Search

The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) as the genetic tool to monitor biodiversity has been increasing across the world, including Malaysia. Over a decade, the technique has become widely used in wildlife conservation with the technologies called next-generation sequencing (NGS). Unfortunately, as one of the top megadiverse countries, Malaysia is still behind in this field since eDNA methods outperform traditional surveys. Hence, in this study, we analyzed the paper related to eDNA studies in Malaysia, which focused on wildlife monitoring. We conducted a systematic bibliographic search and quantitative review of studies published before June 2021 from Google Scholar and Scopus database. Forty published eDNA studies were found, and each paper was classified based on five themes (species identification, diet assessment, health monitoring, resolve taxonomic, whole-genome sequencing) according to the study analysis. This study aims to identify gaps in eDNA in Malaysia, which can later be useful for future conservation actions and development by applying technology in wildlife monitoring.

In Malaysia, our knowledge of freshwater ecosystem and its aquatic inhabitants, particularly freshwater fish, remains inadequate, even in protected regions. It is essential to understand the composition of freshwater fish, their distribution along river gradients, and their interactions between environmental variables to develop and strategize effective conservation and management plans. Consequently, an investigation into freshwater fish assemblages in three rivers draining off from the western part of Endau-Rompin Landscape was conducted in 12 established substations. Sampling sessions were conducted from September to December 2021 in the Labis district of Johor, using multiple sampling methods along 200 meters for each substation. The environmental variables were measured using water quality parameters. A total of 66 species were collected. The family Cyprinidae presented the highest species diversity (17 species), constituting 52% of total capture. Crossocheilus obscurus was the most dominant species, and the highest species richness was recorded in the Segamat River (45 species), followed by Juaseh (36 species) and Labis River (34 species). It was discerned that the composition of fish varied between the substations. The knowledge presented here is the first documentation on the freshwater fish from these rivers. It would serve as a baseline information for key authorities and stakeholders to conserve the biodiversity inhabiting freshwater ecosystems in Malaysia.

Banded langur (Presbytis femoralis) is an endangered leaf-eating colobine, found in Johor and Pahang in Malaysia. However, with less than 500 individuals reported to be surviving in Johor, their behaviour and ecology remain unknown among primatologists. This study provides the first systematic data on the daily activity budget of the species in Malaysia. Scan sampling technique was used to observe and record P. femoralis behaviour with 10 min interval starting from February 2018 to November 2018. The results are based on 186 h and 20 min of direct observation in the wild. The animals spent most of the time for resting (43 ± 13%) followed by moving (26 ± 9%), feeding (26 ± 7%), social activities (4 ± 3%), and others (1 ± 0%). Seasonality significantly influences the activity budget of the animals resulting in increased resting and moving in the non-fruiting season. Feeding activities decreased in the non-fruiting season compared with the fruiting season, whereas social activities remained the same. We concluded that the daily activity budget of P. femoralis in this study portrays comparable behavior to other langurs in Malaysia that would help in conservation and management of the species in terms of understanding temporal and spatial requirements of P. femoralis in a highly fragmented habitat.

Agonistic behavior in Crocodylus porosus is well known in the wild, but the available data regarding this behavior among the captive individuals especially in a farm setting is rather limited. Studying the aggressive behavior of C. porosus in captivity is important because the data obtained may contribute for conservation and the safety for handlers and visitors. Thus, this study focuses on C. porosus in captivity to describe systematically the agonistic behaviour of C. porosus in relation to feeding time, daytime or night and density per pool. This study was carried out for 35 days in two different ponds. The data was analysed using Pearson’s chi-square analysis to see the relationship between categorical factors. The study shows that C. porosus was more aggressive during daylight, feeding time and non-feeding time in breeding enclosure (Pond C, stock density =0.0369 crocodiles/m2) as compared to non-breeding pond (Pond B, stock density =0.3317 crocodiles/m2) where it is only aggressive during the nighttime. Pond C shows the higher domination in the value of aggression in feeding and non-feeding time where it is related to its function as breeding ground. Chi-square analysis shows that there is no significant difference between ponds (p=0.47, χ2= 2.541, df= 3), thus, there is no relationship between categorical factors. The aggressive behaviour of C. porosus is important for the farm management to evaluate the risk in future for the translocation process and conservation of C. porosus generally.

Crocodylus porosus is the largest species of crocodile and can be found in estuarine and riverine area in Malaysia. Crocodile in captivity can be found in Malaysia for various purposes such as tourism, conservation and leather industry. However, the management practice in established crocodile farm varies across park for example in terms of feeding regime. Thus, this study focusses on the feeding regime of C. porosus in captivity and evaluation of management of crocodile of Teluk Sengat Crocodile Farm. This study was carried out for 35 days in two different ponds of Teluk Sengat Crocodile Farm, Kota Tinggi, Johor. The results show majority of the food given to crocodile were chicken (64%), followed by fish (28%) and prawn (8%). Prawn was only given to juvenile crocodile every day, while fish and whole chicken were given to adult crocodile once a week. The feeding frequency are adequate for the juvenile crocodile however, the feeding quantity for adult pond are worrying. Future research should be conducted on other captive population of C. porosus in other areas in Malaysia as well to better understand the overall management practices in Malaysia.

Banded langurs, Presbytis femoralis, are distributed in southern Peninsular Malaysia, i.e., Johor and its borders including Singapore. It has been estimated that there are only < 250 mature individuals of P. femoralis in Malaysia and Singapore, and it is currently assessed as Critically Endangered. The dietary information of P. femoralis and even other closely related species has rarely been reported. This study, therefore, aimed to describe their dietary habits and discuss interaction between their feeding behaviour and its surrounding. This study was conducted from February to November 2018, with 15 sampling days each month. We collected a total of 186 sighting hours, using a scan sampling method with 10-min intervals, on a five-langur focal group. We have identified 29 species with 47 items consumed by the banded langur, mostly young leaves (51 %) followed by fruits (45 %), and flowers (3.8 %). The study group spent slightly more time consuming non-cultivated plants but relied on cultivated plants for the fruits. Over 75% of fruit feeding involved consuming cultivar plants; in most cases (73%), they ate only the pulp, not the seeds. Since the cultivated plants was planted in human settlement, there is an urgent need to implement conservation measures to untangle the human-langur conflicts for instance, reforestation of a buffer region using non-cultivated plants. There is a potential for building upon our new findings with more detailed investigations, such as more extensive ecological factors influencing the dietary adaptation which would be necessary to support conservation efforts and management decisions of this species.

The Semoq Beri tribe in Pahang is one of the sub-groups of the Senoi Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia. They are largely dependent on natural resources, especially wildlife, for their livelihood. However, no documentation has been made regarding their interactions with wildlife, such as hunting practices, and wildlife consumption and utilisation. In this paper, we provide an ethnozoological study on their cultural knowledge of wildlife utilisation by using a questionnaire and interviews as our instruments. We found that the Semoq Beri people can be categorised into five types of lifestyle, from totally nomadic to modern citizens, which are based on the types of their houses, hunting skills, food sources, income sources, and access to education. A total of 68 wildlife species, consisting of mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects, consumed by this community were documented. Their hunting tools and the uses of these tools were also documented. Due to their abundance, mammals are most frequently consumed by this community. Generally, we can conclude that the hunting lifestyle of the Semoq Beri people in Pahang is sustainable as they largely hunt for their own consumption, and not to participate in the trading of wildlife. However, we are concerned about the numerous endangered and threatened wildlife species being consumed by them. It is also apparent that their hunting activities are decreasing because of the changes to their lifestyle due to modernisation.

Preserving animal’s body or part of the animals have become an important and well-known conservation medium to ensure that the future generations are still able to enjoy the biodiversity and all the incredible species that live within it. This paper aims to present a qualitative study on perception and preference of subject matter experts (SMEs) on various curation and preservation methods that is suitable for certain animals for the development of Natural History Gallery. Interview with the SMEs were done by using semi-structured questionnaire and prior to this, permission were gained from the respondents by signing the Informed Consent Form (ICF). The findings suggest that the preservation methods of specimens ultimately depend on the purpose of specimens collected, either to be preserved as research specimens or exhibition specimens. The information gained form this study will be valuable as directive for the development of natural history gallery in Malaysia.

Environmental DNA or eDNA utilizes traceable genetic materials in the environment for monitoring the presence of organisms in a given area and it is now gaining popularity as an alternative for traditional monitoring methods. Thus, the selection of genetic markers is crucial for identification of species in wildlife monitoring. This paper aims to review several DNA markers which are appropriate and reliable for detection of organisms from the environmental samples. We performed systematic literature search from SCOPUS database to review all molecular markers of eDNA. This study focuses on the importance of markers selection which can be utilized by next-generation sequencing (NGS) for biodiversity monitoring. Cytochrome C oxidase Subunit I (COI) are noted as the most widely used marker in metabarcoding research for detection of targeted species.

Morphism refer to polymorphic species, in which multiple colour variants coexist within a population. Morphism in primates is common and langurs also exhibit certain characteristics of morphism, such as conspicuous natal coats. Banded langurs (Presbytis femoralis) and dusky leaf monkey (Trachypithecus obscurus) exhibits the same characteristics of conspicuous natal coats, but these coats are only limited to infants and changed when they reached adulthood. This article reports the first discovery of rare brown morph of two adult male banded langurs and one leucistic adult female dusky leaf monkey in Malaysia. We also conducted a systematic literature search to review the diversity of morphism in leaf monkey globally.

Schlegel’s Banded Langur, P. neglectus is an understudied primate species in Johor. However, no data were recorded on the species feeding ecology from previous study. This study aims to assess the food selection of P. neglectus in Kampung Johor Lama, Kota Tinggi, Johor. Observations were made using scan sampling techniques and identification of plants was made using dichotomous key to record and identify the plants eaten by P. neglectus in Kampung Johor Lama, Kota Tinggi, Johor. 27 species of plants were recorded from 17 families during 2 months of observation starting from July 2018 to August 2018. Plant species found in the area comprises of a mixture of mangroves plants, orchard plants, pioneer forest plants and others. A notable plants species selected by P. neglectus includes pome trees, Nephelium lappaceum, commodity plants, Elaeis guineensis and Hevea brasiliensis, mangrove plants, Rhizophora mucronate, pioneer tree species, Macaranga gigantea and others. Plants selected by P. neglectus in this study suggested a viable adaptation to human settlement in Kampung Johor Lama.

Schlegel’s Banded Langur (Presbytis neglectus) are understudied species of leaf-monkey which are distributed in Johor, Malaysia and Singapore. The alternative conservation measures that we propose is highlighting this species as nature tourism product to ensure the sustainability of this highly fragmented species. PrimaTourism is a term referring to primate-based tourism has served the conservation of primate in various country and species worldwide. Thus, the objective of this study is to analyze the ranging behaviour of Schlegel’s Banded Langur and evaluate its potential for PrimaTourism programme. Kampung Johor Lama, Kota Tinggi has been identified as the study site to pursue this endeavor, in which two groups of P. neglectus, group 1 called “Dara” consists of 4 adults and group 2 called “Puteh” consists of 12 individuals of adults, sub-adults and juveniles are targeted for focal observation. Five checkpoints have been successfully identified throughout 2637 minutes of observation with group 1 spent the longest time in Check Point B for 707 minutes and group 2 spent the longest time in the Check Point A for 420 minutes. Checkpoint A was the most frequented by P. neglectus clocking total time for both groups at 1015 minutes. The results indicate reliable sighting in checkpoint A and B for possible PrimaTourism product development. Good sighting, safe distance from the primate, endemism, rarity, attractive behaviour and morphology fulfil the criteria of nature tourism product for the species in Kampung Johor Lama.

Dusky leaf monkey, Trachypithecus obscurus distributed throughout Peninsular Malaysia are currently under threats by agricultural land conversion, habitat fragmentation, pet trade and other anthropogenic development. Bukit Soga Perdana, Batu Pahat, Johor is an island forest surrounded by urban development and the populations are highly fragmented here. PrimaTourism is an alternative way to conserve primate species through the means of wildlife tourism. Thus, the aim for this study is to obtain the daily activity budget of T. obscurus in Bukit Soga Perdana to serve as foundation for PrimaTourism activities. Scan sampling method was employed in this study from November 2017 to February 2018 and a total of nine category of behaviours were recorded. Results indicated that T. obscurus spent most of the time moving, followed by feeding, resting, vocalization, agonistic and allomothering. These behaviours are largely influenced the surroundings such as presence or absence of humans. This study provide the first report on daily activity budget of dusky leaf monkey in Bukit Soga Perdana, not only to understand the behaviour of the species, but also as foundation to initiate PrimaTourism in the area.

The newly classified Schlegel’s Banded Langur, P. neglectus in Malaysia are one of the most understudied primates in Malaysia. Unknown population status and distribution coupled with highly fragmented population recorded in Malaysia demands immediate need to study the fundamental aspects of the species such as daily activity budget. PrimaTourism are also suggested as a viable sustainable conservation measures for this highly threatened species. Thus, the objectives of this study are to identify the daily activity budget of P. neglectus in Kampung Johor Lama, Kota Tinggi, Johor, and also identify the potential of primate-based tourism in Kampung Johor Lama. Scan sampling was employed to record activity budget of P. neglectus. A total of 16 individuals of P. neglectus were observed in Kampung Johor Lama. A total of 8400 minutes of observation time was obtained. On average, P. neglectus spent most of their time resting (36.85%), moving (35.65%) and feeding (21.79%)The potential of PrimaTourism were assessed based on questionnaire distributed among local people in Kampung Johor Lama. Local people expressed their willingness to be involve in PrimaTourism activities and believe that this will serve as their alternative source of income and also sustainable well-being of the species in the area.