Batang Ai-Lanjak-Entimau (BALE) landscape
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Summary
- Northwest Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) are present in Batang Ai-Lanjak-Entimau (BALE) Landscape.
- It has been estimated that 355 (CI: 135-602) individuals occur in the site.
- The orangutan population trend is decreasing.
- The site has a total size of 1,894 km².
- Key threats to orangutans are forest loss, habitat degradation and hunting.
- Conservation activities have focused on education and awareness raising programs implemented by the WCS.
- The site is home to the largest population of orangutans in Sarawak, Malaysia.
Site characteristics
The Batang Ai-Lanjak-Entimau (BALE) landscape consists of two contiguous protected areas: the Batang Ai National Park and the Lanjak-Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary. The "Greater BALE landscape" includes areas surrounding BALE (Pandong et al. 2018). The BALE landscape contains the largest population of orangutans in Sarawak, Malaysia (Tisen & Silang 2016). Together with the Betung Kerihun National Park in Indonesia, the three protected areas (Betung Keihun, Batang Ai, and Lanjak-Entimau) form a transboundary biodiversity conservation area (WCS n.d.).
Table 1. Basic site information for Batang Ai-Lanjak-Entimau (BALE) landscape
| Species | 'Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus |
| Area | 1,894 km² |
| Coordinates | Lat: 1.314962 , Lon: 112.097504 |
| Type of site | Protected landscape |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, Artificial aquatic (water storage) |
| Type of governance |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
The Batang Ai-Lanjak-Entimau (BALE) landscape consists of two contiguous protected areas: the Batang Ai National Park and the Lanjak-Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary. The "Greater BALE landscape" includes areas surrounding BALE (Pandong et al. 2018). The BALE landscape contains the largest population of orangutans in Sarawak, Malaysia (Tisen & Silang 2016). Together with the Betung Kerihun National Park in Indonesia, the three protected areas (Betung Keihun, Batang Ai, and Lanjak-Entimau) form an important transboundary biodiversity conservation area (WCS n.d.).
Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Batang Ai-Lanjak-Entimau (BALE) landscape
| Species | Year | Occurrence | Encounter or vistation rate (nests/km; ind/day) | Density estimate [ind./ km²] (95% CI) | Abundance estimate (95% CI) | Survey area | Sampling method | Analytical framework | Source | Comments | A.P.E.S. database ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus | 2001 | 0.7 | BALE landscape | Line transects | Gurmaya & Silang 2002 | ||||||
| Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus | 2004 | 1,143-1,761 | BALE landscape | Line transects | Wich et al. 2008 | ||||||
| Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus | 2011-2015 | 0.5249 ( 0.1964-0.8842) | 355 (135-602) | Greater BALE landscape | Full count | Pandong et al. 2018 | The Greater BALE landscape includes areas surrounding BALE. |
Threats
Forest loss, habitat degradation, and illegal hunting represent the main threats to orangutans at the site (BirdLife International 2021, WCS n.d.). Local communities living around the BALE landscape do not traditionally hunt orangutans, as the Ibans believed that their ancestors were reincarnated as orangutans (Pandong 2019). However, this cultural protection is on decline, as carcasses of orangutans have been found in the area with clear signs of killing (Pandong 2019).
Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Batang Ai-Lanjak-Entimau (BALE) landscape
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Geological events | Absent | |||
| 12 Other threat | Absent | |||
| 2 Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Present (unknown severity) | Conversion of land into oil palm plantations (Pandong 2019). | Ongoing (2019) |
| 2 Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.2 Wood & pulp plantations | Present (unknown severity) | Industrial forest plantation has increased in Sarawak for over three decades with acacia (Acacia mangium) as the preferred species, as it is fast-growing and able to grow on poor and degraded soils (Pandong 2019). | Ongoing (2019) |
| 4 Transportation & service corridors | 4.1 Roads & railroads | Present (unknown severity) | Logging roads that facilitate hunting activities (Pandong 2019). | Ongoing (2019) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Present (unknown severity) | The cultural taboo against hunting orangutans and the respect for the total ban of hunting (Pandong 2019). | Ongoing (2019) |
| 1 Residential & commercial development | Unknown | |||
| 3 Energy production & mining | Unknown | |||
| 6 Human intrusions & disturbance | Unknown | |||
| 7 Natural system modifications | Unknown | |||
| 8 Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Unknown | |||
| 9 Pollution | Unknown | |||
| 11 Climate change & severe weather | Unknown |
Conservation activities
Three more national parks have been gazetted outside the BALE landscape: Ulu Sebuyau National Park (July 2010), Sedilu National Park (September 2010) and Sabal National Park (August 2018). Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have been active in the implementation of conservation interventions. Their activities have focused on education and awareness raising, as well as conducting orangutan surveys and rapid assessments, co-creating a Strategic Action Plan for orangutans, and developing a radio programme in the Iban language (WCS n.d.).
Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Batang Ai-Lanjak-Entimau (BALE) landscape
| Category | Specific activity | Description | Implementing organization(s) | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Education & awareness | 4.4 Regularly play TV and radio announcements to raise ape conservation awareness | To engage the local communities, the orangutan radio program entitled “Jerita Bujang Sigat” or “The Saga of Bujang Sigat” was developed and aired. The goal of the program was to engage local communities to conserve orangutans and other wildlife in the BALE landscape (WCS n.d.). | 2011-2012, 2018 | |
| 4 Education & awareness | 4.6 Integrate religion/local taboos into conservation education | A collection of local folklores, stories, taboos and tales about orangutans exist around the BALE landscape have now been documented (they existed as oral stories before). The Iban language version of the folklores was officially launched by YBhg. Datu Sudarsono Osman, on 10th of August 2015. It has since been translated into English and both are now available for purchase at WCS and selected outlets in Sarawak (WCS n.d.). | Ongoing | |
| 5 Protection & restoration | 5.2 Legally protect ape habitat | In 2013, two study sites, Ulu Katibas and Ulu Pasin were gazetted as extensions to the Lanjak-Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary (WCS n.d.). In addition, Batang Ai is a National Park. | 2013 |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges
The local community is reluctant to collaborate in patrols as field guides or assistants, because of a perceived view that, as a corporate entity, SFC was focussed on reducing losses, making profit, and increasing efficiency. The perceived view by the communities was also because of reduced numbers of park staff at Batang Ai National Park and Lanjak-Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary, removal of the staff/village rotation system of hiring local communities, and less permanent and contract staff to work at the park (Pandong 2019).
Table 5. Challenges reported for Batang Ai-Lanjak-Entimau (BALE) landscape
| Challenges | Specific challenges | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Institutional support | 4.1 Lack of law enforcement | Pandong 2019 | |
| 3 Engaged community | 3.1 General lack of community engagement or support | Pandong 2019 |
Enablers
Table 6. Enablers reported for Batang Ai-Lanjak-Entimau (BALE) landscape
| Enablers | Specific enablers | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Site management | |||
| 2 Resources and capacity | |||
| 3 Engaged community | |||
| 4 Institutional support | |||
| 5 Ecological context | |||
| 6 Safety and stability |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 7. Behaviours documented for Batang Ai-Lanjak-Entimau (BALE) landscape
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Exposure to climate change impacts
External links
Relevant datasets
References
Pandong, J., Gumal, M., Alen, L. et al. (2018).Population estimates of Bornean orang-utans using Bayesian analysis at the greater Batang Ai-Lanjak-Entimau landscape in Sarawak, Malaysia. Sci Rep 8, 15672. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-33872-3
Pandong, J. (2019). Conservation Ecology of Bornean Orangutans in the Greater Batang AiLanjak-Entimau Landscape, Sarawak, Malaysia [Master's thesis, The University of Adelaide].
Gurmaya, K.J. & Sundai, S. (2002). Development of Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary as a totally protected area. Phase III. ITTO Project PD 16/99 Rev.2 (F).: A study of habitat conditions, populations, and distribution of orangutans in Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary and Batang Ai National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. International Tropical Timber Organization, Yokohama, Japan and Forest Department Sarawak. Malaysia.
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
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