Occurrence of Bornean Mammals in Two Commercial Forest Reserves and Characteristics that Influence their Detectability

Abstract

The Southeast Asian island of Borneo boasts an incredible diversity of terrestrial mammals which is threatened by habitat loss. Understanding the abundance and distribution of these species is essential for conservation and management. We assessed the occurrence of terrestrial mammals within two commercial forest reserves in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. In particular, we investigated the habitat associations of the Sunda stink-badger, whose patchy distribution is not well understood. To improve detection probability and precision of model parameters, we deployed 2 camera-traps at sample stations. Our results showed that Sunda stink-badgers are likely dietary and habitat generalists, that may benefit from forest disturbance. Additionally, we found that unguligrade species were associated with high detection probability when data from one camera trap was considered and inclusion of a second camera further increased the detectability of ungulates compared to all other species. We suggest that future studies consider physical characteristics of focal species to maximize effectiveness of camera effort and ensure that data collection is efficient and meets project needs.