BBC Wildlife - UK (2020-05)

awayfromthedisturbancetoa refugearea,

camebacktorecolonisethearea.”When

low-intensityloggingstops,pioneerspecies

andmorefruitingtreesgrowandprovidea

diverseselectionoffoodforwildlife.

“RILshouldnotstop,asorangutan

arecompatiblewithsustainableforestry

practices,”Donnasays.“However,

it doesnotmeanthatRIL

loggedforestis betteror

equaltoa primaryforest,

butweknowRILis much

betterthanforestloggedin

a conventionalwaythatwas

moredestructive.”According

tothebiologist,thebestwayforwardis

forthegovernmenttocontinuewithbest

forestrypracticesandforconsumersto

buysustainableproductsthatareless

harmfultonature.

Orangutanstronghold

TheDeramakotandSegamaregions,

whichareadjacenttoeachotherandboth

managedundertheSFMpractices,cover

a combined4,241km^2 andsustainthe

largestorangutanpopulationsinSabah,

amountingtoabout6,000individuals.The

combinedpopulationhasremainedstable

hereoverthepast 15 yearsandtherefore

Clockwise from

top left: blue-

throated bee-eater,

Malay civet, Malay

porcupine and buy

fish owl can all be

spotted during 4x4

drives in Deramakot.

We watch a beautiful

rhinoceros hornbill

strike a pose at the

end of a branch.

With changes in technological

developments and scientific research,

practices have been reviewed and refined

over the years and the long-term potential

for economic gains realised. “Based on

the State Government’s policy, RIL is the

only harvesting technique that is used in

Deramakot and, since 2010, Sabah state

has adopted RIL as a mandatory harvesting

technique within forest reserve areas,”

explains Indra Purwandita Bin Sunjoto.

Reducing the impact
“Deramakot was initiated into sustainable
forest management very early on and
has since managed to maintain a healthy
timber extraction rate,” says Donna. “This
is good, because it means that while timber
is extracted for commercial purposes,
appropriate mitigation measures are in
place and the ecosystem and wildlife can
still thrive.”
According to her report, SFM practices
are more compatible with the long-term
survival of wild orangutan, with evidence
suggesting that their numbers can return
to pre-logging levels in the eastern lowlands
and central uplands, once the logging stops.
This particularly applies in areas where
RIL and FSC certified timber production
are practiced.
“The return of orangutan
numbers to pre-logging
levels after the logging
stops is not because of a
sudden jump in birth rate,
but because orangutan
Bee-eater, civet, porcupine and owl: Chien C Lee; orangutan: Anup Shah/naturepl.com; Deramakot aerial: Christian Loader/Alamythat previously moved

70 BBC Wildlife May 2020