Camera Traps in Barito Ulu
On a misty June morning, the gentle chugging of a boat engine ebbed slowly up the Riam Lampei Awei River. The boat, containing 10 members of Borneo Nature Foundation’s (BNF) camera trap research team departed from a traditional floating house on the banks of the Joloi River and headed 90 minutes upstream to arrive at Camp Rekut.
Camp Rekut lies in the heart of the Bornean rainforest. The sight is spectacular, with the morning mist rising from the lusciously green trees towering over 20-metres high. Small waterfalls wind their way between a slalom of trees and over rocks covered in fertile moss. Natural fissions formed by the shifting of the Earth’s plates are clearly visible in the lines of the cliffs. This is a place for the soul to be still and fulfilled.
Camera Trap Team through Riam Lampei Awei. Photo by: Yohanes Prahara/BNF
Rocks the size of houses are a stunning distraction on the way to the camp. Not only that, dead tree trunks with a diameter of more than 2 meters tower on the banks of the river.
“This is the mouth of the Joloi River and the Busang Mas Joan River,” said Subuhan, BNF Indonesia Field Staff who is also a resident of Muara Joloi Village.
Subuhan played an important role in the initiation of the BNF’s camera trap research project in the Barito Ulu Landscape. Subuhan uses his expertise to select suitable camera locations, install camera units, and check photos to identify the animals captured on the traps. The installation of camera traps in this region is a collaborative biodiversity research effort carried out between the Central Kalimantan Province Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) and BNF.
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Subuh measures the density of the canopy cover when installing camera trap. Photo by Yohanes Prahara/BNF
I didn’t notice that the Rekut River estuary could be seen from a distance, a sign that we were almost there. As the boat approached Camp Rekut, Subuhan felt his longing for the forest fulfilled after a year since his last visit. Tropical rainforests are still very natural with a wealth of abundant biodiversity.
During this year’s research expedition, dozens of camera traps were installed in riverine habitat in order to determine the presence of wild animals through their river crossing pathways.
BNF’s Barito Ulu Program Coordinator , Mahmudi Hamzah, said that this installation was especially important for the detection of wild cats in order to monitor their populations in a previously understudied region. This is one of BNF’s major focus areas within our research division”.
“This expedition was a joint effort between multiple stakeholders, including the Central Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Centre (BKSDA), Central Kalimantan Environmental Service, Murung Raya Regency Forest Management Unit (KPHP), students from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA), University Palangka Raya, Muara Joloi Village members, and BNF” said Coordinator Mahmudi Hamzah.
Central Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Centre (BKSDA) staff installing camera trap. Photo by: Yohanes Prahara/BNF
The chosen installation point, continued Mahmudi, is indeed closer to the river than our previous expedition, and the terrain is more extreme due to the steep cliffs one must climb on the riverbanks which as mossy and slippery. “The installation of camera traps for the 2022 period was carried out on the 17th June 2022 in the hope of being able to gather data on species diversity in the Barito Ulu Rekut Forest,” he added.
BNF Indonesia Wild Cat Researcher, Khairul Ikhwan, added that “installing camera traps near rivers allows us to understand wild cat movement pathways, how they range across the area and use important river crossings to access connected forest”.
“The installation of camera traps as part of BNF’s Barito Ulu Programme has been carried out since 2021, with almost all monitoring stations located in hilly areas around the Rekut Forest. Now, after this most recent camera trap installation, we will be able to compare wildlife diversity and abundance between the hill and riverine areas”, said Khairul, familiarly called Irul.
Our tentative hypothesis, continued Irul, is that animals will have a tendency to move around water sources. But after looking at the data from 2021 and receiving anecdotal evidence from partners in the field, it is possible that the presence of wild animals in the Rekut Forest is not only influenced by the availability of water sources, but other things such as the threat of hunting and human activities.
“To determine the main drivers of wildlife composition, it is necessary to gather quality data and perform robust statistical tests. The camera traps we have installed this year will add to the sample size and provide information on a different habitat type to add to our dataset,” he concluded.
Busang River, Murung Raya Distric, Central Klimantan. Photo by: Yohanes Prahara/BNF
Barito Ulu is the Heart of Borneo, where the rainforest is still wild. It is home to endemic flora and fauna and therefore critical that it is valued and conserved by all stakeholders so that Borneo’s unique wildlife can thrive.
Written by: Yohanes Prahara, Content Creator and Media Liaison BNF Indonesia
