The Bornean
crested fireback is
a forest pheasant.Deramakot aerial: Christian Loader/Alamy; menggaris tree: Rob Williams; elephant: Juan Carlos Munoz/naturepl.com; eagle and crested fireback: Chien C Lee
While exploring the salt lick we spot a nest
at eye level made from branches, twigs and
leaves. It’s a sign that orangutans are in the
area, as they create a new ‘tree bed’ every day
to rest in. Because the elusive species is tricky
to study, scientists count these nests from a
helicopter to get a population estimate.
A PLOS ONE study conducted between
2014 and 2017 reported 1.61 orangutans
per km^2 and a population size of 887
in DFR. Baseline data produced during
surveys conducted between 2002 and
2003 in DFR using similar methods,
revealed 1.5 orangutans per km^2
and population size of 792.
“The results show a maintained
population number after more
than 10 years of logging, which
reveals that orangutan can
adapt to a well-managed forest,”explains WWF-Malaysia field biologist
Donna Simon.
SFD and the reserve are very open
about lessons they have learnt. The
Domingos walking trail near the park’s
chalets has a number of educational signs
explaining the changes to forestry practices
over the past 70 years and concludes with
the mantra ‘we learn from mistakes!’Harvesting history
Pre-1970, the harvesting of timbers started in
Sabah and was concentrated in the lowland
forests. Harvesting and hauling operations
relied on traditional equipment such as axes
to fell and the strength of humans or animals
to extract timber from the forest. Post-
1970, timber harvesting in the state
intensified, becoming one of the main
export commodities after tobacco.
In 1978, timber exploitation rates
reached 14 million m^3with high annual outputs continuing until- These annualised high production
levels were not sustainable and were beyond
the regenerative capacities of forests. Since
1993, SFD has adopted Reduced Impact
Logging (RIL) techniques in DFR. This
involves the implementation of a collection of
forest harvesting methods that result in low
levels (20 per cent) of damage to the residual
tree stocks, soil and water quality to sustain
productive capacity and environmental
functions. “The RIL technique is reducing
damage to the soil and residual trees up to 50
per cent compared to conventional logging,”
says Deramakot forestry manager Indra
Purwandita Bin Sunjoto.
RIL pre-harvesting operations include
site assessment and tree mapping.
Harvesting operations consist of road
building, creating water catchment
areas to prevent/reduce soil erosion,
directional felling, and extracting logs,
either using a crawler tractor (if the
terrain is good) or a helicopter. Before
1995, when a slope gradient exceeded
25 degrees, the skyline technique
(logs transported along a suspended
cable) was employed but this stopped
in 2009 due to maintenance issues.
BBC Wildlife 69DERAMAKOT
May 2020