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Fecal DNA analysis is a useful tool for the investigation of endangered species. Tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis) is endemic to the Philippine island of Mindoro but knowledge of its genetic and ecological information is limited. In this study, we developed a species identification method for tamaraw by fecal DNA analysis. Eighteen feces presumed to be from tamaraw were collected in Mount Iglit-Baco National Park and species-known feces from domestic buffaloes and cattle were obtained from a farm. Additionally, one species-unknown fecal sample was obtained in Mount Aruyan Preserve, where the sighting of tamaraw has not been reported in recent years. Based on DNA sequence data previously reported, the genus Bubalus- and tamaraw-specific primers for PCR of cytochrome b gene were newly designed. The Bubalus-specific primer yielded a 976 bp fragment of cytochrome b for all fecal samples from tamaraw and domestic buffaloes, but not for cattle, whereas the tamaraw-specific primer yielded a 582 bp fragment for all tamaraw fecal samples and for one of the four domestic buffalo samples. PCR-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) analysis of the 976 bp PCR fragment with AvrII or BsaXI provided distinct differences between tamaraw and domestic buffalo. PCR-RFLP analysis also showed that the species-unknown sample obtained in Mount Aruyan Preserve, originates from tamaraw.

We have identified three members of the heat shock protein (HSP) 70 family from the Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica. The coding regions of the genes, CjHSPA2, CjHSPA5 and CjHSPA8, exhibit more than 96% similarity to related genes in the chicken, GgHSP70, GgHSPA5 and GgHSC70. The putative proteins encoded by the quail genes contain motifs considered essential for HSP70 family members. In addition, the predicted proteins are more similar to HSPA2, HSPA5, and HSPA8 proteins from vertebrates than they are to other members of the HSP70 family. As is true for orthologs from chicken and mammals, the quail genomic loci consist of a single exon (CjHSPA2) or eight exons (CjHSPA5 and CjHSPA8). The promoter regions of the genes also contain conserved motifs and are similar in structure to promoter regions of related genes in other species. Furthermore, gene order in the regions surrounding the quail HSP70 has been preserved, providing evidence that the genomic regions are orthologous to HSP70-containing regions in the chicken genome. One of the quail HSP70-related genes, CjHSPA2, exhibited a robust response to heat shock treatment and transcription of CjHSPA8 mRNA was weakly induced by heat treatment. Taken together, the data suggest that CjHSPA2, CjHSPA5 and CjHSPA8 encode orthologs of HSPA2, HSPA5 and HSPA8 with the notable difference that CjHSPA2 and CjHSPA8 are heat shock-inducible genes, whereas HSPA2 and HSPA8 are constitutively expressed in a heat shock-independent manner.

In pursuance of economic growth and development, logging has exhausted the natural timber resource in the tropical rainforest of Sabah, Malaysia. Realizing the forest depletion, the Sabah Forestry Department, with technical support from the German Agency for Technical Cooperation, begun developing a management system with the intent of managing all commercial forest reserves in a way that mimics natural processes for sustainable production of low volume, high quality, and high priced timber products in 1989. As dictated by a forest management plan based on forest zoning, about 51,000 ha of the entire area is set aside for log production and 4,000 ha for conservation in Deramakot Forest Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia. This Forest Management Plan has served as the blueprint for operational work and biodiversity conservation in Deramakot to the present. A strict protection area is set aside for biodiversity conservation within the reserve. A reduced-impact logging system is being employed for harvesting with minimal impacts on the physical environment. Deramakot Forest Reserve was certified as “well managed” by an international certification body, the Forest Stewardship Council, in 1997 and is the first natural forest reserve in Southeast Asia managed in accordance with sustainable forestry principles. In addition to providing a "green premium," certification provides easier market access, evidence of legality, multi-stakeholder participation, conservation of biodiversity and best forest management practices, particularly reduced-impact logging techniques. Deramakot Forest Reserve is the flagship of the Sabah Forestry Department and serves as a symbol of what can be achieved with political support and institutional commitment.