The Indonesian island of Sulawesi is a hotspot of small mammal endemism. It is home to 76 native species of rodents (Muridae and Sciuridae) and shrews (Soricidae), 73 of which occur nowhere else. The majority of these are threatened, Data Deficient or newly described and thus little studied. To address these knowledge gaps, the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Small Mammal Specialist Group hosted a 3-day Sulawesi Small Mammal Workshop in West Java in May 2023. It was funded by Re:wild and an IUCN SSC Internal Grant, and attended by scientists and conservation practitioners familiar with Sulawesi's taxa, regions and communities.
The workshop first focused on updating Red List assessments for submission later this year. It is anticipated that c. 35 species will undergo a category change, including 18 that were previously categorized as Data Deficient. Many of these assessments relied on distribution data available from recent museum- and university-led surveys of unstudied mountains. Yet, most of Sulawesi's small mammals remain poorly known, with location, population and threat information largely lacking.
In line with the IUCN SSC's Assess–Plan–Act framework, participants also identified conservation and research needs. An important priority is to improve knowledge of the distribution and ecology of certain species, such as the Sulawesi water rat Waiomys mamasae, known to science from a single specimen (Rowe et al., 2014, Zootaxa, 3815, 541–546). Authors FF and MRTJPN are developing a project for this rodent.
Some species are imperiled by unquantified threats. For example, the two species of Echiothrix are thought to inhabit areas where the impacts of forest conversion for agriculture and expanding mining activities are undocumented and which are consequently a priority for study. Other key priorities include investigating hunting pressure on rodents, increasing area protection in collaboration with local communities, and raising awareness of, and nurturing pride in, the exceptional level of endemism and richness of Sulawesi's small mammals.
Overall, considerable gaps remain in small mammal research within globally significant hotspots such as Sulawesi. The various outputs of this workshop—including efforts to build capacity and support local researchers and conservationists—will bring a greater focus to the island's endemic shrews and rodents.
The endemic heavenly hill rat Bunomys coelestis, categorized as Endangered. Photo: Heru Handika.
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