Bancet tompotikaOccidozyga tompotika

Conservation Actions

Conservation Actions
The Alliance for Tompotika Conservation (AlTo) works with local people and government as part of its conservation program in the Tompotika Forest Preserve, roughly 10,000-hectares (25,000 acres) of rainforest surrounding Mount Tompotika, established in 2010 with the support of the IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group and Conservation International. Much of the species' range falls within the boundaries of the reserve, which provides a degree of protection from anthropogenic threats, including habitat loss and degradation, hunting and poaching. To achieve these aims, AlTo works with local people to "encourage forest-friendly lifestyles and livelihoods", and employs a team of trained local community members to manage, preserve, patrol, and improve the forest of Mount Tompotika through a system of patrolling and restoration work. As a result, some of the forest that was under threat at the time the reserve was created now has increased protection and steps are being taken to restore degraded forest in its buffer zone (Alliance for Tompotika Conservation 2013, Moore 2011).

Conservation Needed
While most of the forest in this area was previously classified as "Protection Forests" by the Indonesian government, these maps have recently been revised and reduced the area of Protection Forest (M. Summers pers. comm. March 2018). Since the boundaries of the Forest Preserve were largely based on the boundaries of the Protection Forest, these too have changed. Furthermore, despite the ongoing conservation efforts, slash-and-burn agriculture and small-scale logging activities are still taking place and do not regard the official boundaries of Protection Forest. Due to these ongoing threats to the species' habitat, uncertainty around the full extent of this species' range, the patterns of endemicity in the Eastern Peninsula of Sulawesi, and changes to government-mandated protection of its forests, the forests of the Balantak Mountains remain vulnerable to human activities and require ongoing and increased protection and conservation (Iskandar et al. 2011).

Research Needed
Additional surveys are required to better understand the population size, distribution, and trends. In particular, surveys in the eastern portion of the Balantak range are needed to investigate the species' presence where suitable habitat occurs (M. Summers pers. comm. June 2018).

Location Information

This species is known from Bantayan on the southern slopes and Bualemo Village on the northern slopes of Mount Tompotika, Central Sulawesi Province on the Eastern Peninsula of Sulawesi between 462-778 m asl (Iskandar et al. 2011). The eastern Peninsula of Sulawesi is known to support several endemic species and more are expected to be found (Iskandar et al. 2011). Therefore, the species is very likely endemic to the eastern Peninsula and could occur more widely than currently mapped, but likely only in the areas in the vicinity of known records on Mount Tompotika. The extent of occurrence (EOO) of its current known range is 90 km² and is thought to represent a single threat defined location.

Geographic Range

Extant

Indonesia

Population Information

The description of the species is based on 10 specimens found in two clusters: one on the northern slopes and one on the southern slopes of Mount Tompotika. The species may be found in other areas of suitable habitat and elevation between known sites, therefore the species population is not considered to be severely fragmented. Due to ongoing decline in the quality and extent of habitat at lower elevations of Mount Tompotika in particular, and the Balantak Mountains of the Eastern Peninsula of Sulawesi in general, the population of this species is suspected to be decreasing.

Threats

The ongoing threat of habitat loss is present on and around Mount Tompotika. This is caused by both existing and inactive permitted nickel mines on the northern and southern slopes, rapid conversion of forest to palm oil plantations at lower elevations, illegal logging, slash and burn agriculture which is gradually working its way up the slope and is confirmed on the northern slopes to have reached 300-400 m asl (Alliance for Tompotika Conservation 2013, M. Summers pers. comm. March 2018), road building, expanding and new human settlements (Moore 2011).

IUCN Red List Account Link

Please click here to see the species' IUCN Red List Account page.