The effect of forest fire on the Squirrel and Tree Shrew community dynamic in Southern Sumatra

Abstract

A study to investigate the effect of forest fire on the dynamic of squirrel and tree shrew community was conducted in the south of Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (BBSNP), Lampung, Indonesia. The park is surrounded by agricultural and plantation areas but contains some of the largest intact tracts of lowland forest remaining on the island which undergoing the most rapid forest conversion. The study focused on 8 squirrel (Ratufa bicolor, R. affinis, Callosciurus notatus, C. nigrovittatus, Sundasciurus hippurus, S. lowii, S. tenuis, and Lariscus insignis; Mammalia: Rodentia) and 3 tree shrew species (Tupaia tana, T. glis and T. minor; Mammalia: Scandentia) and described how pre- and post-fire conditions of habitat affect the density and distribution of squirrels and tree shrews in the study area. Data were collected before the fire in 1997, then each year subsequently after that until 2001. The study showed that density was significantly lower after the fire and in the burned area. The ground dwelling species were the most suffered species as fire destroyed their preferred disturbed habitat more severely than the undisturbed ones. The study has showed that fire caused changes in habitats and would change the structure of the animal community.