Assessing the Effects of Logging Activities on Avian Richness and Diversity in Different Aged Post-Harvested Hill Dipterocarp Tropical Rainforest of Malaysia

Abstract

Logging activities have encroached into the hill dipterocarp tropical rainforest area since the lowland dipterocarp forests have decreased in size. Hill dipterocarp tropical rainforest is rich in habitat diversity and provide a variety of resources for avian species such as food, habitat and shelter. Therefore it is important to examine the logging effects of hill dipterocarp rainforest on avian species. We compared the avian richness and diversity in different aged post-harvested hill dipterocarp tropical rainforest at the Berkelah Hill Dipterocarp Rainforest Reserve in Maran, Pahang, West Malaysia using mist-netting method. We captured a total of 1908 individuals representing 86 species and 29 families (i.e., 18.55% from two years postharvested forest, 25.10% from ten years post-harvested, 23.90% from twenty years post-harvested and 32.44% from thirty five years post-harvested forests). Forty nine species were caught in two years and ten years, 55 species in twenty years and 59 species in thirty five years' post-harvested forest. Seventeen species were common in all four types of forest. Pycnonotidae, Timaliidae and Nectariniidae were the most dominant families in all types of post-harvested hill dipterocarp tropical rainforest. Diversity analysis indicated that the bird species in twenty years post-harvested hill dipterocarp rainforest was most diverse (i.e., Fisher's Alpha Diversity Index; 16.34) and evenly distributed (i.e., McIntosh Evenness index E; 0.933) as compared to two years, ten years and thirty five years post-harvested forest. However, thirty five years post-harvested forest was richest in avian species (i.e., Margalef's Richness index R 1 ; 9.02) as compared to other post-harvested forest. The findings of this study revealed that logging and recovery process may affects on avian distribution and diversity. However, these effects may vary from species to species.

Birds observed during the monitoring period of 2013-2017 in the revegetation area of ex-coal mining sites in South Kalimantan, Indonesia

“…Figure 1 proves that in the last four semiannual monitorings, the number of bird species in the site revegetated 19-21 years ago was greater than that in the site revegetated 3-5 years ago. The number of bird species in the two-year and tenyear post-harvested hill of dipterocarp tropical rainforest was 49 (each), in the twenty-year post-harvested hill of dipterocarp tropical rainforest was 55, and in the thirtyfive-year post-harvested hill of dipterocarp tropical rainforest was 59 (Rajpar and Zakaria 2014). The increase in richness and diversity of bird species is in line with the increase in a particularly high canopy, secondary canopy development, and bush cover (Styring et al 2011).…”

Composition and diversity of plants in Sibuti mangrove forest, Sarawak, Malaysia

“…In Malaysia there are c. 0.580 million ha of mangrove forest reserves (Chan 1987) and the country has a rich plant diversity (Rajpar and Zakaria 2014). In terms of mangrove forest cover, Sarawak has the second largest area of mangrove coverage in Malaysia, accounting for 26% of the total (126,400 ha), but only 48% of this is protected as permanent forest reserves (Latiff and FaridahHanum 2014 Malaysian states (Murofushi et al 1999;Ashton and Macintosh 2002), and very little scientific information has been documented on the ecological aspects of Sarawak mangrove forests.…”

Fauna Diversity in Tropical Rainforest: Threats from Land-Use Change

“…Tropical rainforests are the most diverse in the vegetation structure and composition (Figure 1) that supported a diversity of fauna species such as birds, reptiles, mammals, amphibians, and invertebrates, which directly or indirectly depend on them for their survival and existence. They are rich in habitat diversity and provide a variety of resources for the avian species, such as food, habitat, and shelter [6]. Tropical rainforest is vital ecosystem, i.e., it provide crucial ecosystem services such as raw materials, reservoirs of biodiversity, soil protection, sources of timber, medicinal plants, carbon sequestration, and watershed protection [7][8][9].…”

“…Green Iora Hill dipterocarp tropical rainforest (Malaysia) [6] Alcedinidae Alcedo euryzona Blue-banded Kingfisher Hill dipterocarp tropical rainforest (Malaysia) [6] Alcedo meninting Blue-eared Kingfisher Hill dipterocarp tropical rainforest (Malaysia) [6] Ceyx rufidorsa Rufous-backed Kingfisher Hill dipterocarp tropical rainforest (Malaysia) [6] Alcedo atthis Common Kingfisher Hill dipterocarp tropical rainforest (Malaysia), Lowland tropical rainforest (Papua New Guinea) [6,61] Alcedo azurea Azure Kingfisher Lowland tropical rainforest (Papua New Guinea) [61] Alcedo pussio Little Kingfisher Lowland tropical rainforest (Papua New Guinea) [61] Ceyx lepidus Variable Dwarf Kingfisher Lowland tropical rainforest (Papua New Guinea) [61] Melidora macrorrhina Hook-billed Kingfisher Lowland tropical rainforest (Papua New Guinea) [61] Tanysiptera galatea Common Paradise Kingfisher Lowland tropical rainforest (Papua New Guinea) [61] Ceyx Boyer's cuckoo-shrike Boyer's Cuckoo-shrike Lowland tropical rainforest (Papua New Guinea) [61] Campochaera sloetii Golden Cuckoo-shrike Lowland tropical rainforest (Papua New Guinea) [61] Coracina melas New Guinea Cuckoo-shrike Lowland tropical rainforest (Papua New Guinea) [61] Coracina novaehollandiae Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Lowland tropical rainforest (Papua New Guinea) [61] Coracina papuensis White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrike Lowland tropical rainforest (Papua New Guinea) [61] Lalage leucomela Varied Triller Lowland tropical rainforest (Papua New Guinea), Tropical Rainforest (Australia) [61,62] Hemipus picatus Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike Tropical Rainforest (India) [64] Pericrocotus flammeus Scarlet Minivet Tropical Rainforest (India) [64] Caprimulgus macrurus Large-tailed Nightjar Lowland tropical rainforest (Papua New Guinea) [61] Casuariidae…”

“…Northern Cassowary Lowland tropical rainforest (Papua New Guinea) [61] Chloropseidae Chloropsis cochinchinensis Blue-winged Leafbird Hill dipterocarp tropical rainforest (Malaysia) [6] Chloropsis cyanopogon Lesser Green Leafbird Hill dipterocarp tropical rainforest (Malaysia) [6] Chloropsis aurifrons Gold-fronted Leafbird Tropical Rainforest (India) [64] Cisticolidae Prinia rufescens Rufescent Prinia Hill dipterocarp tropical rainforest (Malaysia) [65] Orthotomus atrogularis Dark-necked Tailorbird Hill dipterocarp tropical rainforest (Malaysia), Isolated Tropical Rainforest (Malaysia) [6,63] Orthotomus sericeus Rufous-tailed Tailorbird Tropical Rainforest (Malaysia) [63] Orthotomus sutorius Common Tailorbird Tropical Rainforest (Malaysia) [63] Colluricinclidae Colluricincla megarhyncha Little Shrike-thrush Lowland tropical rainforest (Papua New Guinea) [61] Colluricincla boweri Bower's Shrike-thrush Tropical Rainforest (Australia) [62] Tropical Forests -The Challenges of Maintaining Ecosystem Services while Managing the Landscape…”