The role of the Sabah's zoological collections in the conservation of protected areas in Sabah
2001
Stuebing, Robert B., Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago IL 60605-2496 (USA). Div. of Amphibians and Reptiles | Anna Wong, Sabah Museum, Zoology Section, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (Malaysia)
Sabah Museum came into being in 1964, at the time Sabah's first Totally Protected Area, Kinabalu (National) Park was gazetted (1964). Although a number of the museum's early specimens were collected.on Mt. Kinabalu, collections eventually extended over a much wider area. During the 1970s and 1980s, specimens were obtained from other protected areas such as Tabin Wildlife Reserve and Danum Valley. The value of these specimens in documenting and preserving a history of the fauna of TPAs in Sabah has been greatly under-appreciated. Many type specimens have originated from TPAs, and local museum collections are the only reliable means of monitoring the long-term status of such species in these areas. Specimens collected from within and outside protected areas provide critical information on habitat, distributional and community changes that can occur over extended periods of time. The present state of collections in Sabah, unfortunately, still fal ls far short of the numbers of specimens necessary for adequate future reference. Not all vertebrate species are yet represented, and most species are represented by only an average of four specimens for the entire geographical area of Sabah. A majority of species from individual TPAs remain unrepresented. Specimen collections have contributed tremendously towards building a knowledge base on local biodiversity, from field guides to public exhibits and training programmes. Rapid environmental changes in Sabah necessitate an awakening to the risks of not adequately documenting the biodiversity of the State's TPAs as they become islands in a sea of man-made habitats. A partnership of protected area management museums and local institutes of higher learning is an important step towards effective conservation management.
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