Malua Biobank as orangutan conservation

KOTA KINABALU: Results from recent ground and aerial surveys of 34,000 ha of lowland rainforest known as the Malua Biobank in Sabah, reveal the area will be one of the most important refuges for orang-utan in Borneo. 

   Sabah Forestry Department’s Malua Wildlife Unit leader Hadrin Lias led the surveys, and says the orangutan population is benefiting from current conservation activities in Malua Biobank.

  Logging in Malua ceased in 2007 and since then the habitat for orang-utan has remained undisturbed and the area is regularly patrolled.

    Dr Marc Ancrenaz, an international expert on orang-utan, assisted and trained the Malua Wildlife Unit to undertake the surveys and believes that the Malua Biobank supports one of the highest, if not the highest, density of this sub-species (Pongo pygmaeus morio) of orang-utan anywhere in the world.

    “Malua Biobank is critically important for the survival of this subspecies, though all three sub-species of orang-utan in Borneo are endangered due to extensive habitat loss,” Dr Ancrenaz said.

    “For orang-utan to survive in Borneo, it is vitally important to preserve large contiguous blocks of lowland rainforest such as Malua Biobank and the nearby Danum Valley Conservation Area.

      Orang-utan density was shown to be particularly high in eastern Malua. The individuals in this part of the reserve are physically and genetically isolated from the rest of the population due to the presence of the Malua River which cuts across the reserve, which orang-utans are unable to cross.

   In an effort to connect populations, the second of two suspended orang-utan bridges across the Malua River has now been constructed and remote cameras will be installed to record any wildlife movements across the bridges.

       The new orang-utan bridge consists of a lattice of chains that provides the orang-utan hand and footholds to cross the river, mimicking the function of overhanging tree branches in areas where large trees are now absent.

     The orang-utan projects have been possible with financial assistance from the Malaysian Palm Oil Council, which has been very supportive of a number of conservation projects in Malua Biobank.

     Malua Biobank is a pioneering public-private partnership to deploy private sector capital for the restoration and protection of endangered lowland rainforest. The Malua Biobank is a unique joint venture between the Sabah Forestry Department, the Sabah Foundation and the EcoProducts Fund.

   Darius Sarshar, director of New Forests Asia, the company that manages the Malua Biobank, says the recent orang-utan survey results reinforce the significance of the Biobank for threatened species preservation, making it all the more important to secure its future.

    “The purchase of Malua Biodiversity Conservation Certificates by companies or individuals assists the conservation and the restoration of suitable habitat within the Malua Forest for species like the orangutan,” he said.

     The Malua Biobank is currently offering certificates to business, industry and individuals interested in saving the endangered orang-utan as well as other threatened species such as the banteng, pygmy elephants and sun bears that call the Malua Biobank home.

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/08/25/malua-biobank-key-area-for-orang-utan-conservation-latest/

Green Sabah Says: Hopefully with the Malua Biodiversity Conservation Certificates that can be purchased will be able to help improve the conservation and restorations of the habitat for the endangered animal species.