Camera trap studies have shown that scaled-up anti-poaching efforts in Thailand’s Western Forest Complex have proven to be successful.

The elusive clouded leopard is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List

Candid camera

Thanks to a camera trap project led by the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Asia Program, rare glimpses of endangered animals have been captured on film during the last year in the Western Forest Complex. The area includes 17 protected areas in Thailand and Myanmar, and houses a wide variety of fascinating species including the elusive clouded leopard and the impressive banteng, a rare species of wild cattle. The footage demonstrates that the increased anti-poaching efforts which have been established in the area are proving to be successful, and are having a positive effect on the local wildlife.

Images of the beautiful green peafowl were captured during the project

Elusive species become stars on screen

The footage captured by the camera traps features a vast array of forest-dwelling species, including many which are classified as threatened on the IUCN Red List such as the Vulnerable sun bear, and the green peafowl and Malayan tapir, both classified as Endangered. The camera trap project has also documented a variety of behaviours, from an Indochinese tigress and cubs drinking at a watering hole to a skittish banteng, and has demonstrated the species richness of the Thai forests.

Joe Walston, director of the WCS’s Asia Program, is delighted with the effects that increased patrolling has had on the local biodiversity, “The video represents a huge payoff for the government of Thailand, which has invested considerable resources in protecting wildlife and preventing illegal hunters from plundering the country’s natural heritage.”

Indochinese tiger populations in the area have stabilised

Good news for tigers and more

The information gleaned from the video footage by WCS indicates that the numbers of Indochinese tigers, as well as populations of their prey species, have now stabilised in the region. It is estimated that there are now between 125 and 175 tigers in the area, which also contains one of the largest Asian elephant populations in Southeast Asia.

Overall, the news for Thailand is good with WCS stating that the country has one of the best anti-poaching records in Asia.

Read more on this story at Mongabay – Camera trap videos capture stunning wildlife in Thailand.

Explore species found in Thailand on ARKive.

Kathryn Pintus, ARKive Species Text Author

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Two eastern hoolock gibbons have successfully been translocated from a fragmented forest near the village of Dello in north-eastern India to Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary.

The eastern hoolock gibbon is one of two hoolock gibbon species found in India

Struggling for survival

The move, organised by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), was carried out following evidence that the eastern hoolock gibbons, classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, were struggling to survive due to the pressures of heavy deforestation and fragmentation within their forest habitat.

Extensive felling of private forests around the small village of Dello has forced the remaining population of the eastern hoolock gibbon, consisting of just 18 family groups, to live in small clusters of trees surrounded by farmland.

“Dello is a small village which once hosted good tree cover and undoubtedly supported a healthy population of the eastern hoolock gibbons,” says Ipra Mekola, a state wildlife advisory member. “The present situation offers no opportunity for the apes to forage optimally.”

Deforestation and hunting are major threats to the eastern hoolock gibbon

Reading the signs

The eastern hoolock gibbon, along with its relative the western hoolock gibbon, faces a number of threats in India. Deforestation, influenced by coal mining and oil extraction, is a key cause for concern, leaving just small fragmented pockets of suitable habitat for the primates to live in. The eastern hoolock gibbon is believed by local communities to have medicinal properties, and this, combined with its appeal as a source of food, means that hunting is a further threat to this species.

Gibbons are known for swinging rapidly and gracefully through their treetop homes, foraging high up in the canopy. Yet in poor habitat conditions, where suitable food is unavailable, these primates may venture down to ground level in order to search for food. Leaving the protection of the trees puts gibbons at great risk, as Dr Ian Robinson, IFAW’s Emergency Relief Director explains, “Their physical attributes are not suited to walk and they can fall easy prey on ground, so it is very rare to see them descend from the canopy under natural circumstances.”

Researchers in the Dello area noticed the eastern hoolock gibbons coming down to the ground to forage, and realised that there was a serious problem. “A month or so ago, a female and her young were killed in an attack by dogs,” said Dr Kuladeep Roy. A further female gibbon is also thought to have been killed as a result of foraging at ground level.

Female eastern hoolock gibbons, like this one, are copper-tan, whereas the males are black

Translocation

The two translocated individuals, an adult male and a juvenile, were confined to a tree by researchers in order to be caught and sedated, before being transported to Mehao Wildlife Santuary where they were safely released.

Now that the gibbons are living in the reserve, there is still more work to be done, as Dr NVK Ashraf, Chief Veterinarian with WTI explains, “The IFAW-WTI team will monitor the released gibbons for the next six months. This is our first ever attempt to translocate gibbons in India.”

Read more on this story at Mongabay.com – Rare apes saved in India.

View photos and videos of the eastern hoolock gibbon on ARKive.

Kathryn Pintus, ARKive Species Text Author

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Proposed new laws could threaten Brazil’s rich biodiversity, potentially placing an area of forest equal to the sizes of Germany, Italy and Austria combined at high risk of destruction.

New laws could lead to the destruction of vast areas of Brazil's forests

Suggested changes in land clearance laws

Brazil’s senate is soon set to vote on new laws on land clearance, the approval of which could lead to the destruction of a substantial area of the country’s forested region.

Since 2004, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has declined steadily, with tougher regulation enforcement and improved satellite monitoring both being contributing factors. Between August 2009 and July 2010, forest clearance fell to the lowest level on record, but this year there have already been signs of an increase in deforestation in several areas of the country.

Environmental groups fear that changes in legislation could exacerbate the problem, by opening up vast areas of the world’s biggest rainforest to clearance for uses such as cattle ranching and soy production, as well as preventing the chance of replanting within many illegally deforested areas.

WWF has said that studies show that the proposed changes to Brazil’s Forest Code could lead to the destruction or lack of restoration of 175 million acres of forest, equivalent to the combined area of Germany, Italy and Austria.

The blue-chested parakeet was once common in south-east Brazil, but it is now restricted to isolated reserves

Implications for Rio+20

Brazil has made a commitment to reduce deforestation by 80% by the year 2020, but implementation of the new laws could hinder the country’s ability to reach this target, as well as its efforts to position itself as a global environmental leader prior to hosting the UN Conference on Sustainable Development – known as Rio+20 – in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012.

The Forest Code, which dates back to 1965 and applies to nearly 5.2 million farmers and rural land owners in Brazil, requires that a certain proportion of owned land, varying between 20 and 80%, is left as untouched forest. However, 90% of landowners are believed to fall short of full compliance with the regulations.

The proposed new laws, which were passed in May by Brazil’s lower house, would grant a reprieve from heavy fines to landowners who illegally cleared forest between 1965 and July 2008, and would also include relaxation of the rules surrounding the clearing of hills.

The Vulnerable lowland tapir relies upon rainforest habitats for its survival

Forests and agriculture

Scientists and conservationists have argued that the changes to the Forest Code would not provide sufficient protection for forests and the biodiversity within them. However, agriculture has played an important role in Brazil’s economic rise, with the country now being the world’s leading producer and exporter of coffee and sugar cane. Senator Katia Abreu, president of the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock, has stated that Brazilian farmers could lose up to $100 billion should the new laws not be passed.

The bill will be voted on by Brazil’s Senate at the end of November, and final approval falls with President Dilma Rousseff, whose election campaign involved a pledge to veto any legislation which might lead to an increase in deforestation.

Read more on this story at The Telegraph – Brazil ‘risks loss of forest area equal to Germany, Italy and Austria’.

Explore photos and videos of species found in Brazil on ARKive.

Kathryn Pintus, ARKive Species Text Author

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A WWF camera trap survey has captured photographs of five wild cat species in a threatened Sumatran forest.

The Sumatran tiger is a Critically Endangered species

Photogenic felines

Many species of wild cat can be somewhat secretive, but this latest camera trap survey, carried out in a threatened forest corridor which links Bukit Tigapuluh forest and the Rimbang Baling Wildlife Sanctuary in Riau Province, has yielded some wonderful images.

Five different species of wild cat were photographed in the as-yet unprotected area of forest in Sumatra, Indonesia’s largest island, including the Sumatran tiger which is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Photographs were taken of the Sunda clouded leopard, also known as Diard’s clouded leopard, and the marbled cat, which are classified as Endangered and Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List respectively. Two further felids captured on camera were the elusive Asian golden cat and the small leopard cat.

Male marbled cat

Deforestation

Sumatra suffers from one of the highest levels of deforestation in the world, and since 1985 has lost half of its forest cover, according to a detailed report released by WWF. With approximately half a million hectares of forest being cleared annually, Sumatra has become a focus in the fight to save the rainforests.

Aditya Bayunanda, WWF-Indonesia’s coordinator for the Global Forest Trade Network (GFTN) programme, highlighted the main threats to the area’s forests and biodiversity: “Much of the natural forest area in the landscape is threatened by large scale clearance for industrial logging, pulp and paper, as well as illegal encroachment for palm oil plantation development.”

Leopard cat

Threatened forests

Part of Bukit Tigapuluh forest has been designated as a national park and therefore is protected, yet forests surrounding the park, which have already been selectively logged, are now at risk of being completely cleared.

Except for the leopard cat, all of the species caught on camera in WWF’s survey are protected by Indonesian government regulations.

“This underscores the rich biodiversity of the Bukit Tigapuluh landscape and the forest corridors that connect to it,” says Karmila Parakkasi, coordinator of the WWF-Indonesia Tiger Research Team. “These amazing cat photos also remind us of how much we could lose as more of these fragile forests are lost.”

Capturing images of five different cat species is certainly an impressive feat, although the largest number of cat species reported to be present in a single habitat was in a recently protected forest in India, where seven were recorded.

Diard's clouded leopard, also known as the Sunda clouded leopard

Action for protection

Aditya Bayunanda believes that the presence of these fascinating cat species should encourage the Indonesian government to take action to save the forest in which they live: “Concession licenses of companies operating in these areas, such as Barito Pacific, should be reviewed and adjusted according to Indonesian Ministry regulations, which state that concession areas with the presence of endangered species should be protected by the concessionaire.”

As well as a variety of cats, Bukit Tigapuluh is home to thousands of other species, including Sumatran orang-utans and Sumatran elephants, and WWF-Indonesia hopes that the National Park will be expanded to better protect its biodiversity.

Read more on this story and see the camera trap images at Mongabay.com – Photos: five wild cat species documented in Sumatran forest imperiled by logging.

View photos and videos of cat species on ARKive.

Kathryn Pintus, ARKive Species Text Author

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WWF has launched a new campaign in a bid to protect the threatened virgin forests of Romania.

Eurasian grey wolves rely on the forests of Romania.

The Carpathian Mountains of Romania harbour 250,000 hectares of virgin forest, pristine tracts of biodiversity untouched by human activities, which act as a stronghold for a wide variety of species. These unspoilt areas have high scientific, educational and ecological value, yet they equate to less than three percent of the country’s total forest cover.

In this, the International Year of Forests, and with the future of a major part of Europe’s natural heritage at risk, WWF is spearheading a new campaign to obtain total protection for more than 80 percent of Romania’s virgin, or old growth, forest. These areas house iconic species such as the grey wolf, Eurasian lynx and imperial eagle and were historically widespread, but are sadly now severely depleted as a result of poor management.

The Eurasian lynx is one of many majestic species found in the forests of Romania.

Irreplaceable

Virgin forests are complex, dynamic ecosystems built up of seedlings, young, mature and old trees, as well as dead trees and decaying logs, which provide a diverse range of habitats in which many plant, animal and fungus species thrive.

WWF’s Danube-Carpathian Programme in Romania works to protect all forest types, but the scheme recognises the importance of targeting the conservation of virgin forests. Magor Csibi, Romania’s Country Manager for the programme, highlights the urgency in acting now to save these areas of natural beauty: “We will never be able to rebuild this part of nature. Once lost, it is lost forever.”

Historically, Romania’s virgin forests remained untouched, partly as a result of their inaccessibility, and partly due to the low economic value of the wood obtained from old trees. Yet socio-economic pressures in Romania are currently high, and with an ever-increasing demand for wood and development, the country’s virgin forests are becoming more and more vulnerable.

Imperial eagle

Taking action

WWF has written to the Ministry of Environment and Forests in Romania, urging them to make the implementation of effective protection for the country’s remaining virgin forests a priority. The letter also asks for changes to the legislative framework, which would guarantee the protection of this critical ecosystem, as well as compensatory funds for private forest owners.

Magor Csibi is confident that the campaign will be successful: “We expect our initiative to be supported not only by people who wish for a sustainable future, but especially by the authorities who can decide whether to solve this problem or not. I believe that we can obtain 100 per cent protection of our virgin forests.”

An awareness raising campaign for the public has also been launched, which highlights the importance of virgin forests and urges people to sign a petition.

The capercaillie is still found in the forests of Romania.

Legend, legacy and life

The forests of Romania, which once inspired the legend of the vampire, are some of the last untouched areas of wilderness in Europe. With their biodiversity, along with their rich and deep-set culture, the loss of these wooded habitats would be a huge blow to the country.

Magor Csibi called upon people to take into account moral, as well as environmental, values: “Considering that we are among the last European nations fortunate enough to have such a treasure, it is our moral obligation to preserve this piece of nature intact and to leave a small piece of wilderness to our children.”

Read more on this story at WWF – WWF acts to save Europe’s last remaining virgin forests.

View photos and videos of species from Romania on ARKive.

Find out more about WWF’s forest conservation work.

Kathryn Pintus, ARKive Species Text Author

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