Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve
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Summary
- Northeast Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus morio) are present in Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve.
- It has been estimated that 200 (100-300) individuals occur in the site.
- The orangutan population trend is decreasing.
- The site has a total size of 43 km².
- Orangutans at the site are threatened by pressure from human encroachment and logging.
- Conservation activities have focused on rehabilitation of orphaned and rescued orangutans, ecotourism and education.
Site characteristics
The site is located in the Malaysian state of Sabah, in the northern part of Borneo. Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve was first gazetted in 1931, and in 1984 the site was designated as a Class VI or Virgin Jungle Forest Reserve (Salam & Busrah 2020). The 43 sq. km reserve comprises a range of disturbed and primary dipterocarp forest (Salam & Busrah 2020). The mangrove forests fringing the south of the reserve are protected as Sepilok Mangrove Virgin Jungle reserve (BirdLife International 2021). Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve encompasses several nature tourism and education centres such as the Rainforest Discovery Centre, the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, and the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre. (Salam & Busrah 2020).
Table 1. Basic site information for Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve
| Species | 'Pongo pygmaeus morio |
| Area | 43 km² |
| Coordinates | Lat: 5.844575 , Lon: 117.947205 |
| Type of site | Protected area (Forest Reserve) |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, Subtropical/tropical heavily degraded former forest |
| Type of governance |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve
| Species | Year | Occurrence | Encounter or vistation rate (nests/km; ind/day) | Density estimate [ind./ km²] (95% CI) | Abundance estimate (95% CI) | Survey area | Sampling method | Analytical framework | Source | Comments | A.P.E.S. database ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pongo pygmaeus morio | 1997 | 200 (100-300) | Sepilok | Aerial (drones/plane/helicopter) | Sabah Wildlife Department, as cited by Ancrenaz et al. 2005 |
Threats
Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Geological events | Absent | |||
| 12 Other threat | Absent | |||
| 2 Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | High (more than 70% of population affected) | Throughout the region, forest conversion and fragmentation due to expansion of oil palm plantations (Wich et al. 2008). | Ongoing (2008) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Low (up to 30% of population affected) | Illegal poaching is minimal (BirdLife International 2021). | Ongoing (2021) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Low (up to 30% of population affected) | Since 1957 logging has been banned in the reserve; illegal logging has rarely happened since then (BirdLife International 2021). | Ongoing (2021) |
| 1 Residential & commercial development | Unknown | |||
| 3 Energy production & mining | Unknown | |||
| 4 Transportation & service corridors | Unknown | |||
| 6 Human intrusions & disturbance | Unknown | |||
| 7 Natural system modifications | Unknown | |||
| 8 Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Unknown | |||
| 9 Pollution | Unknown | |||
| 11 Climate change & severe weather | Unknown |
Conservation activities
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre (located within the site) was founded in 1964, to rehabilitate orphaned orangutans. It is one of the oldest rehabilitation centres in the world and has received hundreds of orphaned orangutans from Sabah, which are then released in the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve (Kuze et al. 2008). New arrivals go through a veterinary check, followed by a quarantine period of 90 days to ensure that they are disease-free. After quarantine, very young orangutans (0–3 years old) are placed in the indoor nursery, which consists of both outdoor and indoor cages. Older orangutans (>3 years old) are immediately released into the reserve if they are found to be in good health (Kuze et al. 2008)
Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve
| Category | Specific activity | Description | Implementing organization(s) | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Education & awareness | 4.1 Educate local communities about apes and sustainable use | Sepilok is considered by the Wildlife Department to be a useful educational tool with which to educate both the locals and visitors (Orangutan Appeal UK, n.d.). | Ongoing | |
| 5 Protection & restoration | 5.2 Legally protect ape habitat | The forest reserve was first gazetted in 1931. | Ongoing (2021) | |
| 6 Species management | 6.4 Provide supplementary food for apes | Recently rehabilitated individuals have their diet supplemented by daily feedings. The additional food supplied is purposefully monotonous and boring so as to encourage the orangutans to start to forage for themselves (Orangutan Appeal UK, n.d.). | Ongoing | |
| 6 Species management | 6.8 Reintroduction of apes (captively-bred or rehabilitated indviduals) | Orangutans are released into the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, where orangutans are already present (Orangutan Appeal UK, n.d.). | Ongoing | |
| 6 Species management | 6.8 Reintroduction of apes (captively-bred or rehabilitated indviduals) | Orangutans are released into the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve (Orangutan Appeal UK, n.d.). | Ongoing | |
| 6 Species management | 6.9 Rehabilitate injured/orphaned apes | The facility provides medical care for orphaned and confiscated orangutans (Orangutan Appeal UK, n.d.). | Ongoing | |
| 8 Permanent presence | 8.2 Run tourist projects and ensure permanent human presence at site | The centre is open to visitors. Visitors are restricted to walkways and are not allowed to approach or handle the apes (Orangutan Appeal UK, n.d.). | Ongoing |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve
| Challenges | Specific challenges | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not reported |
Enablers
Table 6. Enablers reported for Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve
| Enablers | Specific enablers | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Site management | |||
| 2 Resources and capacity | |||
| 3 Engaged community | |||
| 4 Institutional support | |||
| 5 Ecological context | |||
| 6 Safety and stability |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 7. Behaviours documented for Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Exposure to climate change impacts
External links
Relevant datasets
References
Ancrenaz M, Gimenez O, Ambu L, Ancrenaz K, Andau P, Goossens B, et al. (2005) Aerial Surveys Give New Estimates for Orangutans in Sabah, Malaysia. PLoS Biol 3(1): e3. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0030003
Kuze, N., Sipangkui, S., Malim, T. P., Bernard, H., Ambu, L. N., & Kohshima, S. (2008). Reproductive parameters over a 37-year period of free-ranging female Borneo orangutans at Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. Primates, 49(2), 126-134.
Wich, S. A., Meijaard, E., Marshall, A. J., Husson, S., Ancrenaz, M., Lacy, R. C., ... & Singleton, I. (2008). Distribution and conservation status of the orang-utan (Pongo spp.) on Borneo and Sumatra: how many remain?. Oryx, 42(3), 329-339.
Salam, P. M. S., & Busrah, H. M. (2020). Preliminary anuran checklist of Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sabah. SEPILOK BULLETIN, 59.
BirdLife International (2021) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Kabili-Sepilok. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 05/11/2021.
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