Hunting practices of the Jahai indigenous community in northern peninsular Malaysia

Loke, Vivienne P. W.; Lim, Teckwyn; Campos‐Arceiz, Ahimsa

doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00815

Cited by 22 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Belum-Temengor, Belum's broader landscape, has been subjected to high hunting pressure (e.g. Loke et al, 2020;Rayan & Linkie, 2015) and many seed dispersers are now locally rare (e.g. sambar deer Rusa unicolor and gaur Bos gaurus) or have been extirpated in recent time (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ability to disperse large seeds, rather than body mass alone, defines the importance of animals in a hyper‐diverse seed dispersal network

2021

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1. Large-bodied animals play irreplaceable roles in seed dispersal, partly due to their capacity to disperse large seeds. Understanding this role at a community level has been limited by the paucity of network studies that include large vertebrates, and the almost complete absence of studies including synzoochoric dispersers. Synzoochoric dispersers can disperse seeds disproportionately large for their body size, potentially overlapping the roles of large-bodied animals. A comprehensive network, inclusive of large vertebrates and synzoochorous dispersers, is imperative to understand seed dispersal at a community level.2. Here, we analysed the seed dispersal network of a hyper-diverse Sundaic forest in Malaysia using local ecological knowledge and including multiple forms of endozoochorous and synzoochorous dispersal. We evaluated the extent to which three disperser traits: body mass, seed-handling ability (size of the largest seed dispersed) and diet explained the importance of animals in the network. We evaluated dispersers' relative importance using four network metrics-degree of specialisation (nested rank), species strength, within-module connectivity (zvalue) and between-modules connectivity (c-value).3. We found that seed-handling ability had the biggest effect on a disperser's importance, with strong effects on three network metrics (species strength, ecological specialisation and z-value) and moderate effects on connectivity between modules. Body mass was important in defining interactions within modules, and dietary differences defined the ecological specialisation of species in seed dispersal.4. Important dispersers in our network were large-seed dispersers (e.g. rats, gibbons), large-bodied animals, in particular the Asian elephant, and animals with frugivorous diets such as hornbills. 5. Synthesis. Our work uncovers the significance of seed-handling ability in identifying pivotal seed dispersal roles in tropical rainforests. Key dispersers include large-bodied herbivores and medium-sized frugivores that could disperse large seeds by endozoochory, and smaller rodents that dispersed similar-sized seeds by synzoochory. Many of the species that emerged as particularly important for the seed dispersal network are currently threatened (e.g. the Asian elephant,

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ability to disperse large seeds, rather than body mass alone, defines the importance of animals in a hyper‐diverse seed dispersal network

2021

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“…Two near threatened species, which are permitted for hunting but were not detected in the survey include the dusky leaf monkey (Trachypithecus obscurus) and silvered leaf monkey (Trachypithecus cristatus). The black giant squirrel (Ratufa bicolor), one of the Jahai's most preferred bushmeat species (Aziz et al, 2013;Loke et al, 2020), was also not detected in the survey.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…The Jahai are one of the last hunter gatherer tribes in Malaysia who still rely on forest resources for their subsistence (Nicholas, 2000). The Jahai hunt and utilise a wide range of mammal species from within the park (Abdullah et al, 2011;Aziz et al, 2013;Loke, Lim, & Campos-Arceiz, 2020). Legally however, under the sixth schedule of the 2010 Wildlife Conservation Act, the Jahai are only permitted to hunt ten species (Wild Pig, Sambar Deer, Lesser Mouse Deer, Pig-tailed Macaque, Silvered Leaf Monkey, Dusky Leaf Monkey, Malayan Porcupine, Brushtailed Porcupine, Whitebreasted Waterhen and Emerald Dove) for their individual consumption within RBSP.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Links between bushmeat species occupancy and indigenous hunting: a pilot study from Royal Belum State Park, Peninsula Malaysia

Pullella¹,

Khan²,

Pettit³

et al. 2021

AJCB

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Indigenous communities have been hunting bushmeat species in the tropical forests of South East Asia for over 40,000 years. Today however, many bushmeat species are threatened by unsustainable hunting compounded by the pressures of decreasing forest area and growing human populations. This pilot study aimed to investigate the relationship between the Jahai, an indigenous hunter gatherer tribe and the mammal bushmeat species which they hunt in Royal Belum State Park (RBSP), peninsula Malaysia. A wildlife triggered camera survey was conducted between early May and late June 2018, from which data was used to calculate occupancy predictions for observed Jahai hunters and bushmeat species. Four mammal species occupancy were found to be associated with Jahai hunting pressure, all of which were preferred species among Jahai communities. Species richness of bushmeat species was also found to increase with Jahai occupancy while species diversity index declined, suggesting that Jahai hunting pressure was concentrated on a select few species, even when bushmeat species richness was high. Vegetation cover and the presence of saltlicks were significant drivers of species occupancy. Based on these findings, Jahai hunting pressure should not be disregarded as a threat to bushmeat species in RBSP.

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“…While it is difficult to determine the impact this has on porcupine populations, reports in Indonesia indicate the species are in decline due to habitat loss and conversion as well as uncontrolled poaching (Salviana et al 2017;Farida et al 2019;Mustikasari et al 2019). Similar declines in porcupine populations due to over-hunt-ing have been documented in other parts of their range including Malaysia (Loke et al 2020), Myanmar (McEvoy et al 2019, Singapore (Chung et al 2016) as well as Vietnam and Lao PDR (Brooks et al 2010). In Cambodia, porcupines are amongst the most frequently confiscated animals (Heinrich et al 2020b).…”

Section: Conservation Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Lesser-known species similarly exploited for the meat and medicine trade in Asia are porcupines. An increasing body of evidence reveals the heavy hunting and trade of porcupines in Asia that are resulting in population declines (Brooks et al 2010;Lee et al 2015;McEvoy et al 2019;Yeung 2019;Loke et al 2020). Wildlife trade surveys across markets in Southeast Asia have frequently encountered porcupines for sale including dead animals, live animals and body parts such as quills and bezoars (non-digestible food material that forms a stone like mass in the gut of an animal).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The illegal hunting and exploitation of porcupines for meat and medicine in Indonesia

Gomez¹

2021

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Indonesia is home to five species of porcupines, three of which are island endemics. While all five species are currently assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, impacts of harvest and trade have not been factored in. To gain a fuller understanding of the porcupine trade in Indonesia, this study examines seizure data of porcupines, their parts and derivatives from January 2013 to June 2020. A total of 39 incidents were obtained amounting to an estimated 452 porcupines. Various confiscated commodities revealed porcupines are traded for consumption, traditional medicine, trophies/charms as well as for privately run wildlife/recreational parks. Targeted hunting of porcupines for commercial international trade was also evident. Porcupines are also persecuted as agricultural pests and wildlife traffickers take advantage of such situations to procure animals for trade. What clearly emerges from this study is that porcupines are being illegally hunted and exploited throughout their range in Indonesia facilitated by poor enforcement and legislative weakness. Porcupines are in decline due to habitat loss, retaliatory killings and uncontrolled poaching. It is therefore crucial that effective conservation measures are taken sooner rather than later to prevent further depletion of these species. Including all porcupines as protected species under Indonesian wildlife laws and listing them in Appendix II of CITES to improve regulation, enforcement and monitoring of domestic and international trade trends involving porcupines in Indonesia would contribute significantly towards this end.

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Hunting practices of the Jahai indigenous community in northern peninsular Malaysia

Cited by 22 publications

References 34 publications

The ability to disperse large seeds, rather than body mass alone, defines the importance of animals in a hyper‐diverse seed dispersal network

The ability to disperse large seeds, rather than body mass alone, defines the importance of animals in a hyper‐diverse seed dispersal network

Links between bushmeat species occupancy and indigenous hunting: a pilot study from Royal Belum State Park, Peninsula Malaysia

The illegal hunting and exploitation of porcupines for meat and medicine in Indonesia

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