Kulamba Wildlife Reserve
Summary
- Northeast Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus morio) are present in Kulamba Wildlife Reserve.
- It has been estimated that 361 (CI: 223–488) individuals occur in the site.
- The orangutan population trend is decreasing.
- The site has a total size of 387 km².
- Key threats to orangutans are habitat fragmentation mainly due to land conversion for agriculture and plantations, and hunting.
- Conservation activities are not documented.
Site characteristics
Kulamba was gazetted in 1984 as a Wildlife Reserve. The reserve is located in Malaysia, Borneo, in the eastern part of Sabah. The site is mostly swampy and flat, with isolated, locally steep hills measuring up to 70 m above sea level . The reserve's contiguity with the Kinabatangan floodplains provides an important habitat for several resident and migrant globally threatened waterbirds (BirdLife International 2021). In addition to Bornean orangutans, banteng, or tembandau (a species of wild cattle) also inhabits the site, along with proboscis monkeys, marble cats, Bornean gibbons, long-tailed macaques, and Malayan sun bears (BirdLife International 2021).
Table 1. Basic site information for Kulamba Wildlife Reserve
| Area | 387 km² |
| Coordinates | 5.510043 N, 118.664234 E |
| Designation | Wildlife reserve |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical swamp forest |
Ape status
The orangutan population in Kulamba declined by 30% in 15 years, between 2002 and 2017 (Simon, Davis & Ancrenaz 2019).
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Kulamba Wildlife 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 | 2002-2003 | 500 (182–1369) | 2.50 (0.91–6.85) | Kulamba | Aerial survey | Simon, Davis & Ancrenaz 2019 | |||
| Pongo pygmaeus morio | 2017 | 361(223–488) | 0.93(0.67–1.48) | Kulamba | Aerial survey | Simon, Davis & Ancrenaz 2019 |
Threats
Oil palm, coconut, rubber and rattan plantations are being developed at a fast rate to the south and west of the reserve (BirdLife International 2021). Habitat fragmentation is a major threat in the region where the site is found. In 2013 a palm oil plantation was planned adjacent to the reserve (Hance 2013).
Table 3. Threats to apes in Kulamba Wildlife 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 | Deforestation due to expansion of plantations, especially palm oil plantations (SWD 2020, Voigt et al. 2018). | Ongoing (2020) | |
| 2.2 Wood & pulp plantations | Present, but threat severity unknown | Rattan plantations (BirdLife International 2021). | Ongoing (2021) | ||
| 3. Energy production & mining | Unknown | ||||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Unknown | ||||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High | Orangutans are hunted to mitigate conflicts or for meat consumption (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 |
Conservation activities
Table 4. Conservation activities in Kulamba Wildlife 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 | Not reported | ||
| 11. Habitat Protection | Not reported | ||
| 12. Species Management | Not reported | ||
| 13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives | Not reported |
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Kulamba Wildlife Reserve
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Kulamba Wildlife Reserve
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
External links
Relevant datasets
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.
BirdLife International (2021) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Kulamba Wildlife Reserve. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 19/11/2021.
Hance, J. (2013). New palm oil concession imperils orangutan population in Borneo. Mongabay. Online:https://news.mongabay.com/2013/01/new-palm-oil-concession-imperils-orangutan-population-in-borneo/
Voigt, M., Wich, S. A., Ancrenaz, M., Meijaard, E., Abram, N., Banes, G. L., ... & Kühl, H. S. (2018). Global demand for natural resources eliminated more than 100,000 Bornean orangutans. Current Biology, 28(5), 761-769.
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date:22/11/2021