By Emma Sinnett, 24th October 2024
The latest issue of Oryx focuses on biodiversity conservation in Indonesia. The editorial and nine articles authored by Indonesian researchers examine a broad range of contemporary issues in conservation research, from individual species to conservation methods, bird and amphibian diversity, protected area management and research on mammals.
The lead article examines bird diversity in the forests and coconut farms of Sulawesi, where one of the indicator species of forest is the endemic and spectacularly coloured Sulawesi dwarf kingfisher Ceyx fallax, pictured on the issue’s cover.
In the editorial, Mardhiah et al. highlight each of the nine articles in the special section, reflecting on the compilation of knowledge and the power derived from collaboration, and propose five actions to strengthen the future of conservation in Indonesia.
The issue also includes a Briefly section with highlights from Indonesia, a host of Conservation News items and three book reviews! Find out more about the issue’s content, including our Editor’s picks, below.
The cover of the July 2024 issue of Oryx, and the first page of Briefly, with a spotlight on Indonesia.
Conservation in Indonesia
- Bird diversity in the forests and coconut farms of Sulawesi, Indonesia – Winarni et al.
- Using SMS surveys to understand songbird ownership and shark product consumption in Indonesia – Nuruliawati et al.
- Local community characteristics and potential conflicts around Asian tapir habitat in Batang Gadis National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia – Kuswanda et al.
- Safeguarding Asian tapir habitat in Sumatra, Indonesia – Pinondang et al.
- Current knowledge of amphibian diversity in Sumatra, and its significance for conservation – Arifin
- Is the Javan tiger Panthera tigris sondaica extant? DNA analysis of a recent hair sample – Wirdateti et al.
- Evaluating the effectiveness of protected area management in Indonesia – Nugraha et al.
- Insights from 20 years of mammal population research in Indonesia – Ardiantiono et al.
- Using bycatch data to model sun bear Helarctos malayanus occupancy in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Sumatra – Sibarani, Ekanasty & Surya
Pindondang et al. used camera-trap data to predict suitable habitat for Asian tapirs Tapirus indicus across Sumatra, while Kuswanda et al. investigated local community characteristics and potential conflicts around Asian tapir habitat in Batang Gadis National Park, Sumatra. Photo: Lightpoet/Adobe Stock.
Behind the cover
As a result of its large area, tropical climate, archipelagic geography and mix of Asian and Australasian species—the latter identified by Alfred Russell Wallace and now commemorated as the Wallace Line—Indonesia is recognized as a megadiverse country. In this issue, the lead article examines bird diversity in the forests and coconut farms of Sulawesi, where one of the indicator species of forest is the endemic and spectacularly coloured Sulawesi dwarf kingfisher Ceyx fallax (pictured). The authors explore the conservation value of coconut palm plantations relative to forest and mixed farmland in northern Sulawesi. Bird communities in palm plantations and mixed farmland sites were dominated by generalist birds but there was a higher number of endemic species in coconut palm plantations than in mixed farmland, mirroring patterns of biotic homogenization documented elsewhere in the Wallacea centre of endemism (another biogeographical term commemorating the work of Alfred Russel Wallace). To find out more, see Winarni et al.
Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher Ceyx fallax. Photo: John J. Harrison
Editorial
Strengthening the future: advancing biodiversity conservation in Indonesia – Mardhiah, Nuruliawati & Pinondang
The editorial highlights each of the nine articles in this special section on conservation in Indonesia and emphasizes the need to increase conservation capacity in Indonesia and elsewhere.
‘Reflecting on this compilation of knowledge and on the strength derived from collaboration, we have pondered the future of biodiversity conservation research in Indonesia and what we can do collectively to strengthen it. We propose the following five actions, which are intended specifically for conservation research in Indonesia but also apply elsewhere:
- Invest in young conservation researchers through capacity building and by opening up job opportunities, to create a dedicated, knowledgeable generation for biodiversity protection;
- Facilitate the contributions of female researchers by creating a safe environment for them to nurture their potential;
- Increase transparency and openness, facilitating collaborative work amongst conservation stakeholders;
- Encourage healthy scientific discussion to sharpen our approaches and facilitate transformations in conservation research and practice; and
- Promote long-term investment in research funding to address key conservation questions.’
Editor’s picks
- Bird diversity in the forests and coconut farms of Sulawesi, Indonesia – Winarni et al.
- Is the Javan tiger Panthera tigris sondaica extant? DNA analysis of a recent hair sample – Wirdateti et al.
- Viability of ‘ōhai Sesbania tomentosa seeds after 3 decades of ambient conditions – Saling & Wolkis
- Population monitoring of a Critically Endangered antelope, the mountain bongo, using camera traps and a novel identification scheme – Sandri et al.
A single hair was found on a fence near a reported tiger sighting in West Java in 2019. Using DNA analysis Wirdateti et al. concluded it could belong to the Javan tiger, but that further studies are needed to confirm whether the subspecies still occurs in the wild.
Other content
- The lion’s share: implications of carnivore diet for threatened herbivores in Tsavo, Kenya – King et al. (with second abstract in Swahili)
- Using power analysis and spatial prioritization to evaluate the design of a forest bird monitoring programme – Southwell et al.
- Cheetahs in Tanzania’s Selous–Nyerere ecosystem: lack of evidence for current persistence, and reflections on historical status – Searle et al.
- Reassessment of the conservation status of Crocidura fingui, a shrew endemic to Príncipe Island, Gulf of Guinea – Alves et al.
King et al. used scat analysis to characterize the diet of lions in Tsavo, Kenya. They found large ungulates like buffalo were the preferred prey, but high consumption of hirola & Grevy’s zebra could have a major impact on the populations of these threatened species. Photo: Will Burrard Lucas/Tsavo Trust.
Conservation news
- The Whitley Awards 2024 – Brookes
- Four new records of Griffinia ornata, a rare and threatened Brazilian species of Amaryllidaceae – Campos-Rocha et al.
- iNaturalist record of the threatened aroid Philodendron spiritus-sancti – Calazans et al.
- Conservation through restoration: the Endangered tree Atuna travancorica in the southern Western Ghats, Kerala, India – Praveena & Jose
- Rediscovery of Swertia wattii, a micro-endemic species of India, after 138 years – Srivastava & Khuraijam
- Conserving Camellia mingii, the golden-flower camellia endemic to Yunnan province in south-west China – Yang et al.
- First recorded bloom of the Critically Endangered ironwood Ostrya rehderiana in Kunming Botanical Garden – Tao, Sun & Yang
- Potential evidence of the Critically Endangered Arabian leopard in southern Saudi Arabia – Al Hikmani et al.
- 23rd Sharjah International Conservation Forum for Arabia’s biodiversity – Seddon et al.
- New release! Geospatial tools for Sonoran Desert threats and protection of rare and threatened plant species now freely available – Rowe & Meredith
- New otter conservation network in Central America – Yoxon
- Under pressure: the Critically Endangered common hamster in Hungary reached an all-time demographic low in 2024 – Szatmári et al.
- Benefits of restoring a daya in arid Algeria: the reappearance of Teucrium campanulatum after 168 years – Gordo
- First record of the spotted pond turtle Geoclemys hamiltonii in Shuklaphanta National Park, Nepal – Bohara, Rawat & Bhattarai
Campos-Rocha et al. describe four new records of Griffinia ornata a rare and threatened Brazilian species of Amaryllidaceae (top left: a clonal clump with flowering individual,
and bottom left: detail of inflorescence), and Srivastava & Khuraijam record the rediscovery of Swertia wattii (right), a micro-endemic species of India, after 138 years. Photos: J.A. Gomes (left) and A. Srivastava (right).
Book reviews
- Reflections: What Wildlife Needs and How to Provide It
- Move Like Water: A Story of the Sea and its Creatures
- Platypus Matters: The Extraordinary Story of Australian Mammals
