Borneo Nature Foundation Co-director Dr Susan Cheyne has been working with colleagues from across Borneo and South East Asia to evaluate the conservation status of Borneo’s cat species. The updated species accounts on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species bring together new knowledge and distribution data to give a comprehensive picture of how these cats are coping with habitat loss and human disturbance.
Dr Cheyne says that assessing elusive and cryptic cat species is very hard: they are difficult to see directly and so we must rely on camera trap images. “What is clear is that in order to ensure a future for these amazing cats, governments and companies must commit to stopping the conversion of forest to plantations and especially must work to prevent the fires which devastate peatlands on an almost annual basis. Without suitable and properly managed habitat these cats will not survive”.
There are 5 species found on Borneo and 4 of these are found in Sabangau Forest and regularly appear on our camera traps. Read below to learn about the state of the cats.
Clouded leopard remains Vulnerable
Flat-headed cat remains Endangered
Leopard cat remains Least Concern
Marbled cat – changed from Vulnerable to Near Threatened
The change in status of the Marbled Cat from Vulnerable in the 2008 assessment to Near Threatened must not be taken to reflect an actual increase in population nor a reduction of threats. Although our knowledge of where marbled cats are found has increased, the Marbled Cat remains little known and, across its range, is recorded relatively infrequently, which has hampered efforts to accurately assess its status.
