Batang Ai National Park

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Summary

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• Northwest Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) are present in Batang Ai National Park.
• It has been estimated that 119-580 individuals occur in the site.
• The orangutan population trend is decreasing according to statistical model estimates.
• The site has a total size of 24 km².
• Key threats to orangutans are hunting and habitat loss.
• Conservation activities have focused on awareness raising and biomonitoring.

Site characteristics

Batang Ai National Park is located in Sarawak, Malaysia, bordering Indonesia to the south. The park was gazetted in 1991, after the construction of the Batang Ai dam (Horowitz 1998). Sarawak's largest ethnic group, the Iban, live in traditional longhouses around Batang Ai (Pandong 2019). Thousands of Ibans were displaced as a result of the construction of the dam and the establishment of the park. Batang Ai National Park is contiguous with the Lanjak-Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary, which also adjoins Bentuang-Karimun National Park in Indonesia; together, these three areas cover almost 10,000 sq. km and form a transboundary conservation area (WCS).

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  Batang Ai National Park © Isabel Ordaz-Nemeth
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  Batang Ai Dam © Isabel Ordaz-Nemeth

Table 1. Basic site information for Batang Ai National Park

Area	24 km²
Coordinates	1.220503, 111.947544
Designation	National Park
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

Between 1999 and 2015 it is estimated that the orangutan population in the region of Sarawak, where the park is located, decreased by 900 individuals (Voigt et al. 2018).

Table 2. Ape population estimates in Batang Ai National Park

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 pygmaeus	2004	119-580			Batang Ai National Park	Line transects (Distance)	Wich et al. 2008

Threats

Table 3. Threats to apes in Batang Ai National Park

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	Present, but threat severity unknown		Oil palm plantations continue to expand in the region, threatening to encroach orangutan habitat (Pandong 2019).	Ongoing (2019)
	2.2 Wood & pulp plantations	Present, but threat severity unknown		Industrial forest plantations growing in the region, which threaten to encroach orangutan habitat (Pandong 2019).	Ongoing (2019)
3. Energy production & mining		Unknown
4. Transportation & service corridors	4.1 Roads & railroads	Present, but threat severity unknown		High density of logging roads in the region facilitates access for hunters (Pandong 2019).	Ongoing (2019)
5. Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Present, but threat severity unknown		In 2016, the carcass of a flanged male orangutan with gunshot wounds was discovered at the proposed northern extension of Batang Ai National Park (Pandong 2019). A longhouse community living near the park reported that hunters from nearby villages and towns come into the area to hunt orangutans and other wildlife (Ordaz-Nemeth pers. comm. 2023).	Ongoing (2023)
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

In 2003, the Sarawak Government legalized the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) to be the Forest Department’s operating arm in managing protected areas and biodiversity conservation in the state. Management changes included greater emphasis on reducing losses and numbers of park staff, as well as reduction in community conservation and communications in totally protected areas, including at Batang Ai National Park. The changes led to general unhappiness among the privileged communities and reduced commitment to protect conservation targets by park authorities, resulting in minimal control over illegal hunting and encroachment into the protected areas at the time.By the 2010s, there were multi-agency efforts to conserve orangutans, address the livelihoods of affected local communities and clarify agency roles and jurisdictions (Pandong 2019).

Table 4. Conservation activities in Batang Ai National Park

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	5.15. Implement monitoring surveillance strategies (e.g. SMART) or use monitoring data to improve effectiveness of wildlife law enforcement patrols	SMART patrols implemented by WCS Malaysia and the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (Pandong 2019).	Ongoing (2019)
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	10.4. Regularly play TV & radio announcements to raise primate conservation awareness	The orangutan radio program entitled “Jerita Bujang Sigat” or “The Saga of Bujang Sigat” was developed and aired to disseminate information about the importance of the park and its ecosystem services as well as to engage local communities to conserve orangutans and other wildlife (WCS).	2011-2012, 2018
	10.5. Implement multimedia campaigns using theatre, film, print media, discussions	An orangutan conservation education and awareness program was conducted by WCS with Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) and also with the assistance of some of the local communities (WCS).	Unknown
	10.5. Implement multimedia campaigns using theatre, film, print media, discussions	The Participatory Photography event with the theme, “Appreciating nature through pictures”, was held at SK. Nanga Delok, a primary school near Batang Ai National Park. This is a boarding school with students from different longhouse communities in the area (WCS).	Unknown
11. Habitat Protection	11.2. Legally protect primate habitat	The site was established as a National Park in 1991.	Ongoing (2023)
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 Batang Ai National Park

Challenge	Source
Lack of trust from local communities	Pandong 2019

Research activities

Documented behaviours

Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Batang Ai National Park

Behavior	Source
Not reported

External links

Sarawak Tourism Board
WCS Sarawak
WCS

References

Horowitz, L. S. (1998). Integrating indigenous resource management with wildlife conservation: A case study of Batang Ai National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. Human Ecology, 26(3), 371-403.
Pandong, J. (2019). Conservation Ecology of Bornean Orangutans in the Greater Batang AiLanjak-Entimau Landscape, Sarawak, Malaysia [Master's thesis, The University of Adelaide.
Wich, S.A., E. Meijaard, A.J. Marshall, et al. 2008. Distribution and conservation status of the orang-utan (Pongo spp.) on Borneo and Sumatra: how many remain? Oryx. 42: 329–339.
Voigt, Maria, Wich, Serge A., Ancrenaz, Marc, Meijaard, Erik, Abram, Nicola, Banes, Graham L., Campbell-Smith, Gail, d’Arcy, Laura J., Delgado, Roberto A., Erman, Andi, and others. (2018). Global Demand for Natural Resources Eliminated More Than 100,000 Bornean Orangutans. Current Biology, 28 (5). pp. 761-769. ISSN 0960-9822. (doi:10.1016/j.cub.2018.01.053) (KAR id:66068)
WCS. (n.d.).WORKING TOWARDS CONSERVING ORANG-UTANS AND THEIR HABITATS.https://malaysia.wcs.org/Wild-Places/Working-towards-conserving-orang-utans-and-their-habitats.aspx
WCS. (n.d.). Orang-utan.https://malaysia.wcs.org/Wildlife/Orang-utan-conservation-in-Sarawak.aspx

Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 24/10/2021