Sains Malaysiana 54(1)(2025): 49-57

http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2025-5401-05

Kesesuaian Habitat Tapir Malaya (Tapirus indicus) di Kawasan Hutan Terfragmentasi di Kompleks Hutan Taman Negara

(Habitat Suitability of Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus) in a Fragmented Forest of Greater Taman Negara Complex)

NURUL ATIKAH TAJUL ARIFFIN¹, MUZZNEENA AHMAD MUSTAPHA^1,*, TUKIMAT LIHAN¹, NUR FATIN KHODRI², TAHERAH MOHD TAHER³, NUR IZZATI ABDULLAH⁴ & SHUKOR MD NOR⁴

¹Jabatan Sains Bumi dan Alam Sekitar, Fakulti Sains dan Teknologi, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
²Bahagian Kawasan Perlindungan, Ibu Pejabat Jabatan Perlindungan Hidupan Liar dan Taman Negara (PERHILITAN), KM 10, Jalan Cheras, 56100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
³Institute of Energy and Infrastructure, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
⁴Jabatan Biologi dan Bioteknologi, Fakulti Sains dan Teknologi, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

Diserahkan: 5 Mei 2024/Diterima: 23 September 2024

Abstrak

Tapir Malaya merupakan spesies endemik negara Asia dan populasi terbesar tapir Malaya adalah di Semenanjung Malaysia dengan rekod kurang daripada 1500 individu. Populasi tapir Malaya yang kian menyusut menyebabkan spesies ini disenaraikan sebagai spesies terancam sejak 2008 di dalam Senarai Merah IUCN. Kehilangan habitat serta kemalangan jalan raya menjadi punca utama penyusutan populasi spesies ini di Semenanjung Malaysia. Melalui kaedah pemodelan entropi maksimum, kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti taburan habitat serta ciri habitat yang sesuai bagi tapir Malaya khususnya di kawasan hutan yang terfragmentasi di Kompleks Hutan Taman Negara. Sebanyak 582 rekod kehadiran tapir Malaya dan lima parameter sekitaran iaitu ketinggian, kecerunan, jarak dari perbandaran, jarak dari badan air dan jenis guna tanah digunakan untuk pemodelan. Faktor jenis guna tanah, ketinggian dan kecerunan paling banyak menyumbang kepada model iaitu sebanyak 34.3%, 31.6% dan 17.4%. Faktor jarak dari perbandaran menyumbang sebanyak 9.7% dan faktor jarak dari badan air menyumbang sebanyak 7.0%. Hasil model menunjukkan kawasan hutan yang berdekatan dengan sumber air dengan ketinggian tidak lebih dari 1000 m dan kecerunan kurang dari 30° merupakan habitat yang sesuai bagi tapir di kawasan ini. Ramalan model mendapati kebarangkalian kehadiran tapir adalah tinggi di kawasan perbandaran dan hortikultur. Keputusan kajian ini dapat menjadi panduan dan rujukan untuk usaha pemuliharaan akan datang di kawasan kajian dan juga kawasan seumpamanya.

Kata kunci: Entropi maksimum; fragmentasi habitat; kesesuaian habitat; Taman Negara; tapir Malaya

Abstract

The Malayan tapir is an endemic species of Asia, and the largest population of Malayan tapirs is found in Peninsular Malaysia, with a recorded number of not more than 1500 individuals. The declining population of the Malayan tapir has led it to be listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Habitat loss and road kills are the main causes of the decline in the population of this species. Through maximum entropy modeling, this study aims to identify the suitable habitat distribution and characteristics for the Malayan tapir, particularly in the fragmented forest areas within the Greater Taman Negara Forest Complex. A total of 582 records of Malayan tapir presence-only data and five environmental parameters namely elevation, slope, distance from urban areas, distance from water bodies, and land use types, were used in the modeling. Land use types, elevation, and slope contributed most to the model, accounting for 34.3%, 31.6%, and 17.4%, respectively. The distance from urban areas contributed 9.7%, while the distance from water bodies contributed 7.0%. The model indicates that forest areas near water sources, with elevations not exceeding 1000 m and slopes less than 30°, are suitable habitats for tapirs in this area. The model also predicted a high probability of tapir presence in urban and horticultural areas. The findings of this study can serve as a guide and reference for future conservation efforts in the study area and similar areas.

Keywords: Habitat fragmentation; habitat suitability; Malayan tapir; maximum entropy; Taman Negara

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*Pengarang untuk surat menyurat; email: muzz@ukm.edu.my