Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve
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
| Area | 43 km² |
| Coordinates | 5.844575 N, 117.947205 E |
| Designation | Forest Reserve |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, Subtropical/tropical mangrove vegetation above high tide level, Subtropical/Tropical Heavily Degraded Former Forest |
Ape status
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve
| 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 | 1997 | 200 (100-300) | Sepilok | Aerial survey | Sabah Wildlife Department, as cited by Ancrenaz et al. 2005 |
Threats
Table 3. Threats to apes in Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve
| 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 | Throughout the region, forest conversion and fragmentation due to expansion of oil palm plantations (Wich et al. 2008). | Ongoing (2008) | |
| 3. Energy production & mining | Unknown | ||||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Unknown | ||||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Low | Illegal poaching is minimal (BirdLife International 2021). | Ongoing (2021) | |
| 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Low | Since 1957 logging has been banned in the reserve; illegal logging has rarely happened since then (BirdLife International 2021). | Ongoing (2021) | ||
| 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 |
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 in Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve
| 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 | 10.1. Educate local communities about primates 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 |
| 11. Habitat Protection | 11.2. Legally protect primate habitat | The forest reserve was first gazetted in 1931. | Ongoing (2021) |
| 12. Species Management | 12.6. Regularly and continuously provide supplementary food to primates | 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 |
| 12.16. Reintroduce primates as single/multiple individuals | Orangutans are released into the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, where orangutans are already present (Orangutan Appeal UK, n.d.). | Ongoing | |
| 12.18. Reintroduce primates into habitat where the species is present | Orangutans are released into the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve (Orangutan Appeal UK, n.d.). | Ongoing | |
| 12.24. Rehabilitate injured/orphaned primates | The facility provides medical care for orphaned and confiscated orangutans (Orangutan Appeal UK, n.d.). | Ongoing | |
| 13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives | 13.4. 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 |
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
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.
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 08/11/2021