One of the largest ecological studies so far was set up in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

A new 500-hectare ecological experiment – The Sabah Biodiversity Experiment was recently established, to examine how the diversity of replanted areas affects ecosystem processes in a tropical rainforest.

The central hypothesis which the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment has been designed to test is: Does it make any differences to carbon storage and other ecosystem processes whether Dipterocarp species are planted in a series of monocultures — as has often been the case — or combined in more diverse mixtures?

Collaborators

The project is a collaboration between the NERC Centre for Population Biology at Imperial College, the Royal Society Southeast Asia Rainforest Research Programme (SEARRP), the Institute of Environmental Sciences at the University of Zürich, the Malaysian forest management company Innoprise Corporation Sdn. Bhd. and University Malaysia Sabah.

Funding

The Sabah Biodiversity Experiment has been established with funds from the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (an EU funded body with its headquarters in the Philippines) the NERC CPB, the Institute of Environment Sciences in Zurich and with logistic support from Innoprise Corporation Sdn. Bhd. and the Royal Society SEARRP. The Trekforce Expeditions provided manpower assistance through a number of volunteers to plant the seedlings.

Site

The Sabah Biodiversity Experiment is sited near the Danum Valley Field Centre in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. The Centre lies on the border of a 43,800 ha primary forest conservation area which is located within a larger commercial forest concession (of approx. 1 million ha) under the management of Innoprise Corporation. The Royal Society SEARRP has been based at the Danum Valley Field Centre since 1985.

How the experiment started

A large forest rehabilitation project, covering an area of 30,000 ha of degraded forest, was initiated in 1992 by Innoprise Corporation and FACE (Forests Absorbing Carbon Emmissions) foundations of the Netherlands. The project is known as the Innoprise-FACE Foundations Rainforest Rehabilitation Project (Infapro). To date, Infapro has rehabilitated more than 10,000 ha of forest by enrichment planting. Infapro is largely funded through the sale of carbon credits (through FACE foundation) to European companies and organisations who wish to offset their carbon emissions.

The potential for a large-scale forest biodiversity experiment was spotted by Charles Godfray, NERC CPB Director when he took over as Chairman of the Royal Society SEARRP and toured the Infapro nursery and project area in 2000. The project was then put into action together with Glen Reynolds, the SEARRP Senior Scientist at Danum, and Andy Hector (previously a Royal Society University Research Fellow at the CPB and now at the Institute of Environmental Sciences, Zürich) — coordinator of the EU Biodepth Project. The EU Biodepth Project examined similar questions in grasslands.

In 2001, the establishment of the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment started. Dipterocarp seeds were collected following a mass flowering event. The collection yielded 16 species plentiful enough to be used for the experiment — approximately 200,000 seeds were collected.

The experiment comprises 124 four-hectare plots, each planted with around 1,000 seedlings — over 120,000 trees in total. The plots are planted as monocultures of each of the 16 species, all 16 combined, or 4-species mixture designed to vary genetic diversity and canopy architecture.

This project is one of a number of new biodiversity experiments with tropical and temperate trees ranging from Panama to Finland and Germany.

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The bareback fruit bat (Dobsonia chapmani), endemic to Negros and Cebu Islands has long disappeared until a team of biologists accidentally discovered the bat in the forest of Sipalay City, Negros Occidental, Philippines.

Biologists were investigating the effects of forest fragmentation on mammals and herpetofauna when the bat was discovered. The survey of wildlife in southwestern Negros is a project led by Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management (Suakcrem) and funded by the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation

Dr. Ely Alcala, research associate of Suakcrem confirmed that for 30 years the Negros bareback fruit bat has eluded field biologists in their quest to find the animal in its natural habitat.

He added that this species was originally found in abundant numbers in Basay, Negros Oriental during the early 60's. The discovery of the species in southwestern Negros adds up to the growing list of endangered species found in the area. As in most places in the Philippines today, wildlife populations in southwestern Negros are seriously threatened by deforestation and hunting.

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The TBI-Vietnam programme plans to open a field office in Sub-Forestry Inventory and Planning Institute (FIPI) in Hue in October. This office will support the activities in the North Central Coast agro-ecological zone with focal areas being the Bach Ma National Park and the provinces of Thua Thien Hue and Quang Tri. The TBI-Vietnam programme office is present established in FIPI in Hanoi. For further information please contact Programme Team Leader Jan Wind at: jan.wind.tbi@hn.vnn.vn.

Source:
Tropenbos International Newsletter, November 2002

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Inventory of corals in the Pacific Coast of the Philippines resulted to new records of coral species.

The species discovered were G. cellolosa and S. danae collected from Northern and Eastern Samar, respectively while F. vasta and A. halmaherae were collected from the Southern part of the Philippines.

The discovery has been one of the significant results of the project entitled, "Inventory of Scleractinian Corals of the Pacific Coast of the Philippines Part I: Eastern Visayas and Northeastern Mindanao" funded by the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC). The research project is one of the 37 on-going biodiversity projects in the ASEAN under the research grant programme of ARCBC.

According to Dr. Wilfredo Licuanan of the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute and the project leader, three of the four new records were species previously known only from the north (Goniopora cellulosa; Japan), the west (Stylophora danae; the Red Sea and eastern Africa), south (Indonesia and New Guinea) and the west and south (Favites vasta) of the country, emphasizing the Philippines' position at the confluence of Pacific and Indian Ocean faunas.

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Project leaders presented their research accomplishments against the individual projects' objectives and time frame in a workshop held on 3 September 2002 at the Visitor's Center of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) in Quezon City, Philippines.

This was the first monitoring of biodiversity grant projects in ASEAN conducted by ARCBC since the research grant programme was launched last year.

More details at http://www.arcbc.org/research.htm

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Outstanding young taxonomists from Southeast Asia were recently awarded with scholarship grants from European university.

The training courses, "Invertebrate Taxonomy with Special Reference to Less Well-Known Groups" and "Aspects of Plant Taxonomy on Biodiversity Inventory and Conservation of Protected Ecosystems in Southeast Asia" were delivered to 39 taxonomists from Southeast Asia. The first one was held from 2 July to 12 August 2002 and the latter from 7 July to 17 July 2002, both in Bogor, Indonesia.

Of the 39 participants, nine qualified for the grant-one recipient each from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The outstanding performers will have an opportunity to gain a Masters scholarship grant from Leiden University, provided they meet the language and other requirements of the university:

More details at http://www.arcbc.org/training/training.htm

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The Seventh Round Table Conference on Dipterocarps

Following the last Round Table Conference on Dipterocarps held In Banglore, India in 1999, the Seventh Round Table Conference on Dipterocarps will be held on 7-10 October 2002 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Researchers, policy makers, wood technologists, educationalists, conservators and foresters working on Dipterocarps from various countries will gathered in this event to deliberate on the new research information on the species in the family of Dipterocarpacea.

The conference is jointly organized by:

• Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM)
• Asia-Pacific Association of Forestry Research Institutions (APAFRI)
• The International Union of Forestry Research Organization (IUFRO Working Party SI.07-17)
• Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia
• University Putra Malaysia (UPM), Faculty of Forestry
• Forestry Department Sarawak
• Sabah Forestry Development

Sponsoring the event are the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technishe Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) and Innoprise Sdn Bhd.

Click on http://apafri.org/dipconf/index.html for more details.

Or contact:

The 7th Round Table Conference on Dipterocarps
APAFRI Secretariat
c/o Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
Kepong, 52109 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Tel : +60-3-6272 2516
Fax : +60-3-6277 3249
Website : http:/ /www.apafri.org

Ford Foundation: International Fellowships Program

The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) provides opportunities for advanced study to exceptional individuals who will use this education to become leaders in their respective fields, furthering development in their own countries and greater economic and social justice worldwide.

See the general guidelines, IFP fields of study and application process at http://www.recoftc.org/jobs

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Some rare louse fly species were recently discovered in the Northwest Panay peninsula of the Philippines.

Ten louse flies, of which nine were Nycteribiid and one Streblid species, were collected from their hosts, composed of eight fruit bat species belonging to the Megachiroptera family. Of the nine Nycteribiid, eight are new to the island while the Streblid collected was the first in the area. The discovery included a highly polyxenous bird fly (Ornithotoctona plicata) that is known to occur on different host-species only in Luzon and Palawan.

Dr. Eberhard Curio, head of the Philippine Endemic Species Conservation Project (PESCP), reported on the discovery of these species. Dr. Curio, a professor of the Ruhr University of Germany chairs the EU Biodiversity Chair Programme of the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC), which funds the PESCP, one of the research projects supported by ARCBC. The project's Sixth Report accounted for the finds of the animal species in Panay.

The researchers likewise discovered two frog species, and a third one that is at least a new distributional record for Panay. A new species of snake (Lycodon sp.) was also found, bringing to 11 the number of Lycodon species identified in the country. This Lycodon sp., the first endemic species of its genus for the West Visayas, is still awaiting full technical description. Another snake, with blue and yellow colouration was also found near the station but has yet to be described.

The survey also led to the discovery of the extremely rare Panay Monitor Lizard (Varanus mabitang), named after its local name "Mabitang". Dr. Curio said that this new species "was something else than the region's common Water Monitor (V. salvator nuchalis)." As confirmed by the scale count, which went beyond the range of that of the Philippine Monitor lizard (V. olivaceus), and the shape of its tail, the Northwest Panay-restricted herp has a new taxon of its own right, said Curio. He added that the Panay Monitor was found to be entirely herbivorous, feeding primarily on the Screw Palm (Pandanus sp.) fruits, while the Philippine Monitor feeds on mixed plants and also shelled snails. Dr. Curio and his team believe that the difference in their diet may not be accidental. Considering that lowland forests where monitor lizards mainly live are becoming as rare as these species, Dr. Curio recommends "future efforts must be directed at preserving these priceless forest patches; they may be home to many more Panay endemics."

The Sixth Report of the PESCP further mentions the new distributional record of some small mammals from Panay. Crocidura cf. palawanensis, a medium-sized mouse-grey shrew, was accidentally caught in the primary forest near the station at Sibaliw. The Panay shrew has been conditionally assigned to C. palawanensis because of its very narrow interorbit. The researchers describe it as having a tail shorter than its head and body length. Long bristle hairs cover about half of its tail, and its fore and hind feet are moderately pigmented; its hind foot also has prominent plantal granulate.

According to Dr. Curio, the entire Philippine complex of Crocidura is not yet sufficiently known, and detailed cranial descriptions still have to be elaborated. Thus he said a definitive taxonomic assignment of this interesting shrew from Panay has to be postponed.

Likewise, the Bulanao (Mus musculus castaneus), which was collected accidentally, represents a new distributional record for Panay. The species is found in other parts of the Philippines such as Bohol, Leyte, Luzon, Maripipi, Negros and Mindanao. Dr. Curio confirmed that this species is the dark-bellied indoor form of Mus musculus, which is common in Southeast Asia.

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A bird species has been discovered in the northeastern part of Cambodia. The Bird Life International-Vietnam programme reported that researchers of Wildlife Conservation Society and the Department of Forestry and Wildlife in Cambodia discovered the Mekong Wagtail, scientifically called Motacillidae samveasnae along the Mekong River, in the major streams of northeastern Cambodia and southern Laos, dwelling on rocks and in bushes.

The species was named after Sam Veasna, Cambodia's leading ornithologist and conservationist, who died of malaria in 1999. Considering that the species depends on streams flowing from Thailand, Vietnam and China, WCS is calling for international cooperation to ensure its survival. This is especially so as hydroelectric dams, which have been proposed along the Mekong River, could pose a great threat to these species as these dams could flood their breeding habitat.

Accordingly, specimens of this new species that were collected in Thailand almost 30 years ago, were misidentified as a subspecies of White Wagtail (Motacillidae alba alboides).

Source: www.birdlifevietnam.com

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Three Black-faced Spoonbills were "rediscovered " on the Batanes Islands, in northern Philippines.

Simba Chan, Head of the Conservation and Database Division of the International Centre-Wild Bird Society of Japan, who reported the "rediscovery" last 24 January 2002 said that the birds were seen at the Batanes Islands from October to December 2001. "This is the first report of these species from the Philippines since 1914, and probably the first confirmed," Chan said.

He added that the local people of Batanes may not have been aware that these species have been existing in the area for a long time. This was until they were shown posters of the Black-faced spoonbills brought by staff of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Philippines. The Wild Bird Federation of Taiwan produced the posters, which have been distributed by the Wild Bird Society of Japan, both partners of Birdlife International in Taiwan and Japan.

The Batanes group of islands has been declared as Batanes Protected Landscape and Seascape, through Presidential proclamation No. 335 on 28 February 1994; it has also been listed as an Important Bird Area in the Philippines by HARIBON Foundation.

About 870 Black-faced spoonbills have also been recorded last year on wintering grounds in some parts of eastern Asia.

In China, 14 sites were added to the Ramsar list, including important sites for the black-faced spoonbills.

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Vietnamese biologists from Fauna and Flora International (FFI) have confirmed for the first time the presence of a surviving population of the eastern black crested gibbon (Nomascus nasutus) in Cao Bang province.

Discovered by FFI's Vietnamese biologists La Quang Trung and Trinh Dinh Hoang, and confirmed by recordings of their song, at least eight of the gibbons now survive in a tiny forest fragment in Trung Khanh district near the Chinese border. Previously, six gibbons were reported in Bac Can province by local hunters, but four months of intensive surveying by the same organization could not confirm their presence. "Local hunters think pressure from hunting is so high that the gibbons have given up singing. Only 14 individuals survive in Hainan island in China," said Trung, one of the two biologists who made the discovery. Recordings of the gibbon's songs were sent to Germany's Hannover Institute of Zoology for confirmation of its existence. "With a global population of 14 to 28 individuals, the eastern black crested gibbon is the world's critically endangered primate. Without immediate conservation action, this species will be extinct in a few years, " Trung added.

Also, a new population of 50 to 60 individuals of the rare Tonkin snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus) has been found in Du Gia nature reserve in Ha Giang province by FFI's biologist Le Khac Quyet after two years of field research. This species is a critically endangered primate endemic to the Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang and Bac Can provinces of Vietnam. Shown by photographs taken in the wild by Quyet, his discovery increases the known population from around 200 to as many as 260 individuals. "Pressure from hunting in the nature reserve is high. Over the last 10 years, at least 20 have been killed for food and medicine by local hunters, said Quyet. The nature reserve's five staff are not able to act as protectors for the species which live on an area as large as 24 hectares. FFI, Frankfurt Zoological Society and Muenster Allwetter Zoo have been playing a crucial role in the establishment of management systems for the Na Hang nature reserve in Tuyen Quang province, the first reserve for the protection of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey. With the assistance of the FFI over the last two years, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have facilitated the establishment of a second protected area in Cham Chu, Tuyen Quang province. They aim to strengthen protected area management and community-based conservation intervention, and instigate local patrol groups and buffer-zone development programs around three nature reserves where the species occurs, in their fight to save it from extinction.

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July 2002