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12 - Movement Ecology of Siamang in a Degraded Dipterocarp Forest

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 April 2023

By
Christopher D. Marsh ,
Stephanie A. Poindexter ,
Ross A. Hill ,
Matthew G. Nowak ,
Abdullah Abdullah  and
Amanda H. Korstjens
Edited by
Susan M. Cheyne ,
Carolyn Thompson ,
Peng-Fei Fan  and
Helen J. Chatterjee
Susan M. Cheyne
Affiliation:
Borneo Nature Foundation
Carolyn Thompson
Affiliation:
University College London
Peng-Fei Fan
Affiliation:
Sun Yat-Sen University, China
Helen J. Chatterjee
Affiliation:
University College London
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Summary

Globally, primates are experiencing the pressures of anthropogenic influences altering natural landscapes. Given the interconnectedness of land use and species conservation, it is vital to understand how primates move within their environments and how they may respond to future land-use changes. Herein, we used unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) vegetation surveys and direct behavioural observations to determine how living in a degraded forest has influenced a wild siamang group in northern Sumatra. Within this population, we found a high level of folivory, relatively infrequent territorial long calls, reused routes, and a preference for areas that corresponded with canopy topography high in elevation. These results show that forest degradation can affect the ranging patterns and land-use behaviour of siamangs. To conserve this species and others that display a comparable response to changes in their environment, we need to prevent further degradation before populations are separated and unable to adapt to the limitations that come with human-mediated landscape changes.

Keywords

movement ecologyanimal behaviourUAVremote sensingcanopy structureforest degradationrainforestIndonesia
Type
Chapter
Information
Gibbon Conservation in the Anthropocene , pp. 188 - 205
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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