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Understanding foraging strategies of birds is essential to understanding mechanisms of their community assembly. To provide such information on a key Southeast Asian rainforest family, the babblers (Timaliidae), we evaluated foraging behavior and abundance in 7 morphologically and behaviorally similar sympatric species (Cyanoderma erythropterum, C. rufifrons, Stachyris maculata, S. nigricollis, S. poliocephala, Macronus ptilosus, and Mixornis gularis) in 5 habitats defined by structural complexity: (1) continuous native rainforest, (2) logged native rainforest fragments, (3) mature industrial tree plantation, (4) young industrial plantation, and (5) oil palm plantation. Enough data were obtained to compare abundance in all 7 species and foraging behavior in 5. All species were common in forest fragments and mature industrial tree plantations and less so in continuous rainforest and young industrial plantations; only M. gularis occurred in oil palm. In terms of foraging, M. gularis was the greatest generalist; C. rufifrons foraged mainly on live leaves in the forest midstory; and S. maculata, C. erythropterum, and M. ptilosus foraged mainly on dead leaves suspended in understory vegetation at significantly different heights. The dead-leaf substrate depends on a rich supply of falling leaves and extensive understory structure, conditions most common in native forest and old industrial plantations, and less so in mature forest, young plantations, and oil palm. Because of the importance of foraging data to understanding and managing biodiversity, we encourage the development of foraging fields in eBird (ebird.org), so that birdwatchers may help collect these relatively rare data.

Community‐managed forests (CF) bordering protected areas are critical to conservation in Borneo. Iban‐managed CF retain tree species characteristic of primary forests within pulau, remnant old growth forests conserved for harvesting forest products. However, the selective felling of large trees, and proximity to surrounding mixed‐use mosaic habitat, likely influence pulau structure and composition. Tropical Asian forests exhibit supra‐annual mast fruiting (3–7 years) and extended periods of fruit scarcity, but fruit trees encouraged and planted by communities, in mixed‐use mosaic bordering pulau, may benefit wildlife during periods of fruit scarcity. We investigated seasonal availability of foods important to wildlife within protected primary forest and pulau at the boundary of the Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary (LEWS), in Sarawak, Malaysia. We tracked the presence of fruits and seeds, comparing relative composition and fruiting activity between forests, using bi‐monthly phenology surveys across 50 locations (October 2016–2019). We also compared fruit presence along walking transects within LEWS’s primary forest and the mixed‐use mosaic in Iban territories. We found forests within and adjacent to LEWS shared similar composition, synchrony, and extended periods of fruit scarcity. Mixed‐use mosaic bordering pulau provided more consistent fruits, however, due largely to an invasive tree (Bellucia pentamera). Our study suggests pulau retain diversity and synchrony of fruit resources comparable to primary forest, sustaining valuable habitat for wildlife within the greater mixed‐use mosaic of traditional Iban land management practices. These findings are important for understanding resources available to wildlife outside of protected areas, and how CF contribute to conserving biodiversity.

No abstract

Understanding wildlife spatiotemporal dynamics at protected area boundaries is critical to conservation. In SE Asia, protected areas are often bordered by indigenous communities whose traditional practices result in increased landscape heterogeneity within their community managed forests (CF). Because SE Asian forests exhibit supra-annual mast fruiting (3-7 yrs) and sustained fruit scarcity, wildlife using CF may benefit from greater availability of fruits and seeds encouraged by traditional management, but incur greater risk of being hunted. We examined shifts in wildlife activity in forests within and adjacent to Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary (LEWS), in Sarawak, Malaysia. Using camera traps and surveys of fruiting phenology, we related presence of fruits and seeds to shifts in large mammal activity over 3 years (October 2016(October -2019. We first compared relative frequency of five focal species (sun bear, bearded pig, muntjac, mouse deer, and sambar) by forest type for a given survey year and season (rainy vs. dry). We then modeled activity to assess how fruit availability, landscape features, and proxies for hunting risk, influence seasonal shifts in habitat use. Our results suggested seasonal variation in concert with increased landscape heterogeneity influenced patterns of activity. We found no evidence that CF excluded any detected mammal species, suggesting CF contribute important habitat to wildlife, particularly during periods of fruit scarcity in primary forest. However, our findings also imply increased hunting risk for wildlife attracted to resources near human settlements, emphasizing the need to consider the influence of both annual and supraannual seasonality when developing best practices for the sustainable management.

Brown spiny rats (Maxomys rajah) were translocated from continuous secondary forest to small isolated patches of remnant native forest embedded within Acacia mangium plantation in the Planted Forest Zone of Sarawak, East Malaysia, and fitted with tracking spools to monitor behaviours in novel environments and to record responses to a range of habitat edge features. Forest roads, large clearings and acacia plantation compartments were found to pose barriers to dispersal of brown spiny rats over short temporal scales, whereas old regenerating haul trails were readily crossed on 50% of the encounters. Downed woody debris accounted for a greater proportion of the travel route compared with brown spiny rats tracked in secondary and primary forest in Sabah, which may represent heightened predator avoidance in new environments. Provision of downed woody debris within plantation compartments may improve the dispersal ability of brown spiny rats in this modified landscape, and thus promote metapopulation dynamics and colonisation of vacant habitat patches.

Conversion of natural, heterogenous tropical forests to intensively managed, monoculture-production landscapes is a major threat to biodiversity. This phenomenon is driven by global demand for commodities such as wood, palm oil, sugar, and soybean. The economies of many countries in tropical areas depend on these commodities, and there is a need to ensure economic welfare while protecting biodiversity. Certification schemes such as those developed by the Forest Stewardship Council and Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil are intended to provide incentive to companies to employ environmentally and socially sustainable production practices. One element of these certification schemes is the concept of High Conservation Values (HCVs) which fall into six categories that encompass ecological indicators and human dimensions. The HCV process has expanded beyond production landscapes to include long-term conservation planning. Despite expansion, implementation of the HCV process as it pertains to biodiversity is challenged, in part, by a lack of specificity regarding target metrics. Another challenge is that, in practice, there is a short time period for assessment, resulting in limited collection of primary data and a reliance on secondary data sources for interpolation. HCV guidance advances a precautionary approach to assessment, but in some regions, there is not enough known about the biology, behavior, or interspecific associations of species to effectively assess what is not observed. In this paper, we assess environmental HCVs in a well-studied timber production system in Sarawak, East Malaysia. Using an original long-term multi-method dataset of avifaunal surveys as well as published datasets of other taxa, we 1) assess biodiversity metrics at the site including presence of Rare, Threatened, and Endemic species, 2) assess change over time at assessment locations, and 3) evaluate costs and benefits of the various methods and provide best practice recommendations for HCV assessment and long-term monitoring. Finally, we recommend transparent data-archiving and sharing for improved accuracy and efficiency in the HCV process. Managed landscapes are important areas for ecological research that are beneficial not only to the restoration and conservation of species and ecosystems but also to well-informed certification and long-term sustainability.

The enigmatic 'Spectacled Flowerpecker'-a probable new bird species from the island of Borneo-was first sighted in the Danum Valley of Sabah, Malaysia in 2009. However, the absence of a holotype specimen has prevented its formal scientific description. Since then only a handful of reports from widely disparate localities across the island have emerged, all from lowland sites and often in close association with fruiting mistletoe. Here, we report the long-awaited capture of a specimen of this putative new species and confirm its morphological and molecular distinctiveness as a novel species in the genus Dicaeum.