Abstract
An insect diversity survey was carried out at Bukit Hampuan Forest Reserve, adjacent to Kinabalu Park in Sabah, Malaysia. The nocturnal insect diversity was very high, with a mean of 113 species recorded from one square metre of light-trapping cloth. Diurnal insects were sampled using sweep nets and fine forceps. A total of 19 Bornean endemic insect species were recorded, comprising 15 moth and four beetle species. A few of the endemic moths are confined to Sabah, namely Buzara saikehi, Cyana saulia and Lyclene mesilaulinea. Forty-two butterfly species were recorded. Endemic insect species sampled from this survey indicate the significance of protecting and conserving this forest reserve. Such findings provide important data to enhance the need and effort in biodiversity conservation. The recent gazettement of Bukit Hampuan Forest Reserve is appropriate, and it is also recommended that Bukit Hampuan Forest Reserve be connected to the adjacent Kinabalu Park, i.e. to gazette the connecting state land area into a forest reserve. Forest fires, illegal hunting for wild animals and orchids, and agricultural activities are among the threats to Bukit Hampuan Forest Reserve which directly affect its insect diversity. To mitigate these threats, it is important to adopt a multi-disciplinary and participatory approach in a smart partnership involving relevant stakeholders and the local communities in monitoring, enforcement and promoting environmental awareness.
Highlights
Malaysia is one of the 12 mega-biodiverse countries in the world, and much attention has been focussed on biodiversity conservation (e.g., Yong 2009; CVB 2010)
Under the Heart of Borneo (HoB) programme, the purpose of this study was to document the insect fauna of the Bukit Hampuan Forest Reserve (FR) and to investigate the threats affecting insect diversity, as well as to provide recommendations that would contribute towards biodiversity conservation of the study area
The nocturnal insect diversity at Bukit Hampuan FR was impressively high despite some degraded areas within the forest reserve
Summary
Malaysia is one of the 12 mega-biodiverse countries in the world, and much attention has been focussed on biodiversity conservation (e.g., Yong 2009; CVB 2010). Insects contribute significantly to the high biodiversity of Malaysian rainforests. They are ubiquitous in the environment and play important roles in maintaining the stability of ecosystems by being part of the food chain, mediating decomposition processes and through various ecological interactions such as pollination, predation and herbivory (Cheng & Kirton 2007). The state government, through the Sabah Forestry Department, has been proactive in implementing various programs that contribute to sustainable forest management, such as the Heart of Borneo (HoB) initiative. About 39,000km of the state’s landmass has been set aside for this initiative, mainly comprising important inland and highland forest ecosystems, with the main objective to protect and conserve the biodiversity of these areas, including insects (Chung et al 2011). Bukit Hampuan is a recently gazetted forest reserve that lies within the HoB area (Fig. 1)
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