Bako National Park Research Articles

Bako National Park's Circumstances Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives on Biodiversity and Community Well-being

Bako National Park (BNP) is the oldest and smallest national park in Sarawak, Malaysia and its richness in biodiversity of flora and fauna here is indeed a major attraction for international and local tourists to watch proboscis monkeys. However, this COVID-19 pandemic instigates challenges to tourism development in the BNP because the number of tourists is very low compared to before pandemic season. This also has a huge impact on the local community and wildlife in this area. These new norms bring challenges and benefits to human and nature life. The following photos were taken during our five-day visit to BNP from 24th to 28th August 2020. The purpose of our short visit was to observe the circumstances of BNP in the midst of pandemic by emphasizing the aspects of biodiversity and the well-being of local communities. Thus, the photographs taken describe the situation in this area that elucidate the challenges and benefits to wildlife and community livelihood. Based on this study, it is clear that humans and biodiversity have complex and interdependent relationships with each other that need to emphasized by relevant stakeholders towards social sustainable development.

Assessing Visitor Satisfaction with Facilities in Sarawak’s Totally Protected Areas: A Study of Bako and Niah National Parks

This study examines the level of visitors’ satisfaction with the facilities within selected totally protected areas (TPAs) in Sarawak. For this study, the national parks chosen are Bako National Park, Kuching, and Niah National Park. The visitors’ satisfaction level with the available facilities within the studied TPAs was assessed based on their feedback on the information displayed at the respective TPAs, the hygiene of the facilities available in the TPAs, and the signage (for safety measures) in the TPAs which is based on the Likert scale. The study uses three consecutive years of data from the customer satisfaction level report obtained from Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC). The result of this study reflects the visitors’ opinions on their expectations of the TPAs’ facilities. It was found that the visitors are satisfied with all three components, with room for improvement. They are most satisfied with the safety signage, followed by the information displayed and the hygiene aspect. This study will aid the management in managing the TPAs in the future to plan and decide what are facilities to be provided to the visitors and how those facilities can attract more visitors to uplift the TPA’s image.

Covid-19: Impacts on Tourism in Bako National Park and Survival Strategies of Local Tourism Operators

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused havoc in every field globally, including the second highest industry, tourism. This paper focuses on the impacts resulting from the pandemic on tourism activities in Bako National Park and the local communities who are dependent on this natural attraction as an important source of income. Using the case study methodology, in-depth interviews were conducted with six tourism operators in Bako National Park to gauge how the pandemic impacted the tourism activities socially, economically, and environmentally. This paper unpacks how they coped with the associated challenges to stay afloat while waiting for the border to fully reopen. It is found that different types of tourism operators employ different survival strategies depending on the resources they have. While certain strategies could offset the immediate effects of the lockdown, some are meant for survival in the future.

Diet Analysis of Sympatric Colobine Monkeys from Bako National Park, Sarawak, Borneo

Habitat quality and abundant of food resources are among the key factors influencing the continued existence of primates in the wild. Although much has been studied on primate habitats and their diets, little is known about the nutritional value of the colobines’ foods. This study aimed to assess the dietary nutrient compositions of two sympatric colobine monkeys, Trachypithecus cristatus and Nasalis larvatus, in Bako National Park using proximate analysis of faecal, leaf and fruit samples of eight dominant tree species in Bako NP. Five nutrient parameters, namely crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre, ash, phosphorus, and energy content, were choosen to assess the nutritional demands of the monkeys in the wild. The faecal samples showed significantly higher percentage of crude fibre (27.58%) in N. larvatus compared to T. cristatus. In contrast, crude fat (8.52%), ash content (1.79%) and phosphorus (5.76 mg/g) were found to be significantly higher in the faecal samples of T. cristatus than in N. larvatus. The nutrient composition of leaves samples from the tree species consumed by N. larvatus and T. cristatus showed a significantly higher percentage of crude protein (14.56%) in Barringtonia asiatica (sea poison tree) and higher ash (13.70%) in Morinda citrifolia (Indian mulberry). Meanwhile, nutrient composition in fruit samples showed highest percentage of crude fibre (32.58%) and crude fat (12.35%) in Calophyllum inophyllum (Alexandrian laurel), whereas higher phosphorus (5.76%) and energy (24.26 KJ) were recorded in Ceriops tagal (Yellow mangrove). The higher crude fiber detected in N. larvatus’ faecal samples compared to T. cristatus may indicates that N. larvatus experiences lower digestibility as they are incapable of completely digesting the tough leaves or fruits. This study provides useful information for the conservation and management of these primate species especially on their dietary requirements in captivity or in a new habitat.

On two new species of arboreal crabs from phytotelms in Sarawak, Borneo (Crustacea: Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae: Arachnothelphusa).

Two new species of the gecarcinucid freshwater crab genus Arachnothelphusa are described from the Malaysian state of Sarawak in Borneo; one from Lanjak-Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary and another from Bako National Park. Arachnothelphusa rimba n. sp. is distinctive in possessing very long legs and a male first gonopod which has a cylindrical proximal part of the terminal segment, with the distal part sharply tapering to an acute tip. Arachnothelphusa bako n. sp. is superficially closest to A. kadamaiana from Sabah, but differs markedly by its narrower epistome, and proportionately shorter third maxillipeds and ambulatory legs.

ANTECEDENTS OF DESTINATION IMAGE IN NATURAL PROTECTED AREA: THE MODERATING ROLE OF PERCEIVED VALUE

Ecotourism is a nature-oriented tourism idea that is flourishing and with promising outlook. The present study attempts to explore the importance of local communities’ attitude, carrying capacity and destination attractiveness & resources towards destination image by adopting perceived value as a moderator on examining the antecedents on destination image. Data were collected from 146 tourists who have visited Bako National Park, Sarawak. The research employs WarpPLS 6.0 and the results revealed that local communities’ attitude, carrying capacity and destination attractiveness & resources have impact on destination image. Perceived value has moderating effect between destination attractiveness & resources and destination image.

Helminth parasites occurrence in wild proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus), endemic primates to Borneo Island.

Nasalis larvatus are well-known attraction for tourists in the mangrove forest of Bako National Park (BNP). Little is known regarding the infestation of helminth parasites in proboscis monkeys. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence species of major helminth parasites of public health importance in proboscis monkeys in BNP. A total of 65 faecal samples screened for helminth parasites via sodium nitrate floatation and faecal sedimentation techniques. A total of 14 helminth parasite species comprising of eight genera of nematodes, two species of cestodes and two trematodes were identified. Eggs of Trichuris trichiura were the most frequently encountered in proboscis monkeys. This is the first survey on the fauna of helminth parasites of proboscis monkeys living in mangrove forests, and therefore, it implies the important baseline information that increases our current knowledge for future research regarding parasite-host ecology in primates.

Introduction to Documentation of Nepenthes Species in Bako National Park, Sarawak

In order to accomplish the learning objectives of ecology, biodiversity and environment course, in situ activities remain the finest key to complement by conducting real fieldwork experiments. The specific objectives of the fieldwork are to ensure sustainable learning, adopting best practice in scientific documentation, and implementing holistic and integrated learning approach in the course. Therefore, related field topic was given to the students and resulted with the following attributes. Four different species of pitcher plants were identified and classified throughout the study. The recent biology educational trip to Bako National Park had documented various well-known species of Nepenthes. Information on Nepenthes species present in the parks is useful for educational and research purposes, developing a conservation plan and management and also helps in promoting ecotourism. The trip was conducted to introduce a comprehensive learning experience to the students in biodiversity-related discipline.

Bats Assemblage and Lunar Phase Effect on Bat Activity at Mixed Dipterocarp Forest, Gunung Gading National Park, Sarawak, Borneo

Bat surveys at Gunung Gading National Park (GGNP) were conducted for 29 non-consecutive nights, which consisted of five separate sampling sessions from November 2011 until November 2015. A total of 378 individuals representing 36 species from six families were captured, from an accumulated effort of 435 trapping nights. This corresponds to approximately 39% (n=36) of the total species recorded in Borneo. The most commonly captured species in GGNP for insectivorous bats was Rhinolophus affinis (20.1%), whereas for frugivorous bats Penthetor lucasi (14.3%) dominated the capture. Species accumulation curve reached asymptote on the 24th sampling night suggesting that sampling saturation has been achieved for the trapping sites studied here. The species diversity (H’= 2.75) showed relatively high diversity of bat species in the park compared to other actively surveyed sites in western Sarawak including Bako National Park (Bako NP), Kubah National Park (Kubah NP) and Mount Penrisen (Mt Penrisen). This was further supported through rarefaction analysis showing that GGNP has largest value of estimated species compared to other actively surveyed sites in western Sarawak. Lunar phase and bat capture rate correlation analysis showed that there is no statistically significant relationship between lunar phase and the bat capture rate at GGNP. This suggests that bat activity reported here were not affected by moonlight. The results from these surveys provided the most comprehensive list of bats for GGNP. Our study highlights the importance of GGNP as an important habitat for bat conservation including the rare bat species found in Borneo, Phoniscus atrox.

Motivation of Visiting Bako National Park

This study was to analyse the visitors’ motives of visiting Bako National Park. A total of 564 visitors were interviewed. Varimax rotation method in factor analysis was employed to gain information from visitors on their behaviour reflecting their motives for ecotourism activities in the national park. The results showed that visitors visit a national park for four factors: challenge excursion, social trip, nature tour and getaway outing. This result may help the management authority to reposition national park attributes without neglecting the objectives of the national park existence.

Studies on Schismatoglottideae (Araceae) of Borneo XV: A Second Species of Bakoa from Indonesian Borneo

molecular analyses Boyce & Wong (2008) and Wong et al. (2010) convincingly demonstrated Piptospatha N. E. Br. sensu Bogner & Hay (2000) to be polyphyletic. One result of redefining Piptospatha as monophyletic was the recognition of a morphologically highly distinctive new genus, Bakoa P. C. Boyce & S. Y. Wong, with one species, B. lucens (Bogner) P. C. Boyce & S. Y. Wong restricted to a single sandstone waterfall in Bako National Park, Kuching, Sarawak, and with a solitary specimen (A. Elsener H164) from Kalimantan Barat. Recent herbarium-based work in BO, L & K provided access to herbarium material not available to the author during the work leading to Boyce & Wong (2008), including the type Hottarum brevipedunculatum H. Okada & Y. Mori. On examination, this proved to represent a second species of Bakoa, differing from B. lucens by the staminate flower zone free and completely fertile [vs. basally adnate to the spathe on the dorsal side, sometimes with only the ventral-most stamens (those exposed by gaping spathe limb) fertile, or more extensively fertile, but always sterile on the dorsal side]; and the stigma reaching to almost the edge of the gynoecium. Re-examination of Elsener H164 (not critically examined previously) confirmed that this also belongs in B. brevipedunculata. Therefore, Bakoa is redefined to include the second species, B. brevipedunculata.

Serological Prevalence of Leptospiral Infection in Wildlife in Sarawak, Malaysia

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic leptospiral bacteria, which are transmitted directly orindirectly from animals to humans or animal to animal. The first phase of this proposed study was carried out todetermine the extent of exposure to leptospirosis in wild mammals surrounded by human settlements aroundwildlife or tourism area (Wind Cave, Fairy Cave, Bako National Park and Matang Wildlife Center). This studyreports an incident of leptospirosis among primates (three captive and two free ranging), rats, bats, squirrels andmongoose around Kuching, Sarawak area, which has been screened for Leptospirosis. Blood samples wereobtained to determine the presence of antibodies through the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) usingeighteen serovars of Leptospira commonly found in Malaysia as antigens. It was observed that four out of thefive monkeys (80%), rats (9/4) (44%), bats (20/5) (20.8%), squirrels 4/4 (100%) and mongoose (1) (100%)reacted against one or more serovars of Leptospira. In this study antibody of five serovars of Leptospirainterrrogans Copenheni, Leptospira interrrogans Lai, Leptospira interrrogans Pomona, Leptospira interrrogansPyrogenes, Lepto 175* were detected. Serovars Copenhegeni, Lai, Pomona and Pyrogenes were consideredpathogenic for different mammals including human beings. No information about serovars lepto 175 and furtherstudies going on. This is providing information on the possible zoonotic importance of mammalian species inmaintaining this disease in Sarawak. The transmission of leptospires in rats reported several incidents andbetween primates, bats, squirrels, mongoose and human is not reported elsewhere but this could create newreservoir and transmission routes and may affect the tourism, conservation effort and public health.

Two new species of Hoya R.Br. (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae) from Borneo.

Two new Hoya R.Br. species from Borneo are described and illustrated. The first, Hoya ruthiae Rodda was collected in Sabah on Bukit Baturong, a limestone outcrop. It is one of the few species in the genus to have clear exudate. It is compared with the morphologically related Hoya uncinata Teijsm. and Binn. The other, Hoya bakoensis Rodda, was collected in the kerangas forests of Bako National Park. It belongs to Hoya section Acanthostemma (Bl.) Kloppenb., a section with numerous members in the Philippines but under-represented in Borneo.

Two NewOpadometaSpecies (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) from Sarawak, Malaysia

Abstract. Two new species from the genus Opadometa Archer, 1951 (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) are described, the O. sarawakensis sp. nov. and O. kuchingensis sp. nov. from Bako National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. Descriptions, illustrations and summary on the web characters are provided based on female specimens.

Leptospiral agglutinins in captive and free ranging non-human primates in Sarawak, Malaysia

Aim: The proposed study was carried outto determine the extent of exposure to leptospirosis in non-human primates. Materials and Methods: Trapping of non-human primates was carried out opportunistically around the Bako National Park and the Matang Wildlife Center in the vicinity of human settlements and tourism areas of Sarawak. Blood samples were obtained from the saphenous vein to determine the presence of antibodies by the Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) to 17 serovars of Leptospira commonly found in Malaysia. Results: This study reports the screening of twelve primates (eight captive and four free ranging) for leptospirosis. Eight of the 12 monkeys (66.6%; 95%CI 34.9-90.1) reacted against one ortwo serovars of Leptospira(Lai and Leptospira Lepto175). The serovar Lai is considered pathogenic for different mammals, including humans. Leptospira Lepto 175 has been identified as an intermediate strain and further studies are being undertaken on this serovar. Conclusion: These results are important as primates may act as reservoirs of Leptospira spp. for humans, which may potentially affect tourism (economic loss), conservation efforts and public health.

Enhancing Visitor Experiences Using Thematic Interpretation in Park Guiding Service in Sarawak National Parks

Enhancing visitor experiences is arguably the primary and most important goal for interpretation by many protected area managers and tourism business. However, little research has been conducted in Sarawak, Malaysia to directly quantify the effects of thematic interpretation has on tourist experiences. Drawing on the TORE-model of interpretation and through the inception of Park Guiding Training and Licensing System in Sarawak since 2007, this quantitative study examines the effectiveness of thematic interpretive guided tours delivered by park guides at Bako National Park, Sarawak, with the assumption that it will further enhance visitor experiences. A descriptive analysis and Pearson's product-moment correlation analysis of sub-indicators of the global evaluation of interpretation of site, and sub-indicators of elaboration surveyed from visitors of purposively sampled park guides revealed a strong measurement and correlation coefficients of visitors' overall quality of thematic intepretive guided tours effecting visitor satisfaction and experiences. These findings provide empirical evidence that good thematic interpretive guided tour makes a positive impacts on visitor experiences, thus making training of tourism businesses' employees as park guides as a good investment. The suggestions for further research in influencing visitor attitude and shaping visitor behaviour are offered.

Visitors’ Visiting Motivation: Bako National Park, Sarawak

This study was conducted to analyse the visitors’ motives of visiting Bako National Park. A total of 564 local and foreign visitors were interviewed. Factor analysis with the varimax rotation method was employed to gain information from visitors on their behaviour reflecting their motives for ecotourism activities in the national park. The results showed that visitors visit a national park for four factors, which are challenge excursion, social trip, nature tour and getaway outing. This result may help the management authority to reposition national park attributes without neglecting the objectives of the national park existence. Several marketing implications also can be drawn from this study.

Studies on Hanguana (Commelinales-Hanguanaceae) for Sunda I : Hanguana bakoensis, a New Forest Species from Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, and Notes on Critical Morphologies for Elucidating Hanguana Taxonomy

hanguana bakoensis is described as a new species from Bako National Park, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. The confused taxonomic history of Hanguana is highlighted and species-level taxonomically important

A new variety of Drosera spatulata (Droseraceae) from Sarawak, Borneo

The Bako National Park (Taman Negara Bako) was founded in 1957, making it the oldest national park in Sarawak. It covers an area of 2.727 ha (6.738 acres) at the tip of the Muara Tebas Peninsula. This rather small national park is familiar to many carnivorous plant enthusiasts due to the various species of Nepenthes that grow within it, and its close proximity to Kuching, the state capital.

A decade of canopy-tree seedling survival and growth in two Bornean rain forests: persistence and recovery from suppression

The population dynamics of 8500 shade-tolerant tree seedlings of 13 tree species were followed for 10 years at rain forests in Lambir Hills National Park and Bako National Park, Malaysian Borneo. Since these dipterocarp forests have lower rates of canopy gap formation than do rain forests elsewhere, tree seedling biology was predicted to differ. Approximately 50% of seedlings present in 1986 were still alive in 1996. Seven out of thirteen had seedling populations composed predominantly of individuals that were at least 10 years old. These seedlings can undergo alternating periods of relatively rapid and slow growth. Many seedlings that grew rapidly in the first census interval survived through a period of suppression in the second census interval, and conversely many seedlings with a history of suppression had exceptionally high growth in the final census interval. Seedlings of South-East Asian forest tree species are long-lived and appear to be adapted to long periods of suppression in the understorey.