The Estimation of Cuscus Population and Distribution in Teluk Wondama District, West Papua Province, Indonesia.

Cuscus is marsgupials endemic to the eastern part of Indonesia. Populations and their habitats are under pressure due to deforestation, land clearing and massive utilization of forest resources. Studies on cuscus ecology have mainly focused on protected habitats or conservation areas. This study aims to identify and analyse populations and predict the distribution of cuscus in production forest area, which is PT Wijaya Sentosa. This study was conducted in November 2020 until January 2021 in several land cover categories. The methods used in this study were literature and secondary data studies, field observations using striptransect and camera trap techniques, interviews using purposive sampling techniques. This study found nine individual cuscuses from two families, namely Phalanger and Spilocuscus, as well as four species, namely ground cuscus (Phalanger gymnotis), spotted cuscus (Spilocuscus maculatus), Bohai cuscus (Spilocuscus rufoniger) and gray cuscus (Phalanger orientalis). Individual encounters were obtained from direct observation with transect lines and two cuscus individuals from camera traps. Ground cuscus (P. gymnotis) populations had the highest abundance and density, while spotted cuscus (S. maculatus) populations had the lowest values. The population structure was dominated by males and adult age classes, but no females and young age classes were found. Most cuscus was found alone on the observation path and was not found on every path. The distribution pattern of the cuscus population in the production forest of PT Wijaya Sentosa's concession is grouped/aggregated, based on the dispersion index value and the ratio of the value of variance to the mean value. The most common ground cuscus was found in the 2018 and around the 2013 logged-over areas (LOA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]