The aim of this study was to improve our understanding of the ecology and distribution of Borneo’s carnivores at different spatial scales, from the local scale to a coarse-scale Borneo-wide perspective. A particular emphasis was placed on the highland endemic Hose’s civet.
The objectives of this thesis were to: 1) Use Hose’s civet as a case study of a little-studied highland endemic to assess habitat requirements, distribution and threats across Borneo under current and future environmental change scenarios, thereby identifying key aspects and locations for targeted conservation interventions. As an example of a tropical highland endemic, this study also sought to evaluate whether such species are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and therefore, to what extent scenarios for future climate change should be considered when formulating conservation management strategies. 2) Understand fine-scale predictors of small carnivore occurrence within the disturbed and modified habitat of a logging concession in Sarawak. This improved understanding could then be translated into management recommendations to enhance carnivore conservation in logging concessions across Sarawak. 3) Identify priority conservation landscapes for carnivores across Borneo, and questions for research and conservation which need more attention. This understanding will hopefully facilitate systematic, holistic conservation planning for Borneo’s diverse carnivore community, provide an evidence base for conservation planning and bridge the gap between conservation research and practise.
