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Sollmann R, Mohamed A, Niedballa J, Bender J, Ambu L, Lagan P, Mannan S, Ong RC, Langner A, Gardner B, Wilting A. Quantifying mammal biodiversity co-benefits in certified tropical forests. DIVERS DISTRIB 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Rahel Sollmann
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources; North Carolina State University; Raleigh NC USA
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17 10315 Berlin Germany
| | - Azlan Mohamed
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17 10315 Berlin Germany
| | - Jürgen Niedballa
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17 10315 Berlin Germany
| | - Johannes Bender
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17 10315 Berlin Germany
| | - Laurentius Ambu
- Sabah Wildlife Department; 5th Floor, B Block, Wisma MUIS 88100 Kota Kinabalu Sabah Malaysia
| | - Peter Lagan
- Sabah Forestry Department; Locked Bag 68 90009 Sandakan Sabah Malaysia
| | - Sam Mannan
- Sabah Forestry Department; Locked Bag 68 90009 Sandakan Sabah Malaysia
| | - Robert C. Ong
- Forest Research Centre; Sabah Forestry Department; P.O. Box 1407 90715 Sandakan Sabah Malaysia
| | - Andreas Langner
- European Commission; Joint Research Centre; Institute for Environment and Sustainability; Via Enrico Fermi 2749 I - 21027 Ispra Italy
| | - Beth Gardner
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources; North Carolina State University; Raleigh NC USA
| | - Andreas Wilting
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17 10315 Berlin Germany
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Kretzschmar P, Kramer-Schadt S, Ambu L, Bender J, Bohm T, Ernsing M, Göritz F, Hermes R, Payne J, Schaffer N, Thayaparan S, Zainal Z, Hildebrandt T, Hofer H. The catastrophic decline of the Sumatran rhino ( Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni ) in Sabah: Historic exploitation, reduced female reproductive performance and population viability. Glob Ecol Conserv 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2016.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
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Prall SP, Ambu L, Nathan S, Alsisto S, Ramirez D, Muehlenbein MP. Androgens and innate immunity in rehabilitated semi-captive orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus morio) from Malaysian Borneo. Am J Primatol 2015; 77:642-50. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2014] [Revised: 01/15/2015] [Accepted: 01/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sean P. Prall
- Department of Anthropology; Indiana University; Bloomington Indiana
| | | | | | - Sylvia Alsisto
- Sabah Wildlife Department; Kota Kinabalu; Sabah Malaysia
| | - Diana Ramirez
- Sabah Wildlife Department; Kota Kinabalu; Sabah Malaysia
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Brodie JF, Giordano AJ, Dickson B, Hebblewhite M, Bernard H, Mohd-Azlan J, Anderson J, Ambu L. Evaluating multispecies landscape connectivity in a threatened tropical mammal community. Conserv Biol 2015; 29:122-132. [PMID: 25065425 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2013] [Accepted: 04/03/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Habitat corridors are important tools for maintaining connectivity in increasingly fragmented landscapes, but generally they have been considered in single-species approaches. Corridors intended to facilitate the movement of multiple species could increase persistence of entire communities, but at the likely cost of being less efficient for any given species than a corridor intended specifically for that species. There have been few tests of the trade-offs between single- and multispecies corridor approaches. We assessed single-species and multispecies habitat corridors for 5 threatened mammal species in tropical forests of Borneo. We generated maps of the cost of movement across the landscape for each species based on the species' local abundance as estimated through hierarchical modeling of camera-trap data with biophysical and anthropogenic covariates. Elevation influenced local abundance of banded civets (Hemigalus derbyanus) and sun bears (Helarctos malayanus). Increased road density was associated with lower local abundance of Sunda clouded leopards (Neofelis diardi) and higher local abundance of sambar deer (Rusa unicolor). Pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina) local abundance was lower in recently logged areas. An all-species-combined connectivity scenario with least-cost paths and 1 km buffers generated total movement costs that were 27% and 23% higher for banded civets and clouded leopards, respectively, than the connectivity scenarios for those species individually. A carnivore multispecies connectivity scenario, however, increased movement cost by 2% for banded civets and clouded leopards. Likewise, an herbivore multispecies scenario provided more effective connectivity than the all-species-combined scenario for sambar and macaques. We suggest that multispecies habitat connectivity plans be tailored to groups of ecologically similar, disturbance-sensitive species to maximize their effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jedediah F Brodie
- Departments of Zoology & Botany, Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 3529-6270 University Blvd, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
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Brodie JF, Giordano AJ, Zipkin EF, Bernard H, Mohd-Azlan J, Ambu L. Correlation and persistence of hunting and logging impacts on tropical rainforest mammals. Conserv Biol 2015; 29:110-121. [PMID: 25196079 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2014] [Accepted: 05/29/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Humans influence tropical rainforest animals directly via exploitation and indirectly via habitat disturbance. Bushmeat hunting and logging occur extensively in tropical forests and have large effects on particular species. But how they alter animal diversity across landscape scales and whether their impacts are correlated across species remain less known. We used spatially widespread measurements of mammal occurrence across Malaysian Borneo and recently developed multispecies hierarchical models to assess the species richness of medium- to large-bodied terrestrial mammals while accounting for imperfect detection of all species. Hunting was associated with 31% lower species richness. Moreover, hunting remained high even where richness was very low, highlighting that hunting pressure persisted even in chronically overhunted areas. Newly logged sites had 11% lower species richness than unlogged sites, but sites logged >10 years previously had richness levels similar to those in old-growth forest. Hunting was a more serious long-term threat than logging for 91% of primate and ungulate species. Hunting and logging impacts across species were not correlated across taxa. Negative impacts of hunting were the greatest for common mammalian species, but commonness versus rarity was not related to species-specific impacts of logging. Direct human impacts appeared highly persistent and lead to defaunation of certain areas. These impacts were particularly severe for species of ecological importance as seed dispersers and herbivores. Indirect impacts were also strong but appeared to attenuate more rapidly than previously thought. The lack of correlation between direct and indirect impacts across species highlights that multifaceted conservation strategies may be needed for mammal conservation in tropical rainforests, Earth's most biodiverse ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jedediah F Brodie
- Departments of Zoology & Botany, University of British Columbia, 3529-6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada; Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 3529-6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
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Muehlenbein MP, Pacheco MA, Taylor JE, Prall SP, Ambu L, Nathan S, Alsisto S, Ramirez D, Escalante AA. Accelerated diversification of nonhuman primate malarias in Southeast Asia: adaptive radiation or geographic speciation? Mol Biol Evol 2015; 32:422-39. [PMID: 25389206 PMCID: PMC4298170 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msu310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Although parasitic organisms are found worldwide, the relative importance of host specificity and geographic isolation for parasite speciation has been explored in only a few systems. Here, we study Plasmodium parasites known to infect Asian nonhuman primates, a monophyletic group that includes the lineage leading to the human parasite Plasmodium vivax and several species used as laboratory models in malaria research. We analyze the available data together with new samples from three sympatric primate species from Borneo: The Bornean orangutan and the long-tailed and the pig-tailed macaques. We find several species of malaria parasites, including three putatively new species in this biodiversity hotspot. Among those newly discovered lineages, we report two sympatric parasites in orangutans. We find no differences in the sets of malaria species infecting each macaque species indicating that these species show no host specificity. Finally, phylogenetic analysis of these data suggests that the malaria parasites infecting Southeast Asian macaques and their relatives are speciating three to four times more rapidly than those with other mammalian hosts such as lemurs and African apes. We estimate that these events took place in approximately a 3-4-Ma period. Based on the genetic and phenotypic diversity of the macaque malarias, we hypothesize that the diversification of this group of parasites has been facilitated by the diversity, geographic distributions, and demographic histories of their primate hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - M Andreína Pacheco
- Center for Evolutionary Medicine and Informatics, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe
| | - Jesse E Taylor
- Center for Evolutionary Medicine and Informatics, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe
| | - Sean P Prall
- Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington
| | | | | | - Sylvia Alsisto
- Sabah Wildlife Department, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Diana Ramirez
- Sabah Wildlife Department, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Ananias A Escalante
- Center for Evolutionary Medicine and Informatics, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe
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Abram NK, Xofis P, Tzanopoulos J, MacMillan DC, Ancrenaz M, Chung R, Peter L, Ong R, Lackman I, Goossens B, Ambu L, Knight AT. Synergies for improving oil palm production and forest conservation in floodplain landscapes. PLoS One 2014; 9:e95388. [PMID: 24887555 PMCID: PMC4041647 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2013] [Accepted: 03/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Lowland tropical forests are increasingly threatened with conversion to oil palm as global demand and high profit drives crop expansion throughout the world's tropical regions. Yet, landscapes are not homogeneous and regional constraints dictate land suitability for this crop. We conducted a regional study to investigate spatial and economic components of forest conversion to oil palm within a tropical floodplain in the Lower Kinabatangan, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. The Kinabatangan ecosystem harbours significant biodiversity with globally threatened species but has suffered forest loss and fragmentation. We mapped the oil palm and forested landscapes (using object-based-image analysis, classification and regression tree analysis and on-screen digitising of high-resolution imagery) and undertook economic modelling. Within the study region (520,269 ha), 250,617 ha is cultivated with oil palm with 77% having high Net-Present-Value (NPV) estimates ($413/ha-yr-$637/ha-yr); but 20.5% is under-producing. In fact 6.3% (15,810 ha) of oil palm is commercially redundant (with negative NPV of $-299/ha-yr-$-65/ha-yr) due to palm mortality from flood inundation. These areas would have been important riparian or flooded forest types. Moreover, 30,173 ha of unprotected forest remain and despite its value for connectivity and biodiversity 64% is allocated for future oil palm. However, we estimate that at minimum 54% of these forests are unsuitable for this crop due to inundation events. If conversion to oil palm occurs, we predict a further 16,207 ha will become commercially redundant. This means that over 32,000 ha of forest within the floodplain would have been converted for little or no financial gain yet with significant cost to the ecosystem. Our findings have globally relevant implications for similar floodplain landscapes undergoing forest transformation to agriculture such as oil palm. Understanding landscape level constraints to this crop, and transferring these into policy and practice, may provide conservation and economic opportunities within these seemingly high opportunity cost landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola K. Abram
- Durrell Institute for Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom
- HUTAN/Kinabatangan Orang-utan Conservation Programme, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
- Living Landscape Alliance, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom
- Borneo Futures initiative, People and Nature Consulting International, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Panteleimon Xofis
- Technological Education Institute of Kavala, Department of Forestry and Management of Natural Environment, Drama, Greece
| | - Joseph Tzanopoulos
- Durrell Institute for Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom
| | - Douglas C. MacMillan
- Durrell Institute for Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom
| | - Marc Ancrenaz
- HUTAN/Kinabatangan Orang-utan Conservation Programme, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
- Borneo Futures initiative, People and Nature Consulting International, Jakarta, Indonesia
- North England Zoological Society, Chester, Cheshire, United Kingdom
| | - Robin Chung
- C H Williams Talhar and Wong (Sabah) Sdn Bhd, Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Lucy Peter
- Danau Girang Field Centre, c/o Sabah Wildlife Department, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Robert Ong
- Forest Research Centre, Sabah Forestry Department, Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Isabelle Lackman
- HUTAN/Kinabatangan Orang-utan Conservation Programme, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Benoit Goossens
- Danau Girang Field Centre, c/o Sabah Wildlife Department, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
- Organisms and Environment Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
- Sabah Wildlife Department, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | | | - Andrew T. Knight
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, Berkshire, United Kingdom
- Department of Botany, Nelson Mandela Metrropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa
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Muehlenbein MP, Ancrenaz M, Sakong R, Ambu L, Prall S, Fuller G, Raghanti MA. Ape conservation physiology: fecal glucocorticoid responses in wild Pongo pygmaeus morio following human visitation. PLoS One 2012; 7:e33357. [PMID: 22438916 PMCID: PMC3305311 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0033357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2011] [Accepted: 02/08/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Nature-based tourism can generate important revenue to support conservation of biodiversity. However, constant exposure to tourists and subsequent chronic activation of stress responses can produce pathological effects, including impaired cognition, growth, reproduction, and immunity in the same animals we are interested in protecting. Utilizing fecal samples (N = 53) from 2 wild habituated orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus morio) (in addition to 26 fecal samples from 4 wild unhabituated orangutans) in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, we predicted that i) fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations would be elevated on the day after tourist visitation (indicative of normal stress response to exposure to tourists on the previous day) compared to samples taken before or during tourist visitation in wild, habituated orangutans, and ii) that samples collected from habituated animals would have lower fecal glucocorticoid metabolites than unhabituated animals not used for tourism. Among the habituated animals used for tourism, fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels were significantly elevated in samples collected the day after tourist visitation (indicative of elevated cortisol production on the previous day during tourist visitation). Fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels were also lower in the habituated animals compared to their age-matched unhabituated counterparts. We conclude that the habituated animals used for this singular ecotourism project are not chronically stressed, unlike other species/populations with documented permanent alterations in stress responses. Animal temperament, species, the presence of coping/escape mechanisms, social confounders, and variation in amount of tourism may explain differences among previous experiments. Acute alterations in glucocorticoid measures in wildlife exposed to tourism must be interpreted conservatively. While permanently altered stress responses can be detrimental, preliminary results in these wild habituated orangutans suggest that low levels of predictable disturbance can likely result in low physiological impact on these animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P Muehlenbein
- Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America.
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Wilting A, Christiansen P, Kitchener AC, Kemp YJM, Ambu L, Fickel J. Geographical variation in and evolutionary history of the Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) with the description of a new subspecies from Borneo. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2010; 58:317-28. [PMID: 21074625 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2010.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2010] [Revised: 10/19/2010] [Accepted: 11/03/2010] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Recent morphological and molecular studies led to the recognition of two extant species of clouded leopards; Neofelis nebulosa from mainland southeast Asia and Neofelis diardi from the Sunda Islands of Borneo and Sumatra, including the Batu Islands. In addition to these new species-level distinctions, preliminary molecular data suggested a genetic substructure that separates Bornean and Sumatran clouded leopards, indicating the possibility of two subspecies of N. diardi. This suggestion was based on an analysis of only three Sumatran and seven Bornean individuals. Accordingly, in this study we re-evaluated this proposed subspecies differentiation using additional molecular (mainly historical) samples of eight Bornean and 13 Sumatran clouded leopards; a craniometric analysis of 28 specimens; and examination of pelage morphology of 20 museum specimens and of photographs of 12 wild camera-trapped animals. Molecular (mtDNA and microsatellite loci), craniomandibular and dental analyses strongly support the differentiation of Bornean and Sumatran clouded leopards, but pelage characteristics fail to separate them completely, most probably owing to small sample sizes, but it may also reflect habitat similarities between the two islands and their recent divergence. However, some provisional discriminating pelage characters are presented that need further testing. According to our estimates both populations diverged from each other during the Middle to Late Pleistocene (between 400 and 120 kyr). We present a discussion on the evolutionary history of Neofelis diardi sspp. on the Sunda Shelf, a revised taxonomy for the Sunda clouded leopard, N. diardi, and formally describe the Bornean subspecies, Neofelis diardi borneensis, including the designation of a holotype (BM.3.4.9.2 from Baram, Sarawak) in accordance with the rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Wilting
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany.
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Bruford MW, Ancrenaz M, Chikhi L, Lackmann-Ancrenaz I, Andau M, Ambu L, Goossens B. Projecting genetic diversity and population viability for the fragmented orang-utan population in the Kinabatangan floodplain, Sabah, Malaysia. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2010. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Muehlenbein MP, Martinez LA, Lemke AA, Ambu L, Nathan S, Alsisto S, Sakong R. Unhealthy travelers present challenges to sustainable primate ecotourism. Travel Med Infect Dis 2010; 8:169-75. [PMID: 20541137 DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2010.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2009] [Revised: 02/23/2010] [Accepted: 03/17/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ecotourism can function as a powerful tool for species conservation. However, a significant proportion of travelers at wildlife sanctuaries may be ill and potentially infectious, creating unnecessary risk of pathogen transmission to wildlife. METHODS A questionnaire was distributed to adult visitors at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, Sabah, Malaysia. The questionnaire recorded age, occupation, region of origin, history of recent travel, recent contact with livestock, domestic and wild animals, and diagnoses/symptoms of various infections. RESULTS 15% of the 633 tourists self-reported at least one of the following current symptoms: cough, sore throat, congestion, fever, diarrhea and vomiting. Participants who reported recent animal contact were significantly more likely to report current respiratory symptoms compared to other participants. Likewise, participants with a medical-related occupation were more likely to report current respiratory symptoms while at Sepilok compared to other participants. CONCLUSIONS Despite being ill and potentially infectious, these tourists were visiting a wildlife sanctuary to view endangered species. Many of these visitors had animal contact immediately prior to arriving, and many had at least some basic knowledge about infection transmission. While participants in nature-based tourism are generally concerned about environmental protection, present analyses suggest that a significant proportion of ecotourists are uninformed of the risks they may pose to non-human animal health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P Muehlenbein
- Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, 701 E. Kirkwood Ave., Student Building 130, Bloomington, IN 47405-7000, USA.
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Ancrenaz M, Ambu L, Sunjoto I, Ahmad E, Manokaran K, Meijaard E, Lackman I. Recent surveys in the forests of Ulu Segama Malua, Sabah, Malaysia, show that orang-utans (P. p. morio) can be maintained in slightly logged forests. PLoS One 2010; 5:e11510. [PMID: 20634974 PMCID: PMC2901384 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0011510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2010] [Accepted: 06/12/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Today the majority of wild great ape populations are found outside of the network of protected areas in both Africa and Asia, therefore determining if these populations are able to survive in forests that are exploited for timber or other extractive uses and how this is managed, is paramount for their conservation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In 2007, the "Kinabatangan Orang-utan Conservation Project" (KOCP) conducted aerial and ground surveys of orang-utan (Pongo pygmaeus morio) nests in the commercial forest reserves of Ulu Segama Malua (USM) in eastern Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Compared with previous estimates obtained in 2002, our recent data clearly shows that orang-utan populations can be maintained in forests that have been lightly and sustainably logged. However, forests that are heavily logged or subjected to fast, successive coupes that follow conventional extraction methods, exhibit a decline in orang-utan numbers which will eventually result in localized extinction (the rapid extraction of more than 100 m(3) ha(-1) of timber led to the crash of one of the surveyed sub-populations). Nest distribution in the forests of USM indicates that orang-utans leave areas undergoing active disturbance and take momentarily refuge in surrounding forests that are free of human activity, even if these forests are located above 500 m asl. Displaced individuals will then recolonize the old-logged areas after a period of time, depending on availability of food sources in the regenerating areas. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE These results indicate that diligent planning prior to timber extraction and the implementation of reduced-impact logging practices can potentially be compatible with great ape conservation.
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Muehlenbein M, Martinez L, Lemke A, Ambu L, Nathan S, Alsisto S, Sakong R. Risk assessment of potential anthropozoonotic pathogen transmission from ecotourists to wildlife populations in Borneo. Int J Infect Dis 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2010.02.1793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
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Muehlenbein MP, Martinez LA, Lemke AA, Ambu L, Nathan S, Alsisto S, Andau P, Sakong R. Perceived vaccination status in ecotourists and risks of anthropozoonoses. Ecohealth 2008; 5:371-378. [PMID: 18810550 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-008-0192-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2008] [Revised: 07/11/2008] [Accepted: 08/05/2008] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Anthropozoonotic (human to nonhuman animal) transmission of infectious disease poses a significant threat to wildlife. A large proportion of travelers to tropical regions are not protected against vaccine-preventable illnesses, and a majority of these travelers demonstrate poor recall of actual vaccination status. Here we characterize self-perceived vaccination status among a large sample of ecotourists at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, Sabah, Malaysia. Despite their recognized travel itinerary to view endangered animals, tourists at wildlife sanctuaries are not adequately protected against vaccine-preventable illnesses. Of 633 surveys, over half reported being currently vaccinated against tuberculosis, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, polio, and measles. Fewer participants reported current vaccination status for influenza, rabies, and chickenpox. Despite the fact that the majority of visitors to Sepilok are from temperate regions where influenza is relatively more prevalent, 67.1% of those surveyed with medical-related occupations reported not being currently vaccinated for influenza. Ecotourists concerned about environmental protection are themselves largely unaware of their potential contribution to the spread of diseases to animals. The risks of negatively affecting animal populations must be communicated to all concerned parties, and this may begin by urging travelers to examine their actual vaccination status, particularly as the ecotourism industry continues its rapid expansion, and is seen increasingly as a possible tool to save great ape populations from extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P Muehlenbein
- Department of Anthropology, Indiana University-Bloomington, 701 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Student Building 130, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
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