MALAYSIA - WHEN reports of a sighting of three Sunda clouded leopards on Mount Santubong surfaced in April this year, the news was greeted with a mixture of excitement and anxiety – for good reason. Very little is known about the clouded leopard in comparison with other big cats such as the lion and tiger as research on the species has been scant. theborneopost/2014/07/06/protecting-santubongs-clouded-leopards/ The recent sighting of the clouded leopard at Mt Santubong has helped cast a welcomed public spotlight on Santubong, long marked for tourism development. “Having a population of endangered clouded leopards living so close by also presents a priceless opportunity to educate the public about the importance of ensuring their survival so that they will know it’s not all right to hunt, kill, trap, sell or eat the animal,” Anthony pointed out. At the same time, it has also raised concerns on the management and conservation of the Santubong peninsula as well as their impact on the future well-being of the many unique species which call it home. The 1,410 ha Santubong National Park (SNP), gazetted in 2007, is the third smallest of the 25 national parks in the state, of which most is occupied by Mt Santubong. Surrounding lowlands, sustaining the forests which host most of its prey base such as deer, wild pigs, monkeys, porcupines and other small mammals, lie outside the park’s boundaries and are subjected to the threat of deforestation for agriculture and development purposes. While clouded leopards are highly arboreal and probably at ease living on steep mountain sides, based on the little known about the creature and its habits, Anthony suspects they come down to the lowlands to hunt and breed. Another factor to consider is that because of deforestation, the forests of Santubong peninsula are fragmented and isolated, meaning that without decisive and concerted intervention, the clouded leopard and other resident wild species will be essentially hemmed into an ever-shrinking patch of forest. Based on anecdotal evidence and reports by visitors, even the existing national park has not been able to escape the threat of illegal logging and hunting, with perpetrators choosing to exploit the lesser visited eastern side of Mt Santubong for their illegal activities, usually entering the park undetected via sea. Add to this, a number of large-scale development projects already underway or in the pipeline for the Santubong peninsula (including the proposed Mt Santubong cable car project), and it doesn’t take much to see the very real and present threats to its rich biodiversity unless steps are taken now to effectively plan for and manage land use and natural resources in the area.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 19:45:56 +0000
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