Avoiding extinction

At one of their study sites in Singapore, where poaching has been eliminated and there are considerable forest restoration efforts, two large animal species are thriving again.

“Singapore has actually experienced the natural re-wilding of sambar deer and wild boars, which are now frequently observed in an urban forest, the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve,” Mr Amir said.

“If we replicate those protection efforts in larger forests and other counties, we may see positive impacts right around the world.

“But before this can happen, humans need to get our act together and limit poaching.”

While there are some positive results, UQ’s Dr Matthew Luskin said the study also noted strong declines in tapirs, Sumatran rhinoceros, sun bears, gaur and other large animals.

“The key innovation of this work was to systematically investigate the population trends of many different wildlife species across the region,” Dr Luskin said.

“Then we tested if all species showed consistent trends and if similar parks retained similar species.

“Remarkably, we found no two forests currently possess the same group of wildlife compared to thousands of years ago.”

Dr Luskin said the research offered an opportunity to shape the future of nature.

“These results provide hope for wildlife in forests previously considered too far degraded or too close to cities,” he said.

“Now we’re exploring new conservation strategies for these surprising places.”

This research is published in Science Advances.