IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Gray, T.N.E.; Eames, J.C.; Lyon, J.R.A.; Meyerhoff, M. | |
| Rewilding in Southeast Asia: an assessment of conservation opportunities in Western Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary, Cambodia | |
| 2019 Combodian Journal of Natural History (2019 ): 98-112 | |
Southeast Asia is at the centre of the global extinction crisis with many protected areas and conservation landscapes missing key species, particularly large carnivores and herbivores. The emerging fi eld of rewilding may be a promising conservation tool to recover ecosystems in the region. We assessed the desirability of 56 globally threatened (Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable) and Near Threatened mammal, bird, and reptile species for rewilding projects focused on Western Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary (WSPWS), a 1,320 km2 PrFont34Bin0BinSub0Frac0Def1Margin0Margin0Jc1Indent1440Lim0Lim1protected area complex in northeast Cambodia which has experienced extirpations and declines of many iconic species. Based on explicit motivations for rewilding within the sanctuary, we ranked species according to their global threat status, ecosystem service roles, charisma, and aspects of practicality such as opportunities for sourcing founders from Cambodia. The top 14 ranked candidates for rewilding included species reintroductions (e.g., Siamese crocodile _Crocodylus siamensis_) and population reinforcements (e.g., Eld's deer _Rucervus eldii_) and scored >12 points in our analyses (>65% of the score for a perfectly desirable candidate for rewilding). Most of the highly-ranked candidate species were mammals, a likely artefact of our inclusion of charisma as a criterion. This approach has helped us to identify candidate species for rewilding in WSPWS, although our ranking system did not incorporate explicit identification of threats or the feasibility of mitigating these. Such assessments are critical prior to commencing rewilding projects including reintroductions and population reinforcements. Mitigating actions required for Siamese crocodile and Eld's deer would include strengthening of protected area management and law enforcement across the landscape, particularly to reduce mortality in fi shing gear and snares respectively, combined with ensuring portions of the protected area are inviolate and strictly protected, potentially through fencing. |
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