Forest land-use in Sabah, Malaysia: An introduction to Danum Valley

Selected abstracts 93Z/00035 Forest land-use in Sabah, Malaysia: an introduction to Danum Valley C . W . Marsh & A. G. Greet, Philosophical Transactions Royal Society of London, B, 335(1275), 1992, pp 331-339. About 60% of the land area of Sabah is forested and 48% is gazetted as Permanent Forest Reserve or State or National Parks. The largest agent of forest disturbance is the timber industry. The Sabah Foundation holds a 100-yr timber concession of 973 000 ha in the southeast of the state. Of this concession 9.7% has been reserved for conservation, including 43 800 ha of uninhabited, mostly lowland forest in Danum Valley. Since 1986, this has been the site of a collaborative research programme devoted to comparative study of primary forest ecology and the impacts of selective logging. -from Authors 93Z/00036 The response of some rain forest insect groups to logging and conversion to plantation J . D . Holloway, A. H. Kirk-Spriggs & Chey Vun Khen, Philosophical Transactions- Royal Society of London, B, 335(1275), 1992, pp 425-436. Data from pilot studies in the Danuk area of Sabah, East Malaysia, and elsewhere in the Indo-Australian tropics, are used to measure the effects of logging and other human disturbance, such as conversion to plantation, on insect diversity. The two insect groups studied have very different trophic requirements: moths, with floristically specific herbivory, and dung and carrion beetles, exploitating resources of much more uniform quality over different forest systems. Moths show significant loss of diversity and taxonomic quality with disturbance and conversion to plantation. The beetles show much less change in diversity and faunistic composition. -from Authors 93Z/00037 Vertebrate responses to selective logging: implications for the design of logging systems A . D . Johns, Philosophical Transactions - Royal Society of London, B, 335(1275), 1992, pp 437-442. Data are presented from Forest Reserves at Tekam in Peninsular Malaysia and Ulu Segama in Sabah, to show how simple analysis of ecologicial parameters may be used to quantify the extent to which logging affects the forest ecosystem and the extent to which it recovers over time. -from Author 93Z/00038 The consequences of selective logging for Bornean lowland forest birds F . R . Lambert, Philosophical Transactions - Royal Society of London, B, 335(1275), 1992, pp 443-457. In lowland dipterocarp forest in Sabah, Malaysia, most primary forest bird species were present in areas selectively logged eight years previously, but certain taxa, notably flycatchers, woodpeckers, trogons and wren-babblers, became comparatively rare. Nectarivorous and opportunistic frugivorous species were significantly more abundant. Few species appeared to change foraging height, but the activity of some species had increased, or else some birds ranged over larger areas after logging. While large areas of this habitat axe important for bird conservation, the susceptibility of logged forest to fire, and our present incomplete understanading of bird behaviour and population dynamics in logged forests mean that they should not be considered by conservationists as alternatives to reserves of primary forest. -from Author 93Z/00039 Conserving i n v e r t e b r a t e diversity in agricultural, forestry a n d n a t u r a l ecosystems in Australia P. Greenslade, Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 40(I-4), 1992, pp 297-312. Conservation measures for a more sustainable use of the land are illustrated for eucalypt woodland, native forests, grasslands and arid systems. They include adopting native tree species for timber production and native grasses for pasture, retention of native vegetation and paying attention to conservation of invertebrates in parks and reserves. -from Author 93Z/00040 F e r a l p i g s ) r a i n f o r e s t conservation and exotic disease in north Queensland P . M . Pavlov, F. H. J. Crome & L. A. Moore, Wildlife Research, 19(2), 1992, pp 179-193.

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Sus scrofa are perceived to cause considerable environmental damage i n the rainforests of HE Queensland and are a significant management problem. Because of the pertinence of such a problem to the overall management of the northern rainforests now that the World Heritage Area has been declared, the authors have compiled and review what is known about the distribution, biology and effects of feral pigs in this region and assess the likely efficacy of control options. They also draw attention to the potential problems of the introduction of exotic diseases into the rainforest pig populations. -Authors

Restoration ecology 93Z/00041 Nitrogen and gypsum: management tools for revegetation and productivity improvement of brackish marsh in southwest Louisiana G. C. Sigua & W. H. Hudnall, Communications in Soil Science & Plant Analysis, 23(3-4), 1992, pp 283-299. Spartina patens (marsh hay cordgrass), Distichlis spicata (salt grass), Paspalum vaginatum (joint grass) and Scirpus americanus (freshwater three-square) were fertilized with 0. 60, 120, and 240 kg N/ha, Gypsum was applied at the rate of 0, 5, and 10 Mg/ha prior to planting. The four marsh species responded significantly. -from Authors 93Z/00042 W h i t e b e a m (Sorbus aria) as a n a t u r e reserve tree on poor soils J . A . Richardson, Arboricultural Journal, 16(2), 1992, pp 99-102. Extensive tree planting for amenity on coal spoil sites has been c a n e d out in county Durham, for 35 yr. Whitebeam was not used until 1974. After seven years, survival was 90% and height 1.7m and after 14 years 90% and 4.5m. In 1982 and 1983 Swedish whitebeam (S. intermedia was planted at two similar sites and after seven years survival and height (85%, 1.7m) s~ggest that this species could also be confidently used on prior soils for amenity purposes. -from Author 93Z/00043 The role of soil nitrogen in the growth of trees on derelict land A . D . Kendle & A. D. Bradshaw, Arboricultural Journal, 16(2), 1992, pp 103-122. Data from china clay waste suggest that 800-1000 kg N ha -1 is required for the most unproductive woodlands. The paper considers the potential for using nitrogen-fixing trees to supply adequate N to support other species on clay waste. -from Authors 93Z/00044 Artemisia kelleri N. Krasch. in the Chilm a m e d k u m (in Russian) E . M . Seifulin, A. I. Gladyshev & A. M. Geldikhanov, Problemy Osvoeniya Pustyn' - Akademia Nauk Turkmenskoi SSR, 2, 1992, pp 37-43. Biological peculiarities of wormwood permit its use under sand phytomelioration in the NW Karakum. -from English summary 93Z/00045 Methods of p a s t u r e development on shifting sand dunes (in Russian) A. L. Danilin, M. K. Sabirov & T. A. Yurkevich, Problemy Osvoeniya Pustyn' - Akademiya Nauk Tarkmenskoi SSR, 2, 1992, pp 68-71. Forest regeneration fellings and use of forage plants are safe means for sustaining or improvingpasture productivity. -from English summary