•  Leptospirosis - 2009
•  Disturbances to the ecosystem and
population?
•  Wildlife closer to humans?
•  New ideas?
•  Indicators onset of EID?
•  Lacking field biologists & funding

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3627167/
LEPTOSPIRA NEW HOSTS 17

17 May 2013
 18

LESSONS LEARNED FROM MANAGEMENT

FAILURES?
 19

OPEN NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPLORE

>10 genetic species and morphological species in

Complete genome sequenced chiroptera & rodentia
 20

NEW SPECIES
Taxa Characteristic No spp
Cynopterus brachyotis Morphology, ecology, 2
genetic
Eonycteris spealea Morphology, genetic 2
Kerivoula papillosa Morphology, genetic 2
Myotis muricola Genetic; East & West of 2
Wallace Line
Maxomys whiteheadi Morphology, genetic 2
 Maxomys Species Complex 21

Significant variation among Maxomys sp., M. whiteheadi, M. rajah, M.

surifer, M. baeodon, M. ochraceiventer and M. alticola.

Six major morphological distinct

populations; M. rajah (G), M. surifer
(I), M. baeodon (A), M. alticola (B),
M. ochraceiventer (H), M. whiteheadi
(D,E,F), Maxomys sp. nov (C) in
Kalimantan (Anang 2010)
 22

Photo by Quentin Phillips and

Karen Phillips
 GOVERNANCE
Forestry and Land under the State list of the Federal Constitution
Wildlife is under the concurrent list.

1.  WCA 2010 in Peninsular - vertebrates and invertebrates

2.  WCE 1997 in Sabah - Animals
3.  WPO 1998 in Sarawak – Animals and plants
4.  Fishery Act 1985 – marine mammals
5.  Forestry Act in Peninsular – on forest administration
6.  Orang Asli Act – allow self consumption of wildlife
7.  National Park Act – establishing national parks
 THE WAY FORWARD
Taman Taman Terengganu Case Study

•  Making conservation & ecosystem services pay

•  Willingness to pay
•  Profitable green economy
•  Selling points – natural forest with tigers, elephants,
serow, Seladang
•  Ecological services – clean water; flood control
during monsoon & free flow during drought
•  Offset timber revenue RM3,600/ha x 3,000 ha/yr
Terengganu State Enactment 1986
 SS

Terengganu State Enactment 1986; SPU TTT Endowment Fund

1. Steering Committee (State, 1.  Program financing

Federal Gov reps + fund manager) 2.  State & Federal Fund
2. Advisory Committee (Scientists + 3.  Private & NGO
NGOs + Local Communities) 4.  Water sales – domestic,
TAMAN-TAMAN
3. Operational Managers & industrial & power
Rangers
TERENGGANU
5.  WTO RM3,600/ha to offset
4. TTT Endowment Fund logging

PULAU REDANG PARK KENYIR PARK SETIU PARK

HOW MUCH TO MANAGE?
HOW TO MANAGE BIODIVERSITY
1. Protected Forest
Ecosystems – Ecological
Services

2. Buffer zone

3. Managed Forest –
Livelihood & Socio-
economic
 ON PAPER TO
GAZETTE 119,480
HA OUT OF
526,100 HA
FOREST RESERVE

23%

TIMBER
RM430,128,000?
[USD107 M]
Based on current water
tariffs in Terengganu,
state government can
make up to
RM2 million/year??
Increased costs to mitigate floods

RM304 million in 2014

Loss of revenue from other departments, including
water provision

Royal Malaysian Police (RM271,320)

Health Department (RM315,700)
Public Works Department (RM233.89 million)
Drainage and Irrigation Department (RM12.9 million)
Agriculture Department (RM2.9 million)
Veterinary Service Department (RM4 million)
Fisheries Department (RM1.6 million)
District offices (RM9.4 million)
Local government authorities (RM10 million)
Education Department (RM18 million)
Syarikat Air Terengganu (RM7.9 million)
Telekom Malaysia Terengganu (RM296,000)
Importance of proposed State Park for ecosystem services

Malaysian  durian  
industry  worth  
RM380  million/year  
Importance of proposed State Park for
eco-tourism
 Importance of proposed State Park for
cultural tourism (Orang Asli + Malay communities)
 Terengganu’s  
•  \ tourism  industry  
worth  RM2.6  
billion/year  
In  2012,  tourism  revenue  from  Kenyir  was  RM397  million/
year  
 CO-MANAGEMENT OF
RESOURCES
Politicians – law makers
Professionals – foresters, administrators, managers, tourism operators
People – Orang Asli, local communities; nature lovers; NGOs
 FATWA
AGREEMENT ACHIEVED AMONG ULAMA THROUGH ULAMA
CONFERENCE BY USING THE POLICIES OF CERTAIN RULES
SUCH AS AL-MUNA TAQYID
 What Is The More 1,400 years ago
Relationship Islam permitted hunting activity as
Between Islamic a resource of halal foods; maintain
the safety of human life
Philosophy
&
Environmental Law banning hunting in order to
protect the habitat, plant and
Laws? wildlife from extinction.
 Water, Air, Energy
& Land
CONCLUSION
Conservation

Natural forested
Management of lands are highly
natural species
valued

ENVIRONMENTAL
PHILOSOPHY
Recognise local
eco-knowledge,
Obligations to rights of
hold in trust for
communities;
our future
ordinary citizens
generations
to seek local
knowledge

Our responsibility
& obligation to
Reduce arrest extinction
population &
of ecosystem,
consumption of
species &
resources
populations
during our lifetime
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
Various research grants
Students & friends for ideas
Dr Serge Morand & organising committee for invitation