Once considered the most important conservation area for Sumatran rhinoceros in Peninsular Malaysia, Taman Negara National Park no longer hold this critically endangered species

Abstract

Taman Negara National Park (TNNP) comprises an area approximated at 4,343 km² making it the largest protected area and home to critically endangered Sumatran rhinoceros in Peninsular Malaysia. However, the lack of evidence of the historical habitat distributions of this species suggests that Sumatran rhinoceros no longer exist in Malaysia. This claim was based on the results from indirect evidence and camera trapping data collected by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN) from the long-term Sumatran Rhinoceros Survey (SRS), Sumatran Rhinoceros Rapid Survey (SRRS), the Tiger Survey (TS), the National Biodiversity Inventory Programme (NBIP), Biodiversity Data Collection, Management and Dissemination (BDCMD) programme and the National Park Enforcement Team Patrolling (ETP) undertaken between the years 2012 and 2016. Poaching pressure may be the main factor contributing to the declining of the Sumatran rhinoceros population throughout its range in Peninsular Malaysia. The decimation of the population during the 1990s - 2000s gave rise to the Allee effect and affected the survival of this species in TNNP.