Wei Cheng Tan, Victor Vitalis, Julsun Sikuim, Dennis Rödder, Mark-Oliver Rödel, Sami Asad
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Despite suffering dramatic declines due to habitat loss and overexploitation, tortoises and freshwater turtles in Southeast Asia remain understudied. Sustainable forest management offers a promising approach for advancing the conservation of threatened turtle populations. This study examines the effect of reduced impact logging (RIL), a sustainable forestry method, on 2 freshwater turtle species. We examined detectability patterns and habitat relationships for the threatened Malayan flat-shelled turtle (Notochelys platynota) and the non-threatened Malayan soft-shelled turtle (Dogania subplana) in 8 streams within a commercial forest reserve between March and July 2019, in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Using single-species occupancy models, we identified covariates associated with the detection and occupancy probabilities of these species across a post-harvest recovery gradient (1–21 years since logging). Covariates used in the models were obtained directly from the field or from open-source remote sensing data. Results for soft-shelled turtles were inconclusive. In contrast, we found a negative association between monthly rainfall and flat-shelled turtle detectability. The occupancy probability of flat-shelled turtles was positively associated with greater distance from logging roads and higher stream flow accumulation. Occupancy probability for flat-shelled turtles and soft-shelled turtles was relatively high throughout the reserve (0.79 ± 0.1 [SD] and 0.57 ± 0.22, respectively). These results, suggest that appropriately managed forests, could serve as invaluable conservation areas for imperiled freshwater turtle species in the region.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Wildlife Management publishes manuscripts containing information from original research that contributes to basic wildlife science. Suitable topics include investigations into the biology and ecology of wildlife and their habitats that has direct or indirect implications for wildlife management and conservation. This includes basic information on wildlife habitat use, reproduction, genetics, demographics, viability, predator-prey relationships, space-use, movements, behavior, and physiology; but within the context of contemporary management and conservation issues such that the knowledge may ultimately be useful to wildlife practitioners. Also considered are theoretical and conceptual aspects of wildlife science, including development of new approaches to quantitative analyses, modeling of wildlife populations and habitats, and other topics that are germane to advancing wildlife science. Limited reviews or meta analyses will be considered if they provide a meaningful new synthesis or perspective on an appropriate subject. Direct evaluation of management practices or policies should be sent to the Wildlife Society Bulletin, as should papers reporting new tools or techniques. However, papers that report new tools or techniques, or effects of management practices, within the context of a broader study investigating basic wildlife biology and ecology will be considered by The Journal of Wildlife Management. Book reviews of relevant topics in basic wildlife research and biology.