Imbak-Kalabakan

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Asia > Malaysia > Imbak-Kalabakan

Summary

  • Northeast Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus morio) are present in the Imbak-Kalabakan landscape.
  • It has been estimated that 1,570 (CI: 1,037-2,374) individuals occur in the site.
  • The orangutan population trend is unknown.
  • The site has a total size of 4,805 km².
  • Key threats to orangutans are habitat fragmentation and human-orangutan conflict.
  • Conservation activities are not documented.

Site characteristics

The Imabalak-Kalabakan region is located in Malaysian Borneo, in the northeastern state of Sabah. The region comprises 2,175 sq.km of protected and 2,630 of unprotected areas (SWD 2020). The vegetation is characterised by a mixture of heath, lowland and upland mixed dipterocarp forests (Simon, Davis & Ancrenaz 2019). Fragmented forests, such as the Brantian-Tantulit virgin jungle, the Ulu Kalumpang Forest Reserve, and oil palm and industrial tree plantations are found in the Kalabakan landscape, where land use continues to change (Phaik Imm et al. 2021).

Table 1. Basic site information for Imbak-Kalabakan

Area 4,805 km²
Coordinates 5.013665 N, 117.177508 E
Designation Unclassified
Habitat types Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, plantations

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

A 2017 survey revealed an enormous increase in population size in 15 years, from 313 to 1,570 orangutans (Simon, Davis & Ancrenaz 2019). The population has remained sparse and dispersed over a large area. These higher densities may reflect immigration from adjacent land areas where there has been substantial clearance of forest between the two surveys. The larger population estimate was also due to more intensive survey efforts, and a substantial but scattered orangutan population was probably underestimated in the past (Simon, Davis & Ancrenaz 2019).

Table 2. Ape population estimates in Imbak-Kalabakan

Species Year Abundance estimate (95% CI) Density estimate [ind./ km²] (95% CI) Encounter rate (nests/km) Area Method Source Comments A.P.E.S. database ID
Pongo pygmaeus morio 2002-2003 262(80–860) 0.06 (0.02–0.19) Imbak-Kalabakan, Production Forest Aerial survey Simon, Davis & Ancrenaz 2019
Pongo pygmaeus morio 2017 876 (579–1323) 0.33 (0.22–0.50) Imbak-Kalabakan, Production Forest Aerial survey Simon, Davis & Ancrenaz 2019
Pongo pygmaeus morio 2002-2003 51 (17–166) 0.06 (0.02–0.19) Imbak-Kalabakan, Protected Forest Aerial survey Simon, Davis & Ancrenaz 2019
Pongo pygmaeus morio 2017 694 (458–1051) 0.32 (0.21–0.48) Imbak-Kalabakan, Protected Forest Aerial survey Simon, Davis & Ancrenaz 2019

Threats

Habitat fragmentation and conflicts with people are the major threats to orangutans in the region (SWD 2020).

Table 3. Threats to apes in Imbak-Kalabakan

Category Specific threats Threat level Quantified severity Description Year of threat
1. Residential & commercial development Unknown
2. Agriculture & aquaculture 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops High Forest loss and fragmentation due to conversion of forest to agricultural land. In Sabah, palm oil accounted for 60% of forest conversion between 1973 and 2015 (SWD 2020). Ongoing (2020)
2.2 Wood & pulp plantations High Plantations of Sabah Softwoods Berhad (SSB), an industrial tree plantation and oil palm plantation company, are situated within the Kalabakan landscape (Phaik Imm et al. 2021). Ongoing (2021)
3. Energy production & mining Unknown
4. Transportation & service corridors 4.1 Roads & railroads Present, but threat severity unknown Roads, bridges, dams, and railways split populations into smaller subpopulations and give access to poachers and lead to human encroachment (SWD 2020). Ongoing (2020)
5. Biological resource use 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals High Hunting due to conflict and for bushmeat (SWD 2020). Ongoing (2020)
6. Human intrusion & disturbance Unknown
7. Natural system modifications Unknown
8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases Unknown
9. Pollution Unknown
10. Geological Events Absent
11. Climate change & severe weather Unknown
12. Other options Absent

IUCN Threats list

Conservation activities

Table 4. Conservation activities in Imbak-Kalabakan

Category Specific activity Description Year of activity
1. Residential & commercial development Not reported
2. Agriculture & aquaculture Not reported
3. Energy production & mining Not reported
4. Transportation & service corridors Not reported
5. Biological resource use Not reported
6. Human intrusion & disturbance Not reported
7. Natural system modifications Not reported
8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases Not reported
9. Pollution Not reported
10. Education & Awareness Not reported
11. Habitat Protection Not reported
12. Species Management Not reported
13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives Not reported

Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)

Challenges

Table 5. Challenges reported for Imbak-Kalabakan

Challenge Source
Not reported

Research activities

Documented behaviours

Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Imbak-Kalabakan

Behavior Source
Not reported

External links

Relevant datasets

A.P.E.S Portal

References

Simon, D., Davies, G., & Ancrenaz, M. (2019). Changes to Sabah's orangutan population in recent times: 2002-2017. PloS one, 14(7), e0218819. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0218819
Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD). (2020). Orangutan Action Plan for Sabah 2020-2029. Kota, Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Phaik Imm, C., Pei Hue, K., & Nathan, R. (2021). Can the Oil Palm Industry and Elephant Conservation Be Reconciled? A Case Study in Kalabakan, Sabah. Gajah, 53, 30-38.


Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date:22/11/2021