Short Communication The importance of selectively logged forests for tiger Panthera tigris conservation: a population density estimate in Peninsular Malaysia

To obtain information on density of tiger Panthera tigris in selectively logged forest, a 9-month camera-trapping survey was conducted over elevations of 190-850 in in lowland and hill/upper dipterocarp and lower montane forests in Gunung Basor Forest Reserve, Peninsular Malaysia. Capture-recapture sampling methods were used to estimate tiger population density in the Reserve. The number of individual tigers captured was six. Using the M-h jackknife estimator the average capture probability per sampling occasion was 0.28 and the corresponding estimate of population size 8 +/- SE 1.89. The overall probability of photo-capturing a tiger present in the sampled area was 0.75. Using an approach based on distances between photo-captures, a buffer width of 3.22 kin and an effectively sampled area of 308 kM(2) was estimated. This resulted in a density estimate of 2.59 +/- SE 0.71 adult tigers per 100 km(2). The results indicate that selectively logged forests such as Gunung Basor Forest Reserve have the potential to accommodate a high density of tigers. Decision makers and conservation planners should not therefore perceive selectively logged forests to have limited conservation value. Further research on the ecology of tigers and their prey in selectively logged forests is urgently needed. Such research would enable conservationists to recommend tiger-friendly management guidelines for sustainable forest management and thereby significantly contribute to tiger conservation in Malaysia.