Sus ahoenobarbus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	CETARTIODACTYLA	SUIDAE

Scientific Name:

Sus ahoenobarbus

Species Authority:

Huet, 1888

Common Name/s:

English

–

Palawan Bearded Pig

Synonym/s:

Sus balabacensis Forsyth Major, 1897

Sus barbatus Huet, 1888 subspecies ahoenobarbus

Sus calamianensis Heude, 1892

Sus palavensis Nehring, 1889

Taxonomic Notes:

Formerly treated as a subspecies of S. barbatus, but elevated to a full species by Groves (2001) and Lucchini et al. (2005).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Vulnerable B1ab(iii,v) ver 3.1

Year Published:

2008

Assessor/s:

Oliver, W.

Reviewer/s:

Leus, K. & Oliver, W. ( Pig, Peccary & Hippo Red List Authority)

Contributor/s:

Justification:
Listed as Vulnerable because its extent of occurrence is less than 20,000 km², its distribution is severely fragmented, and there is continuing decline in the extent and quality of its forest habitat, and in the number of mature individuals due to over-hunting.

History:

2000	–	Vulnerable
1996	–	Lower Risk/near threatened (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)
1994	–	Rare (Groombridge 1994)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is endemic to the Philippines, where it is restricted to the Palawan Faunal Region (Caldecott et al. 1993). The species is known from many locations on Palawan mainland, and is confirmed from Busuanga and Calauit, and reported from diverse other Calamian islands, including Culion and Coron (Rico and Oliver, unpubl). It is also reported from Dumaran to the east of Palawan, and from Balabac and some neighbouring islands to the south of Palawan (Oliver 1995 and unpublished; Heaney et al. 1998).
Countries:	Native: Philippines
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	The species remains relatively widely, if patchily, distributed. Although still locally common in some areas, it is in decline due to habitat attrition and heavy hunting pressure in many areas (Caldecott et al. 1993, Oliver 1992, Esselstyn et al. 2004).
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This species occurs in forest habitats (including fragmented forest) from sea level to montane forest at 1,500 m (Esselstyn et al. 2004) in a wide range of habitats: from primary and secondary forest to cultivated and managed areas, even neighbouring human habitations (Rabor 1986).
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	This species is heavily hunted throughout most of its range on the Palawan mainland and offshore islands. Hunting methods include snares, low caliber rifles, and small, baited explosive devices known as ‘‘pig bombs’’ (Esselstyn et al. 2004). It is also threatened by encroachment into forest areas (slash and burn agriculture). Due to the geography of Palawan, edge effects are a major problem. However, hybridization with free-ranging domesticates of ex-S. scrofa origin, which besets other Philippine wild pig species ,is not known to be a threat to this species.

Major Threat(s):

This species is heavily hunted throughout most of its range on the Palawan mainland and offshore islands. Hunting methods include snares, low caliber rifles, and small, baited explosive devices known as ‘‘pig bombs’’ (Esselstyn et al. 2004). It is also threatened by encroachment into forest areas (slash and burn agriculture). Due to the geography of Palawan, edge effects are a major problem. However, hybridization with free-ranging domesticates of ex-S. scrofa origin, which besets other Philippine wild pig species ,is not known to be a threat to this species.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	The species is legally protected by Philippine wildlife protection legislation, including a whole suite of legislation pertaining to the Palawan region. However, implementation of such legislation is generally poorly enforced in most areas – including some designated ‘protected areas’. Priority requirements therefore include the more effective implementation of existing legislation, and addition of new protected areas in key areas, if possible designed to enable greater management control by local governmental authorities than is the case under the existing national protected areas system. Recommendations pertaining to the management of wild pigs in non-protected areas to enable their continued harvest on a sustainable basis (Blouch 1995) are also unlikely to be effectively implemented at the present time.

Conservation Actions:

The species is legally protected by Philippine wildlife protection legislation, including a whole suite of legislation pertaining to the Palawan region. However, implementation of such legislation is generally poorly enforced in most areas – including some designated ‘protected areas’. Priority requirements therefore include the more effective implementation of existing legislation, and addition of new protected areas in key areas, if possible designed to enable greater management control by local governmental authorities than is the case under the existing national protected areas system. Recommendations pertaining to the management of wild pigs in non-protected areas to enable their continued harvest on a sustainable basis (Blouch 1995) are also unlikely to be effectively implemented at the present time.

Citation:	Oliver, W. 2008. Sus ahoenobarbus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 19 June 2013.
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