Ulu Sungai Menyang

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Summary

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• Northwest Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) are present in Ulu Sungai Menyang.
• It has been estimated that 200-270 individuals occur in the site.
• The orangutan population trend is unknown.
• The site has a total size of 430 km².
• Key threats to orangutans are hunting and potential habitat loss due to logging.
• Conservation activities have focused on ecotourism, supporting livelihoods through a gaharu tree project, and supporting orangutans by planting fruit trees and palms that they feed on.
• Indigenous Iban longhouse communities are found in the site, where they have lived for centuries; through their knowledge and customs they have protected orangutans and other wildlife in the area.

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  Ulu Sungai Menyang © Isabel Ordaz-Nemeth
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  Iban longhouse © Isabel Ordaz-Nemeth
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  Sago palms for orangutans © Isabel Ordaz-Nemeth

Site characteristics

The site is located in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, Borneo. It is situated between Batang Ai National Park, the border to Indonesia, and the Batang Ai lake, which is an artificial lake that was created as a hydroelectric reservoir. The site, which is now classified as a Conservation Area, was proposed as an extension of Batang Ai National park following a 2013 survey that documented a high density of orangutans in the area (Borneo Adventure 2019, Sarawak Tourism).

Table 1. Basic site information for Ulu Sungai Menyang

Species	'Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus
Area	430 km²
Coordinates	Lat: 1.191402 , Lon: 111.939060
Type of site	Conservation area
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, Artificial aquatic (water storage), Agricultural land
Type of governance

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Female orangutan © Isabel Ordaz-Nemeth

Ape status

Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Ulu Sungai Menyang

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 pygmaeus	2012-2013			0.82 (0.41-1.26)	115 (57-176)	Ulu Sungai Menyang landscape, 140 km2	Full count		Pandong et al. 2018
Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus	2023				270	Ulu Sungai Menyang Conservation Area	Informed guess		Manggat Meringai pers. comm. 2023	Manggat Meringai is the chief of the Manggat longhouse, located inside the conservation area

Threats

Logging companies have been stopped by local Iban communities on multiple occasions (Manggat M. pers comm. 2023).

Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Ulu Sungai Menyang

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	Low (up to 30% of population affected)	Some forest clearing occurs for agriculture, mainly rice cultivation. However, the Iban community allow for the forest to regenerate and the expansion of paddy fields is controlled (Ordaz-Nemeth pers. obs. 2023).	Ongoing (2023)
5 Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Present (unknown severity)	Hunters come from outside towns and communities and target different wildlife, including orangutans (Manggat M. pers comm. 2023).	Ongoing (2023)
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

IUCN Threats list

Conservation activities

Due to an abundance of feeding trees and protection from the local Iban longhouse communities, the orangutan population in the area is stable. WWF-Malaysia and the Forest Department Sarawak initiated a project in 2014 to support income generation for local communities through the plantation of native gaharu trees in degraded land. Gaharu trees are used for the production of agarwood, but the leaves can also be harvested and used for tea (WWF).

Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Ulu Sungai Menyang

Category	Specific activity	Description	Implementing organization(s)	Year of activity
2 Counter-wildlife crime	2.12 Implement community control of patrolling, banning hunting and removing snares	Local Iban communities do not hunt nor consume orangutans (Manggat M. pers comm. 2023).		Ongoing (2023)
5 Protection & restoration	5.2 Legally protect ape habitat	The site is designated as a Conservation Area.		Ongoing (2023)

Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)

Challenges

Table 5. Challenges reported for Ulu Sungai Menyang

Challenges	Specific challenges	Source	Year(s)
	Not reported

Enablers

Table 6. Enablers reported for Ulu Sungai Menyang

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

Documented behaviours

Table 7. Behaviours documented for Ulu Sungai Menyang

Behavior	Source
Not reported

References

Borneo Adventure (2019). 200 orangutan found living outside Batang Ai National Park. Retrieved 15 Sept 2023. Online: https://borneoadventure.com/blog/2013/04/orangutan-survey-menyang/

WWF (n.d.). Planting a future for orangutans and people. Retrieved 15 Sept 2023.Online: https://www.wwf.org.uk/success-stories/planting-future-orangutans-and-people

Page created by: Isabel Ordaz-Nemeth Date: NA