Conserving the globally threatened Plain-pouched Hornbills in the Belum-Temengor Forest Complex, Peninsular Malaysia

The globally threatened Plain-pouched Hornbill Aceros subruficollis is known to occur in only three countries i.e. Myanmar, Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia. In a recent assessment by BirdLife International, its global population is estimated to be between 1,500 and 7,000 mature individuals across its distribution range and is rapidly declining due to habitat loss and degradation and hunting. The occurrence of Plain-pouched Hornbills in Peninsular Malaysia was first recorded in the 1990s during scientific expeditions into the Belum-Temengor Forest Complex  (BTFC),  one  of  the  Important  Bird  and  Biodiversity Areas (IBA)  in  the  country.  Hundreds  were  documented  moving en masse across  the  forest  landscape  annually  between  the  months  of  August and October at dusk and dawn during their presumed non-breeding period. Between 2004 and 2007, the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) monitored the monthly movements to/from communal roosting site(s) at a fixed location in Temengor Forest Reserve. From 2008 until 2012, a two-month daily monitoring effort was initiated under the MNS Hornbill Volunteer Programme (HVP) as a form of citizen science. The highest count in a single session was in September 2008 with over 3,200 individuals at dawn. Through the monitoring effort and cumulative data, it was shown that the number of Plain-pouched Hornbills seen fluctuates yearly, possibly corresponding with local phenological patterns in this vast  forest  complex.  Spanning  over  300,000  ha  of  tropical  evergreen forests,  BTFC  is  the  largest  forest  complex  in  northern  Peninsular Malaysia. The northern section of BTFC is also contiguous with another forest complex in southern Thailand i.e. the Bang Lang National Park and Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary. Collectively, this trans-boundary forest complexes form an important stronghold for the long-term survival of the Plain-pouched Hornbill and other resident hornbill species. This paper  summarizes  the  collated  field  information  on  Plain-pouched Hornbills to date in BTFC and discusses its conservation implications.