We have put up information posters in several villages where we work. The posters themselves are in the local languages (Penan, Kenyah, etc) or in Malay. The following is the English version of the first poster.

Wildlife in Logging Areas



WCS is an international NGO which has worked in Sarawak for many years. Our goal is to make sure that rare and endangered species survive in the forests. For example, we are concerned about –
  • clouded leopards: these are rare, because each clouded leopard needs a big area to find its food;
  • bay cats: these are vary rarely seen – they may be rare or may be very good at hiding from people; they occur only in Borneo;
  • Hose’s langurs: these live only in the north and east of Borneo and are hunted because they sometimes have gall stones which can be sold;
  • rhinoceros and helmeted hornbills: these were once common all over Sarawak, but are hunted for their tail feathers, and are now only found in the interior;
  • Bulwer’s pheasants: another rarely seen animal found only in Borneo which we would like to know more about.


These species need large areas to survive, larger areas than Sarawak’s national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. If they can live and breed successfully in logged forest, they will not disappear from Sarawak. Sustainable forest management (SFM) should be good for wildlife, and rare species should survive in SFM areas. The first SFM unit in Sarawak is the area between the upper Sela’an and upper Tutoh rivers within Samling licensed operating areas, so we want to know what rare species occur in the area before logging and how SFM will affect them.

The first stage is to document the places and seasons where these animals occur and especially when and where they breed. We have three methods for this –

Transect surveys: we cut and mark trails in the forest, then we check them regularly to look for animals or animal tracks, and to see what fruit is available. Camera traps: we put automatic cameras in the forest; when an animal goes past the camera it automatically takes a photo. Hunter interviews: we ask hunters where they went, what they caught, and – if they catch a female – if it is pregnant or lactating.


We are also helping to record and mark important sites for wild animals which must be protected during logging, such as salt licks and hornbill nests.  

Wildlife Conservation Society, 7 Jalan Ridgeway, 93200 Kuching, Malaysia
Drawings © Karen Phillipps, Photos: Mike Meredith and WCS Malaysia Program

WL in SFM-English 1 : 040909