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).

Female orangutan © Isabel Ordaz-Nemeth

Table 1. Basic site information for Ulu Sungai Menyang

Area	430 km²
Coordinates	1.191402, 111.939060
Designation	Conservation Area
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, water storage area, plantations

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

Table 2. Ape population estimates in Ulu Sungai Menyang

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	2012-2013	115 (57-176)	0.82 (0.41-1.26)		Ulu Sungai Menyang landscape, 140 km2	Marked Nest Count	Pandong et al. 2018
Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus	2023	270			Ulu Sungai Menyang Conservation Area	Guesstimate	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 in Ulu Sungai Menyang

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	Low		Some forest clearing occurs for agriculture, mainly rice cultivation. However, the Ibans allow for the forest to regenerate and the expansion of paddy fields is controlled (Ordaz-Nemeth pers. obs. 2023).	Ongoing (2023)
3. Energy production & mining		Unknown
4. Transportation & service corridors		Unknown
5. Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Present, severity is unknown		Hunters come from outside towns and communities and target different wildlife, including orangutans (Manggat M. 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

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 in Ulu Sungai Menyang

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	5.12. Implement local no-hunting community policies/traditional hunting ban	Local Iban communities do not hunt nor consume orangutans (Manggat M. pers comm. 2023).	Ongoing (2023)
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	11.2. Legally protect primate habitat	The site is designated as a Conservation Area.	Ongoing (2023)
12. Species Management	Other	Planting of sago palms and fruit trees for orangutans (Ordaz-Nemeth pers. obs. 2023)	Ongoing (2023)
13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives	Not reported

Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)

Challenges

Table 5. Challenges reported for Ulu Sungai Menyang

Challenge	Source
Not reported

Research activities

Documented behaviours

Table 6. Ape behaviors reported 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 completed by: Isabel Ordaz-Nemeth Date: 15/09/2023