Day 7: 24.June
2001
0620hr
Long tailed macaques - 5+ animals - briefly seen in forest behind camp
0630hr Buceros
vigil calling on northern side of river. Last record for this trip
- since route out followed river, bird and other calls were generally
drowned by river sound Break camp and move fast downriver as supplies
now exhausted therefore threats and values only opportunistically recorded.
Appear to be tembesu wood - Fragraea fragrans, a lowland timber
mainly associated with riverine forest and heavily exploited for the
furniture and associated industries At Muara Pulau new skid trail on
western side of river now in use. Forest structure appears compromised
(rusak berat) to both sides of the river although forest at river edge
appears generally intact suggesting that loggers are exploiting the
more valuable dipterocarp forests on slopes above the river (cari kayu
ekspor) Aup and Sutrisno advise that no chainsaws heard in operation
as loggers have exited forest for Hari Pasar Tapan (Monday) South of
Muara Pulau. Large logging pondok, not in current use. Team gives up
counting disused pondoks and pondok sites 1km south of Muara Pulau prints
of a group of wild pig, unclear whether Sus scrofa or Sus
barbatus.
1009hr Prints of
Malay tapir in dry, sandy river bed (spate stream) west of main Silaut
river. Prints of Varanus Salvatore - water monitor/biawak. In damper
sandy loam, prints of Felis bengalensis, Leopard cat/kucing hutan.
Prints of Lutra perspicillata* - smooth-coated otter, berang-berang
bulu licin. First record of otters for this transect however further
investigation of upriver Silaut and Sako Gedang would probably reveal
otters as widespread in this river system.
1100hr (approximately)
Further otter and biawak prints seen. Prints of Tragulus kancil -lesser
mouse deer seen. Unclear prints of a viverrid, (musang), species unclear.
Forest canopy on western side of river shows signs of heavy impact of
illegal logging.
1122hr Long tailed
macaque seen .Immediately subsequent, freshly excavated burrow of Hystrix
brachyura, common porcupine/landak.
1135hr Pig prints
seen. Transect team now apparently outside the national park. Heavy
impact of logging clearly visible on both sides of the river.
1330hr PolHut intercept
four men walking upstream proposing to look for gaharu. Men sent home
to Lunang/Silaut area. Four+/- cubits of red meranti timber found on
side of river which has been floated down a small river flowing from
north into Silaut and ready for floating downriver to road head.
1340hr Five men
seen walking upriver, heavily loaded. Likely to be illegal logging crew
since have too much gear for gaharu hunters. However Pak Aup advises
that most forest workers enter the Silaut river area on a Tuesday after
Pasar Tapan.
1400hr Enter large
cinammon ladang 'Ladang Sudirman'. Five Sus scrofa seen. Team walks
north climbing the hill which forms the watershed between Silaut and
Sindang rivers. Two chainsaws operating in the riverine forest close
to Sindang river. Further chainsaws far upriver and heard, in the distance,
in the direction of Lunang river. Descend and cross Sindang river and
exit to West Sumatra coastal highway by a heavily used trail following
approximate course of Sindang river.
Day 1
- 2 - 3
- 4 - 5
- 6 - 7
Trip conducted by
Deborah
Martyr - Fauna and Flora International. Team leader.
Purnomo
- Component - D
Nurman
- - PolHut Rayon Kerinci
SevenX
- PolHut Rayon Bengkulu Utara
Aup
- Porter/guide
Sutrisno
- Porter
Data resources of FFI - ICDP A
- D
Contact
us if you want to redo this trip for yourself
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