A species under siege: modelling habitat suitability for the bear cuscus Ailurops ursinus in South Sulawesi
Phalangerids in Sulawesi occur at the westernmost extent of marsupial distribution in Wallacea and are facing escalating anthropogenic pressures. The ecology of the Vulnerable bear cuscus Ailurops ursinus, one of four endemic phalangerids in Sulawesi, is poorly understood and the extent of its decli...
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| author | Rahmia Nugraha Siti Nurleily Marliana |
| author_facet | Rahmia Nugraha Siti Nurleily Marliana |
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| description | Phalangerids in Sulawesi occur at the westernmost extent of marsupial distribution in Wallacea and are facing escalating anthropogenic pressures. The ecology of the Vulnerable bear cuscus Ailurops ursinus, one of four endemic phalangerids in Sulawesi, is poorly understood and the extent of its decline unknown. This study aimed to build the first habitat suitability model for the species in South Sulawesi and identify priority areas for its conservation. We used maximum entropy modelling to predict the species’ potential distribution, and overlaid the resulting habitat suitability map with regulatory and mining activity maps. Our model predicted only 7.5% (143,682 ha) of the total study area to be potentially suitable habitat for the bear cuscus, predominantly in scattered forest patches, some of which are in areas affected by active mining or frequent poaching. Land-cover type was the most important predictor of the species’ distribution. Our findings suggest the lack of legal protection for the bear cuscus should be reconsidered, and we recommend the species is reassessed for the IUCN Red List. The forested areas of southern South Sulawesi have decreased by 12.5% since 2000, with over half of this decline occurring since 2015, preventing northwards dispersal and restricting the species to a fraction of the province's protected forests. Immediate intervention is necessary to combat poaching, slow the expansion of mining and increase landscape connectivity, to prevent further reduction of the species’ current and potential habitat. |
| format | Article |
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| spelling | doaj-art-dcca7c29d05a44aeba3fe32adbc3666c2025-08-20T02:17:06ZengCambridge University PressOryx0030-60531365-300811210.1017/S0030605324001406A species under siege: modelling habitat suitability for the bear cuscus Ailurops ursinus in South SulawesiRahmia Nugraha0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2758-3598Siti Nurleily Marliana1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3461-2235Both authors are affiliated with: Department of Ecology and Conservation, Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Jalan Teknika Selatan, Sekip Utara, Yogyakarta, IndonesiaBoth authors are affiliated with: Department of Ecology and Conservation, Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Jalan Teknika Selatan, Sekip Utara, Yogyakarta, IndonesiaPhalangerids in Sulawesi occur at the westernmost extent of marsupial distribution in Wallacea and are facing escalating anthropogenic pressures. The ecology of the Vulnerable bear cuscus Ailurops ursinus, one of four endemic phalangerids in Sulawesi, is poorly understood and the extent of its decline unknown. This study aimed to build the first habitat suitability model for the species in South Sulawesi and identify priority areas for its conservation. We used maximum entropy modelling to predict the species’ potential distribution, and overlaid the resulting habitat suitability map with regulatory and mining activity maps. Our model predicted only 7.5% (143,682 ha) of the total study area to be potentially suitable habitat for the bear cuscus, predominantly in scattered forest patches, some of which are in areas affected by active mining or frequent poaching. Land-cover type was the most important predictor of the species’ distribution. Our findings suggest the lack of legal protection for the bear cuscus should be reconsidered, and we recommend the species is reassessed for the IUCN Red List. The forested areas of southern South Sulawesi have decreased by 12.5% since 2000, with over half of this decline occurring since 2015, preventing northwards dispersal and restricting the species to a fraction of the province's protected forests. Immediate intervention is necessary to combat poaching, slow the expansion of mining and increase landscape connectivity, to prevent further reduction of the species’ current and potential habitat.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0030605324001406/type/journal_articleAilurops ursinusbear cuscusdeforestationendemic specieshabitat fragmentationIndonesiamarsupialWallacea |
| spellingShingle | Rahmia Nugraha Siti Nurleily Marliana A species under siege: modelling habitat suitability for the bear cuscus Ailurops ursinus in South Sulawesi Oryx Ailurops ursinus bear cuscus deforestation endemic species habitat fragmentation Indonesia marsupial Wallacea |
| title | A species under siege: modelling habitat suitability for the bear cuscus Ailurops ursinus in South Sulawesi |
| title_full | A species under siege: modelling habitat suitability for the bear cuscus Ailurops ursinus in South Sulawesi |
| title_fullStr | A species under siege: modelling habitat suitability for the bear cuscus Ailurops ursinus in South Sulawesi |
| title_full_unstemmed | A species under siege: modelling habitat suitability for the bear cuscus Ailurops ursinus in South Sulawesi |
| title_short | A species under siege: modelling habitat suitability for the bear cuscus Ailurops ursinus in South Sulawesi |
| title_sort | species under siege modelling habitat suitability for the bear cuscus ailurops ursinus in south sulawesi |
| topic | Ailurops ursinus bear cuscus deforestation endemic species habitat fragmentation Indonesia marsupial Wallacea |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0030605324001406/type/journal_article |
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