The importance of forests as microclimate refuges for mammals in Sumatra

Abstract

Abstract The forests of Aceh are key habitat for several iconic, but critically endangered Sumatran mammals. Preserving these forests is vital to ensuring the continued survival of these species. In addition to the immediate threats of habitat loss and degradation, hunting and human-wildlife conflict, climate change will present further challenges to mammal conservation. A major focus of ecological research is to predict species ranges under future climate change using species distribution models, which correlate existing species distributions with environmental data. This enables us to identify and prioritise the most vulnerable habitats and species for protection, restoration or relocation and ensure the best use of limited resources. Producing these models in Sumatra is challenging due to a lack of species data and accurate environmental data. Furthermore, climatic conditions under tropical forest canopy are significantly cooler and less variable than background macroclimate conditions and can shield mammals from climatic extremes. This decoupling effect has been observed in both primary and secondary forests, although the full extent to which human activities is not known. Identifying microclimate refuges and characteristics which promote thermal buffering of forests will favour long-term mammal conservation under climate change by identifying key locations for habitat protection and restoration to protect climate sensitive species from climate extremes.