Monitoring species diversity using camera traps in Ulu Masen ecosystem, Aceh Province, Indonesia

Abstract

Camera traps are increasingly used to remotely monitor the population and distribution of a variety of species, including a number of threatened and elusive species over large geographical areas, with little human intervention/disturbance. Between April and September 2017, we deployed 150 camera traps at 75 stations, with two camera traps at each station, to monitor species diversity in the Ulu Masen Ecosystem in Aceh, Indonesia. We identified a total of 33 species that included three ‘Critically Endangered’, one ‘Endangered’, nine ‘Vulnerable’, seven ‘Near Threatened’ and 13 ‘Least Concern’ species over 121 days with a total of 554 trap night/100 km2 and Relative Abundance Index (RAI) of 51.93 frames/100 trap nights. Critically endangered species recorded included Panthera tigris sumatrae (three individuals and 17 independent photos), Elephas maximus sumatranus (17 independent photos), and Manis javanica (one independent photo), while Cuon alpinus was the only endangered species (EN) recorded. Our results indicate that the Ulu Masen still harbours a variety of rare and elusive species that need to be protected. Deriving reliable abundance estimates and distribution especially for rare and endangered species from camera traps is an important step in conservation and can be used to guide the management of these ecologically valuable species.