School of Social Science and Law, Oxford Brookes University, Headington Campus, Gypsy Lane, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Am J Primatol. 2010 Jun;72(7):607-16. doi: 10.1002/ajp.20815.
Understanding the complex relationship between primates and their habitats is essential for effective conservation plans. Peat-swamp forest has recently been recognized as an important habitat for the Southern Bornean gibbon (Hylobates albibarbis), but information is scarce on the factors that link gibbon density to characteristics of this unique ecosystem. Our aims in this study were firstly to estimate gibbon density in different forest subtypes in a newly protected, secondary peat-swamp forest in the Sabangau Catchment, Indonesia, and secondly to identify which vegetation characteristics correlate with gibbon density. Data collection was conducted in a 37.1 km(2) area, using auditory sampling methods and vegetation "speed plotting". Gibbon densities varied between survey sites from 1.39 to 3.92 groups/km(2). Canopy cover, tree height, density of large trees and food availability were significantly correlated with gibbon density, identifying the preservation of tall trees and good canopy cover as a conservation priority for the gibbon population in the Sabangau forest. This survey indicates that selective logging, which specifically targets large trees and disrupts canopy cover, is likely to have adverse effects on gibbon populations in peat-swamp forests, and calls for greater protection of these little-studied ecosystems.
了解灵长类动物与其栖息地之间的复杂关系对于有效的保护计划至关重要。泥炭沼泽森林最近被认为是南方婆罗洲猩猩（Hylobates albibarbis）的重要栖息地，但关于将猩猩密度与这种独特生态系统特征联系起来的因素的信息却很少。本研究的目的首先是估计印度尼西亚萨邦加流域一个新保护的次生泥炭沼泽森林中不同森林亚型中的猩猩密度，其次是确定哪些植被特征与猩猩密度相关。在一个 37.1 平方公里的区域内，使用听觉采样方法和植被“快速绘图”进行了数据收集。在调查地点，猩猩密度从 1.39 到 3.92 组/平方公里不等。冠层覆盖度、树木高度、大树密度和食物供应与猩猩密度显著相关，这表明保护高大树木和良好的冠层覆盖度是萨邦加森林中猩猩种群的保护重点。这项调查表明，专门针对大树并破坏冠层覆盖的选择性采伐可能对泥炭沼泽森林中的猩猩种群产生不利影响，并呼吁对这些研究较少的生态系统进行更大的保护。
